ISS Simulation

project description

For my final project in my numerical methods class, I developed a numerical simulation of the orbit of the international space station in MATLAB. This simulation used fundamental principles of kepler orbits, and basic atmospheric modeling to compute drag. 

I started by researching as much as I could about kepler orbits, and the systems of differential equations associated with them. I developed a system of differential equations that included a drag term using air density from a NASA atmospheric model. 

Once I had the math laid out, I began to program the simulation in MATLAB, where I included an optional animation of the ISS as it orbited the earth.

The final program can model the long-term orbital decay of the ISS remarkably well. As stated in the project report linked below, the simulation results agree with empirical data taken from the actual ISS. 

If you’re interested in my methods, results or future work suggestions, don’t hesitate to read the project report below.