N IF

Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

An Overview of SPICE
NASA’s Observation Geometry System
for Space Science Missions

January 2020
 N IF What Can One Do With SPICE?
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

Compute many kinds of observation

geometry parameters at selected times
Examples

• Positionsand velocities of
planets, satellites, comets,
asteroids and spacecraft

• Size,shape and orientation

of planets, satellites, comets
and asteroids
• Orientationof a spacecraft
and its various moving
structures
• Instrument field-of-view
location on a planet’s
surface or atmosphere

Overview of SPICE 2
 N IF What One Can Do With SPICE
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

Find times when a specified “geometric event” occurs

Examples

50

100
150
When is the spacecraft’s
When is an object
altitude within a given
in shadow (occultation) ?
range (say 50 to 100 km)?

When is an
When is an object in front of instrument
another, as seen from a pointing at
spacecraft (transit)? an object?
Overview of SPICE 3
 N IF Examples of How SPICE Is Used
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

Evaluation of a
planned trajectory

Spacecraft Visibility
Angular size of Phobos
Station #1
as seen from the MEX spacecraft
Station #2 Mission engineering
Station #3 analyses
Time

Planning an instrument
pointing profile

Observation geometry Elevation

visualization

Latitude
Science data archiving
and analysis

Longitude
Overview of SPICE 4
 N IF SPICE Pictorial Summary
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility
From assorted sources
Planet ephemeris

S/C trajectory

S/C orientation
Your Program

SPICE
Distances
Utility Your Velocities
Programs Modules
SPICE Altitudes
Kernels Latitudes
(Data) A Few Longitudes
SPICE Lighting Angles
Modules
etc., etc.

Text editor

Spacecraft geometry Ancillary Observation

Instrument geometry Data Files Geometry
Planet size, shape, orientation Parameters
From assorted sources or
Overview of SPICE
Time Intervals
5
 N IF What are “Ancillary Data?”
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility
Orientation
and
Antenna size/shape
of Earth J2000 reference frame
reference
(ICRF)
frame Sun
Spacecraft
Reference frames
Earth
Positions/velocities • Solar System Barycenter
Orientations
Sizes/shapes Instrument
reference frame
Time Conversions Positions and velocities
of spacecraft and
solar system bodies Planet
reference
Orientation frame
of spacecraft

Orientation
and
size/shape
of planet
The Solar System

Planet

Time Conversion
Calculations
Overview of SPICE 6
 N IF How Use Ancillary Data?
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Ancillary data are those that help scientists and

engineers determine observation geometry, such as:
– where the spacecraft was located
– how the spacecraft and its instruments were oriented (pointed)
– what was the location, size, shape and orientation of the target being
observed
– where on the surface the instrument was looking

• The text above uses past tense, but doing the same
functions for future times to support mission
planning is equally applicable

Overview of SPICE 7
 N IF From Where do Ancillary Data Come?
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• From the spacecraft

• From the mission control center

• From the spacecraft and instrument builders

• From science organizations

• SPICE is used to organize and package these data

in a collection of stable file types–called "kernels”–
used by scientists and engineers

Overview of SPICE 8
 N IF Why Use SPICE?
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Knowing observation geometry and geometric

events is an important element of:
– space mission design,
– selection of observation opportunities,
– analysis of the science data returned from the instruments,
– mission engineering activities, and
– preparation of science data archives.

• Having a proven, extensive and reusable means for

producing and using ancillary data reduces cost
and risk, and can help scientists and engineers
achieve more substantive, accurate and timely
results.

Overview of SPICE 9
 N IF SPICE System Components
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

Ancillary data files (“kernels”)………..…………

Software (SPICE Toolkit) …………..

Documentation ……….........

Tutorials ………......

Programming lessons …..

Training classes ……………………

User consultation ………….……………………....

Overview of SPICE 10
 N IF Origin of the SPICE Acronym*
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

S Spacecraft

P Planet

I Instrument

C C-matrix (“Camera matrix”)

E Events

* Coined by Dr. Hugh Kieffer, USGS Astrogeology Branch, Flagstaff AZ, circa 1985
Overview of SPICE 11
 N IF SPICE Data Overview
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

Logical Components Kernels Contents

S Space vehicle or target
Spacecraft SPK body trajectory (ephemeris)

P
Planet
PcK Target body size,
shape and orientation

I
Instrument IK
Instrument field-of-view size,
shape and orientation

C CK
Orientation of space vehicle or
any articulating structure on it
Camera-matrix

Events information:
E EK - Science Plan (ESP)
- Sequence of events (ESQ)
Events ESP ESQ ENB - Experimenter’s Notebook (ENB)

FK Reference frame specifications

Others LSK Leapseconds tabulation

SCLK Spacecraft clock coefficients
DSK Digital shape models
MK Meta-kernel
Overview of SPICE 12
 N IF SPICE Kernels Details- 1
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Space vehicle ephemeris (trajectory)

SPK • Planet, satellite, comet and asteroid

ephemerides
• More generally, position of something
relative to something else

• Planet, satellite, comet and asteroid

orientations, sizes, shapes
PcK • See also DSK

• Possibly other similar “constants” such

as parameters for gravitational model,
atmospheric model or rings model

• Instrument field-of-view size, shape,

IK orientation
• Possibly additional information, such as
internal timing
Overview of SPICE 13
 N IF SPICE Kernels Details- 2
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Instrument platform (e.g. spacecraft) attitude

CK • More generally, orientation of something relative
to a specified reference frame

• “Events,” broken into three components:

EK – ESP: Science observation plans
3 components – ESQ: Spacecraft & instrument commands
– ENB: Experiment “notebooks” and ground data system logs

EK is not much used

Overview of SPICE 14
 N IF SPICE System Data - 3
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Frames
FK - Definitions of and specification of relationships
between reference frames (coordinate systems)
- Both “fixed” and “dynamic” frames are available

LSK • Leapseconds Tabulation

- Used for UTC <--> TDB (ET) time conversions

SCLK • Spacecraft Clock Coefficients

- Used for SCLK <--> TDB (ET) time conversions

• Shape models (tessellated plate model and digital

DSK elevation model*) (DSK)
*DEM portion under development

UTC = Coordinated Universal Time TDB = Barycentric Dynamical Time ET = Ephemeris Time SCLK = Spacecraft Clock Time

Overview of SPICE 15
 N IF SPICE System Data - 4
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Meta-kernel
MK - A means to conveniently reference a collection
of real kernels you would like to use together

Overview of SPICE 16
 N IF SPICE Toolkit Software
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility
Contents Versions

• Library of subroutines • Nine languages

– But typically just a few are used – Fortran 77
within a customer’s program to – C
compute quantities derived from – IDL
SPICE data files – MATLAB
• Programs – Java Native Interface (JNI)
– Python, Ruby, Swift, Julia
– SPICE data production (provided by 3rd parties)
– SPICE data management • Four platforms
• Documentation – PC/Linux
– PC/Windows
– Highly annotated source code
– Sun/Solaris
– Technical Reference Manuals – Mac/OSX
– User Guides • Several compilers
– For the Fortran and C Toolkits

All combinations provided by NAIF are fully built and

individually tested before being made available to customers
Overview of SPICE 17
 Using SPICE:
N IF Mission Planning Example
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

SPK

PcK
User’s Planning Program
Evaluation of a
IK planned orbit

CK User’s Own Modules Instrument

pointing plan
EK
Observation
Selected geometry
SCLK SPICE Toolkit visualization
Library
LSK Modules Analysis of
expected
communications
FK
Maybe some link performance
other needed
DSK data as well

Select kernel types and specific kernels as needed

Overview of SPICE 18
 Using SPICE:
N IF Science Data Analysis Example
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility
SPK

PcK
User’s Geometry Program
IK Instrument
Data
CK User’s Own Modules
User’s
Derived Science
EK Observation Data
Geometry
Analysis
Selected Program
SCLK
SPICE Toolkit Instrument
Library Calibration
LSK Modules Data

FK

Wonderful
DSK Science
Results
Select kernel types and specific kernels as needed

Overview of SPICE 19
 Using SPICE:
N IF Science Data Peer Review Example
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

SPK

PcK

WebGeocalc Server User’s Computer

IK with Web Browser

CK Numeric Results
Internet

FK
Graphic Results

SCLK

LSK

DSK

Overview of SPICE 20
 N IF SPICE System Characteristics - 1
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• SPICE Toolkit software is portable between computers

• New Toolkits are released irregularly, when enough
new capability warrants it
• Code is very well tested before being released to users
• New Toolkits are always 100% backwards compatible
• Source code is provided, and is well documented
• Extensive user-oriented documentation is provided
• Software includes built-in exception handling
– Catches most invalid inputs

Overview of SPICE 21
 N IF SPICE System Characteristics - 2
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• All numeric computations are double precision

• Kernel files are portable between computers
• Kernel files are separable
– Use only those you need for a particular application
• SPICE kernels and software are free of licensing and
U.S. ITAR restrictions
– Everyone is free to use SPICE

• No cost to individual end users

Overview of SPICE 22
 N IF Supported Environments
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• The SPICE Toolkit has been ported to many

popular “environments”
– Each environment is characterized by…
» Language
» Hardware type (platform)
» Operating System
» Compiler (where applicable)
» Selected compilation options (32-bit or 64-bit)

• NAIF provides separate, ready-built SPICE Toolkit

packages for each supported environment
– If you need to port the Toolkit to a new environment yourself,
consult with NAIF staff first

Overview of SPICE 23
 N IF What “Vehicle” Types Can Be Supported?
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Cruise/Flyby • Landers
– Remote sensing – Remote sensing
– In-situ measurement – In-situ measurements
– Rover or balloon relay
– Instrument calibration

• Orbiters • Rovers
– Remote sensing – Remote sensing
– In-situ measurement – In-situ sensing
– Communications relay – Local terrain characterization

• Balloons* • Terrestrial applications

– Remote sensing – Ephemerides for telescopes
– Radiometric tracking & comm
– In-situ measurements
– Optical tracking & comm

Overview of SPICE * Not yet demonstrated 24

 N IF More Than Just Planetary Science
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• Today SPICE is used well beyond just planetary

science missions.
– Heliophysics
– Earth science
– Observations from terrestrial observatories
– Space technology demos
– Planetariums
– Probably still more…?

Overview of SPICE 25
 N IF History
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• A SPICE precursor was initiated in 1984 as part

of a major initiative to improve archiving and
distribution of space science data in all NASA
disciplines

• Responsibility for leading SPICE development

was assigned to the newly-created Navigation
and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF),
located at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

• Today’s SPICE system dates from about 1991

Overview of SPICE 26
 N IF Original Purpose for SPICE
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• The original focus of SPICE was on ancillary data and

associated software needed by planetary scientists for:
– science data analysis, both during and after the mission operations
– science archive preparation

Science archive
preparation

Science Operations Archive

Initial science Post-mission

data analysis data analysis

Overview of SPICE 27
 N IF Large Breadth of Use
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• The original focus of SPICE was on ancillary data and

associated software needed by planetary scientists for:
– science data analysis, both during and after the mission operations
– science archive preparation
• The scope of SPICE usage has grown to cover the full
mission lifecycle.
• Also education and public outreach.

Mission concept Mission design Detailed science Science archive

development validation observation planning preparation

Full Mission Lifecycle Archive

Mission Mission operations Initial science Post-mission

design support data analysis data analysis
Education and Public Outreach

Overview of SPICE 28
 N IF Ancillary Data Archives
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

• SPICE is the U.S. Planetary Data System’s recommendation

for archiving ancillary data

• Use of SPICE is recommended by the International Planetary

Data Alliance

• SPICE data for European planetary missions are archived in

ESA’s Planetary Science Archive
– Some of these data are also mirrored on the NAIF server

• SPICE data for some Japanese, Indian and Russian

missions may be available from their local archives

Overview of SPICE 29
 N IF SPICE Users
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

Overview of SPICE 30
 N IF Building Blocks for Your Applications
Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility

The “SPICE” observation geometry system can serve

as a set of building blocks for constructing tools
supporting multi-mission, international space
exploration programs.

I C
S P E

Overview of SPICE 31