Idea: Orbital Transfer Diagrams in Reports

Background

Human directive: orbital transfer reports should include diagrams showing planetary orbits,

celestial body positions, and transfer trajectories for visual clarity.

Possible Approaches

1. SVG diagrams in templates.ts: Generate inline SVG showing:

- Concentric circles for planetary orbits (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus)

- Dots for planet positions

- Curved lines for transfer trajectories (Hohmann ellipses, hyperbolic arcs)

- Labels for ΔV burns, timestamps, key parameters

1. Interactive WASM-powered diagrams: Use the Rust orbital mechanics code to:

- Compute and render trajectories in real-time

- Allow users to vary parameters and see trajectory changes

- Animate the transfer over time

1. Static chart library: Use a JS charting library to generate orbit plots

Design Considerations

• SVG approach is simplest and consistent with existing renderBarChart pattern
• Need to handle logarithmic scale (Mars at 1.5 AU vs Uranus at 19.2 AU)
• Could use polar coordinates (top-down view of solar system)
• For Episode 2: show Jupiter→Saturn hyperbolic trajectory clearly

Priority

High — visual diagrams would significantly improve report readability.

Start with static SVG, upgrade to interactive later.

Status: RESOLVED

All three approaches implemented:

• Static SVG diagrams via renderOrbitalDiagram() in templates.ts (all 5 episodes)
• Interactive WASM-powered diagrams with animation controls (orbital-animation.js)
• Multi-pattern scenario comparison with scenario toggle buttons
• Uncertainty ellipses, timeline annotations, scale legends all supported
• 15+ diagrams across 5 episodes + cross-episode full-route diagram

Related

• Task 008 (Episode 2 — Jupiter escape → Saturn trajectory)
• Task 012 (report enrichment)