Space station thrillers unfold at Draper Lab

The operational capabilities of a computer-graphics system designed for aiding operations in space (e.g., the recovery of a troubled spacecraft) are described. The visualization system will let the astronaut place his eye at any point of space and simulate space operations. The system will first create a dynamic scene based on the vectors and transformations that specify the real-world interrelationships between spacecraft and other objects. It then allows a number of points of view to be chosen within the overall scene.