So while I was down in Huntsville last week for the Space and Missile Defense Conference, I ran into Eric Patterson of Riverside Research Institute. Now Eric and the gang down at RRI are longtime users of AGI software and have attended and presented at our conferences in the past. So I thought instead of having someone from the AGI crew tell you why you should come to the UC, I would have Eric explain what you will get out of the conference. Here is what he had to say:
Interested in the work that the guys from RRI are doing with AGI software? Then don’t miss John Ploschnitznig’s presentation on RRI’s Automated Collection Planning Tool, which is used for collection planning in support of the scheduled TACSAT-3 program and utilizes STK for satellite propagation; sensor functionality; target constraints in azimuth and elevation; communication constraints; and environmental constraints. Don’t worry, Eric will be there too so stop by and say hi (or see him at Monte Carlo night, you know he’s going to be there)! Also the UC online schedule builder will be going live this week. It’s first-come, first-served to registrants, so better secure your space now to ensure you get first pick of user presentations, technical sessions, and hands-on training!
**Warning: This blog will reveal new STK 9 functionality. If you’d rather be surprised upon the official software release, please do not read any further. There are spoilers ahead, you’ve been warned.**
Life here at AGI is rarely boring. I sit on the second floor, kind of in a corner of the building near the Product Management team. Right now Product Management is buzzing with activity due to the upcoming STK 9 release. From my little corner of the AGI world I was able to capture a pretty interesting debate between two of our STK 9 product managers, Victor Alvarez and Ronnie Allan, over their favorite features. It was so entertaining that I had to share it with you:
So what do you think your favorite feature will be? I’m looking forward to the user interface plugin capability! I can’t wait to build my own missile analysis GUI panels, even though I’m not the world’s best coder (thankfully, STK makes it easy for me!). Also, having STK reports and graphs now integrated into a single output tool interface has me pretty excited! You’ll be able to catch a sneak peek of STK 9 at the UC. If you can’t wait until then, check out the Special Edition InView, there’s a great article in it called “Usability Enhancements for STK” that has even more details. Victor and I will be in Huntsville next week for the Space and Missile Defense Conference, so stop by and see us in the South Hall, booth #S125. Victor and I will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about the UC, STK 9, or how you can use AGI software for Missile Defense applications (we’ll even hook you up with awesome limited-edition UC shirts). See you soon! Till next time!
I was in the mood for a little hero worshipping today so I decided to take a walk down Astro Alley. I know, now you’re wondering what in the world Astro Alley is. Astro Alley is a hallway on the third floor here at AGI headquarters that is home to our world-class astrodynamics team. In this hallway you will find some of the most brilliant minds in the astrodynamics world. These guys do orbit determination in their sleep, while the rest of us are just trying to wrap our minds around the concept. They have patents on things like “Method and Apparatus for Orbit Determination“ and “Method and Apparatus for Determining Close Approaches for Earth-Fixed Launch Trajectories“. When you walk down this hallway you can feel the brain power radiating off of these guys; it’s truly overwhelming. While I was basking in the brain waves, hoping that I could absorb just a bit of them, I ran into Dr. Jim Woodburn, technical director/chief orbital scientist here at AGI. I asked him to share with us what we can expect to hear from him and the rest of the team of astro experts that will be on-hand at the UC. Here’s what he had to say:
Unbelievable, to have all those experts in one place, presenting on different topics and ready to talk to you. In fact, Dr. Woodburn himself will be there talking about Lunar Mission Modeling Considerations, and Jim Wright, AGI spacecraft orbit determination specialist/ODTK architect, will be there to discuss Variable-Lag Smoother. Want to meet one-on-one with people like Dr. Woodburn and Jim Wright? Stay tuned to agiuc.com, and in a few weeks you’ll be able to schedule meetings with them. Well that’s it for now.
Till next time,
Rocket Girl (aka Amanda)
Alright ya’ll, are you ready to travel through another dimension? To “take a journey into a wondrous land of imagination”? If so, it’s time to enter the AGI Technology Zone—a 13,000+ sq ft wonderland of AGI technology that will stretch the limits of your imagination. From missile defense to space exploration to electronic warfare, this interactive area lets you discover firsthand how our software can meet your specific needs through personal demonstrations. Step into the Futures Lab where the impossible becomes possible through demonstrations of upcoming software innovations such as AGI applications on a BlackBerry. If you are new to AGI, visit the Intro to AGI kiosk and familiarize yourself with our product line. But don’t just take my word for it; listen to what Christi Wichner, senior aerospace systems engineer and coordinator of the AGI Technology Zone has to say:
So how excited are you? I know that’s where I’m going to be hanging out for most of the UC (and Christi will be there too so stop by and say hi); I can’t wait to explore it! This magical zone will also feature a Business Partner Exhibit area where you can talk to AGI partners like Trinnovations who develop Weather Sentinel. Well that’s all for now, can’t wait see you in another dimension in October!
Since we’ve mentioned Point Break before in the blog, I decided it was time to find out exactly what Point Break is. So I ventured up to the 3rd floor of our headquarters here in Exton, with a VB scripting book in hand (I was trying to blend in, the 3rd floor is where the developers work and they are more willing to share what they are doing if you look like you belong) to get the scoop on Point Break. I managed to find Patrick Cozzi, who is working on developing the renderer and primitives for this new AGI Component and this is what he had to say:Want to learn more about Point Break but can’t wait until the UC? Check out the Point Break blog on the AGI Developer Network. Another good source of Point Break information is the Special Edition InView, written for your developers and engineers, by ours. There’s a lot of good technical information in this edition on AGI desktop applications, the application engine, and components. It just came out this week and is totally worth the read, so check it out! If you’d like to see AGI Components in action,follow the International Space Station on Twitter. We used AGI Components to periodically report the latitude and longitude of the ISS, the city that it’s over, and created a KML file that can be imported into Google Earth depicting the orbit, all in the Twitter environment! Till next time! Rocket Girl (aka Amanda)
AGI is buzzing with excitement right now about our ability to now bring you our “software in any form.” So grab some s’mores and gather ‘round the fireplace as Kevin Flood, AGI’s Vice President of Product Management and Support explains…
How awesome is that?! You can now get our software however you need it! Want to know more about AGI Components but can’t wait until the UC? Visit www.agi.com/components. And don’t forget Kevin is going to be giving us more details on licensing strategies in his Plenary Presentation AGI software for the enterprise and operational programs on Wednesday, October 8. So stop by and see Kevin at the UC, or post your questions on software in any form or licensing to Kevin and me here. (Kevin also has a fondness for word origins, so feel free to ask him about that as well. The origin of dead ringer is one of his favorites).
That’s what you’ll be saying in your best Yoda voice after the UC (sorry but I had to take the chance to geek out with a Star Wars reference, I love it). I know I keep mentioning how fabulous the training is going to be at the UC, but I figured you might want to hear it from our Yoda of training, too. So I tracked down our Training Manager Arianne (like the French rocket) Liepa to give you all the juicy details. During a break from conducting an STK Fundamentals training class here at our headquarters in Exton, PA, she had a few minutes to tell us all about UC training ..:
Can you believe it?! A full day of STK Fundamentals training on the optional pre-conference day on October 6, and then an array of hands-on training courses for all skill levels during the conference. Whether you want to learn how to plan a space mission using STK/Astrogator, create a custom Web service application using AGI Components, or plan a UAV mission using Aircraft Mission Modeler and STK/Coverage, Arianne’s team of highly trained Jedis, I mean expert trainers, will be ready to teach you everything you want to know. And if you’re looking for me during the conference and can’t find me, it probably means there’s a missile defense system training class going on and I’m in there brushing up on the latest and greatest! To learn more about training at the UC, visit www.agiuc.com/events/training. As always, if you have any questions for me or Arianne on what training might be best for your work or about Zero G experiments (Arianne got to take a Zero G ride in college) just let us know! Now “Nothing more will I teach you today.”
So I was headed for one of the kitchens here at AGI for my morning caffeine and sugar fix when I was brought to a very abrupt halt by a developer sighting! And not just any developer, it was our one and only Shashank Narayan. Now if you haven’t met Shashank yet coming to the Users’ Conference (UC) just to meet him is totally worth it (that and the training of course). Shashank has been with AGI for about 10 years and currently is the director of software technology integration for AGI’s Development team and the overall project lead for all new product development, architecture, and technology initiatives (if you want to learn more about Shashank visit www.agiuc.com/bios). Since I had Shashank spotted I figured it was a perfect time to invite him to sit and talk with you about the exciting things going on in development that will be showcased at this UC. Here is what he had to say:
Want to know more about the great things that Shashank and the rest of the development team here at AGI are working on? Catch his General Session presentation on AGI software integration: configuration management, distributed simulation, thin clients, SOA, and net-centric integration taking place on Thursday, October 9th. If you have any questions for Shashank (on enterprise collaboration management, components, software integration, or Nintendo Wii Bowling, he’s an expert at that too) feel free to post them here. Also, coming to the Web site later this summer, you’ll have a chance to schedule a meeting with him at the UC. Don’t forget we extended our early-bird discounted rate of $995 through May 31and this goes toward your next software purchase (and three days of training at the UC). Hurry, time is running out! Till Next Time!Rocket Girl (aka Amanda)
To bring you an important message from AGI President and CEO, Paul Graziani, about the AGI 2008 Users’ Conference. Paul took some time out of his busy schedule to share with you his thoughts on why you should come to our event this year (and you really should, you have no idea what you are missing out on if you don’t!).
So what are your thoughts on the 2008 UC? Anything you’re excited about or want to know more about? I’m still super psyched about Alan Bean being our guest speaker; the rollout of STK 9 and AGI’s Software in Any Form campaign; and the unveiling of new products like DGL and “Point Break”. Wondering about DGL and “Point Break”? Stay tuned to the blog for more details. Even better news is that we’ve just extended our early-bird discounted rate of $995 through May 31! Don’t forget this goes toward your next software purchase and you get three days of training out of it—it doesn’t get much better than that!Till next time!
NASA Astronaut Captain Alan Bean (one of my favorite astronauts) has just been confirmed as a guest speaker at our closing ceremony on Thursday, October 9. 2007 was a big year for Bean, as he was featured in the documentary film about the Apollo program, “In the Shadow of the Moon,” (which we are screening for attendees Wednesday night!). Following his speech, he’ll be autographing copies of the DVD (I’ll try not to push you out of the way as I scramble for his autograph, remember he’s one of my favorites). Captain Bean is the fourth man to walk on the Moon, landing in the Ocean of Storms with Captain Pete Conrad during the Apollo 12 mission. The Yankee Clipper (this was an all Navy crew) landed on the Moon on November 19, 1969, at 1:54:35 a.m. EST. They spent 31.5 hours on the Moon, retrieving parts of Surveyor 3 and deploying surface experiment. After the Apollo program ended, Captain Bean went on to be spacecraft commander of Skylab Mission II, living aboard America’s first space station for 59 days (from July 29 to September 25, 1973) and logging 24,400,000 miles! After retiring from NASA in June of 1981, Captain Bean moved on to painting, many of which are based on his space travels. They are amazing, check them out! http://www.alanbeangallery.com/.
We at AGI are extremely excited about the opportunity to have Captain Bean speak at our Users’ Conference and are looking forward to hearing about his experiences throughout his extraordinary career. We hope you will join us for this fantastic event! Till next time! Rocket Girl (aka Amanda)
