The new SPINE Community's Virtual Lab

SPINE stands for Spacecraft Plasma Network in Europe. Initiated in February 2000, the aims of this network are to share resources and co-ordinate efforts in all spheres related to the interaction of spacecraft with space plasma, including spacecraft charging. So far, one of its main outputs has been the development of complex simulation software, such as SPIS and PicUp3D, and an extensive set of reference data and documents. On a general basis, the aim of SPINE is to become a community of exchange and work regarding the spacecraft-plasma interactions and space plasma process. However, SPINE members are composed of researchers, industrials, users and developers spread around Europe and around the world. The core team of the SPIS project is already split into three groups, ONERA, Artenum Company, located in France, and ESA/ESTEC, in Netherlands, distributed on three separated by hundreds of kilometers. The core team is completed by numerous working groups of active SPINE's members, contributing to the validation of the software in an environment including more than twenty countries in EU and around the world. Members of the SPINE community need a common space, available through the Web, to improve their cooperation and data exchanges. Regarding the software development, the core team needs to share source codes of SPIS and keeps track of the successive versions. The strict respect of a pre-defined development-validation cycle and quality standards (ESA/ECSS E-40) requires the building of a complex production chain. Besides, SPIS has been developed for an open source release and to be progressively transferred to the community in a collaborative approach. Tools used for the development and the maintenance of the project must take into account this specific aspect of the project. In parallel, the validation process of scientific software is getting more and more critical with their increasing complexity. The scientific community has an important role to play. However, it needs to exchange complex data, such as CAD files, corresponding to the spacecraft geometry, environment parameters, simulations and instruments results. The co-writing of documents, scientific papers and technical reports, is also a key point in the whole process. This includes the public diffusion and collection of feedbacks from the international scientific and industrial communities.

資料番号: AA0049206077

レポート番号: JAXA-SP-05-001E