FreeFlyer

FreeFlyer FAQs

1. Who else is using FreeFlyer?

• Air Force Space Command
• Army Space Command
• Missile Defense Agency
• NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
• NASA Kennedy Space Center
• NASA Johnson Space Center
• NOAA Satellite Operations Center
• United Space Alliance (USA)
• General Dynamics
• Raytheon
• SRI International
• Northrop Grumman
• Boeing

2. How hard is FreeFlyer to use?

FreeFlyer is an all-in-one flight dynamics tool. There is no need for additional modules. All the functionality you will ever need for complete flight dynamics analysis is right at your fingertips. FreeFlyer has an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to step through "pages" of common spacecraft set-up parameters. In addition, FreeFlyer provides:

• Ability to configure customized user interface panels if only a subset or parameters need to be changed with each run, along with the ability to bypass GUI entirely if desired.
• Canned Wizards, demonstration mission plans and sample mission plans delivered with FreeFlyer
• Ability to define user's own wizards
• Built-in interfaces so that connection modules for 3rd party applications such as MATLAB, SQL Databases, and TCP/IP sockets, are not required
• Extensive Help File installed with FreeFlyer and accessible on every FreeFlyer page
• Access to a.i. solutions expert engineering support staff, M-F, 8am-5pm.

3. How have you validated FreeFlyer?

FreeFlyer has been used both in an operations environment and as an analysis tool for the past 10 years. It has been accepted by civil (NASA and NOAA) and military/DoD (Air Force and Army) space agencies. FreeFlyer has supported over 50 space missions, both for expendable launch vechicle (ELV) and spacecraft mission analysis and operations. Various agencies have performed validation studies of FreeFlyer based on their legacy flight dynamics software and other commercial tools.

4. How good is your technical/engineering support?

Excellent. Because a.i. solutions is a leading provider of flight dynamics services at Goddard Space Flight Center, Kennedy Space Center and for the GPS program in Colorado Springs, CO, more than half of our employees are experienced mission analysts, using FreeFlyer to perform launch vehicle and spacecraft mission analysis and operations everyday. All of our technical support staff have experience in both mission analysis and in spacecraft operations.

5. Can you provide "services" to integrate FreeFlyer into our ground system or Can you write mission-specific FreeFlyer scripts or perform some specific analyses for us?

Yes. Over the past decade, a.i. solutions has preformed flight dynamics-related services, software development and system integration for over 200 missions. FreeFlyer purchases can be bundled with services if desired. FreeFlyer Bronze, Silver and Gold support are available along with your FreeFlyer purchase. Contact sales@ai-solutions.com for more information.

5. Can I use FreeFlyer on UNIX and/or LINUX platform?

FreeFlyer is no longer being supported on a LINUX platform. Our future plans are to develop FreeFlyer for a Windows/Vista operating system only.

6. I have already invested in Satellite Tool Kit (STK), but I'd really like to use FreeFlyer for certain analyses or operations functions. With so much overlap in functionality, how can I use both?

Because many missions want to reuse portions of their existing satellite ground systems, FreeFlyer was designed for easy integration-allowing users the flexibility to upgrade to FreeFlyer in the areas where they need it most. FreeFlyer can be used for your entire flight dynamics functionally or just for the portions that you need. FreeFlyer's built-in interfaces make it compatible with any ground system software, including STK. Many orbit, attitude and mission design analysts use FreeFlyer as their primary analysis tool. Because of FreeFlyer's ten-year proven history on over 50 missions, others use FreeFlyer as a validation tool to mitigate risk.

7. How hard is it to integrate FreeFlyer into a larger satellite ground system?

FreeFlyer has been integrated into many spacecraft ground systems, communicating easily with other subsystem elements. Because FreeFlyer has built-in external interfaces, FreeFlyer has successfully integrated with custom-built, mission specific tools as well as other commercial products such as Satellite Tool Kit (STK). FreeFlyer's generic file reading/writing capability allows data to be read-in from or written-out to any Binary or ASCII formatted file. FreeFlyer's built-in Database function makes it easy to read large spacecraft databases that are being populated by other components of the ground system.

8. My mission needs to model an unusual coordinate system reference frame. Can I model mission-specific reference frames in FreeFlyer?

Absolutely. FreeFlyer allows users to define a custom coordinate system using vectors and then fix that coordinate system in inertial space or attach it to any spacecraft or celestial body. Coordinate systems that are attached to a spacecraft or to a celestial body can be fixed to a certain epoch time or can rotate with the spacecraft or celestial body.