SPACE MONITOR v3.0

Agentic AI-Powered Interactive Space Simulator & Mission Control Dashboard
Real orbital mechanics · Live NASA telemetry · Conversational AI co-pilot

Live app: agentic-ai-and-nlp-driven-space-sim.vercel.app

📰 What's New

Real orbital mechanics, 16 moons, 14 live NASA panels — and an AI co-pilot that can navigate, explain, and quiz.

2026-05 🪐 Elliptic orbits & 16 moons — Kepler equation solver for all 8 planets, plus Earth's Moon, 4 Galilean moons, Titan, Mimas, Enceladus, 5 Uranian moons, and Triton. Axial tilt rendering for every body.
2026-05 🤖 Agentic AI tool-use — get_planet_data, get_space_news, get_orbital_position, get_upcoming_launches — the AI can fetch live data and respond with real context.
2026-05 🧠 Curriculum system — 3 levels × 3 lessons each (9 total), progressive unlocking, per-session tracking with quiz completion.
2026-05 📡 7 real NASA API panels — DSN Now, Exoplanet Archive, JPL Horizons (Voyager), APOD, Mars Weather (Curiosity REMS, fallback InSight archived), Solar Flares (NOAA SWPC), Mars Rover (Mars 2020 raw images). All simulated panels removed.
2026-04 🌐 Ephemeris via local math — Replaced 8 slow JPL Horizons calls with instant client-side orbital element computation.
2026-04 🧪 Test suite — 17 vitest (orbital math) + 52 pytest (agent routing, memory, curriculum).

Earlier updates

2026-04 🎯 Intent classification in one LLM call with keyword fallback. Quiz bank covering 11 bodies.
2026-04 🛰️ Fixed Voyager & Horizons date bug (START_TIME == STOP_TIME). NOAA SWPC replaces broken NASA DONKI.
2026-04 🔧 1,271 lines of dead code removed. "strict": true in tsconfig. Server-side memory removed → re-added for agentic AI.

🤔 Why Space Monitor?

Space Monitor turns raw space data into an immersive human + AI command center.

Problem	Space Monitor's Fix
🗺️ "Space data is scattered across 20+ websites"	14 live panels pulling from NASA, NOAA, JPL — all in one grid
🧑‍🚀 "Learning astronomy is dry"	Interactive 3D + AI co-pilot + adaptive quizzes — play, ask, learn
🤖 "AI agents can't see what they're talking about"	Camera fly-in on planet names, live orbital math, visual context
🧪 "Orbital mechanics demos are toy simulations"	Real eccentricities, Kepler solver, JPL-validated mean longitudes
📊 "Teaching space is slides + static images"	Live ISS tracker, real solar flares, today's APOD, actual exoplanets

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

Node.js ≥ 18.x
Python ≥ 3.9
NVIDIA API Key — Get one free
NASA API Key (optional) — Get one free

1. Clone

git clone https://github.com/HariNayan/Agentic-Ai-and-NLP-Driven-Space-Simulator.git
cd Agentic-Ai-and-NLP-Driven-Space-Simulator

2. Backend

cd backend
python -m venv venv
# Windows: venv\Scripts\activate  |  macOS/Linux: source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

Create backend/.env:

NVIDIA_API_KEY=nvapi-your-key-here
MODEL=minimax-m2.7

Start:

uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

3. Frontend

cd frontend
npm install

Create frontend/.env.local:

NEXT_PUBLIC_NASA_API_KEY=your-nasa-api-key-here

Start:

npm run dev      # dev server at localhost:3000
# or
npm run build && npm run start   # production

4. Open the Dashboard

Navigate to http://localhost:3000 — the 3D solar system loads instantly. Ask the AI "Take me to Jupiter" or "Quiz me about Saturn".

🎬 Demos

Videos and screenshots coming soon. Drop your media in assets/ and update the paths below.

🪐 3D Solar System with 16 Moons

An interactive Three.js scene with elliptic orbits (real eccentricities), axial tilt, textured planets, Saturn's rings, cloud layers on Earth, and 16 orbiting moons — all driven by a Kepler equation solver.

🤖 AI Co-Pilot — Navigate, Explain, Quiz

A conversational AI assistant that understands three intents:

navigate — "Take me to Mars" → camera flies to Mars, info panel opens
explain — "Why is Venus hotter than Mercury?" → streaming SSE explanation
quiz — "Quiz me about Jupiter" → AI-generated multiple-choice question

📡 14 Live NASA Data Panels

Real-time telemetry from 8 NASA/NOAA/JPL APIs + 6 computed panels — ISS position, exoplanet catalog, solar flare activity, Voyager distance, Deep Space Network dishes, Mars weather, APOD, and more.

🧠 Adaptive Curriculum

9 progressive lessons across 3 levels (Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced), unlocked by completing quizzes. Session-level persistence tracks individual progress.

✨ Features

🪐 3D Solar System Engine

Capability	Detail
Planets	8 textured bodies with accurate relative sizing
Orbits	Keplerian elliptic orbits with real eccentricities (0.0068–0.2056)
Moons	16 moons with independent orbital motion
Axial tilt	Per-body axial rotation (Uranus: 98°, Earth: 23.4°)
Saturn rings	Semi-transparent ring system with gap
Cloud layers	Rotating cloud texture on Earth
Sun	Pulsating emissive glow + procedural starfield (12,800+ stars)
Camera	Orbit/zoom controls + smooth fly-to on AI navigation
Click	Click any planet or moon → floating name label

🤖 Agentic AI System

Feature	Detail
Intent classification	One LLM call classifies: navigate / explain / quiz
Streaming responses	Server-Sent Events for real-time token-by-token output
5-model fallback chain	MiniMax → Llama → Mistral → Gemma → Phi
Tool-use	4 tools: planet data, space news, orbital position, launches
Conversation memory	10-turn sliding window, per-session isolation
Quiz generation	LLM-generated MCQs + static bank fallback (11 bodies)
Curriculum	9 progressive lessons, auto-unlock, per-session tracking
Navigation fallback	Keyword-based when LLM is rate-limited

📡 Live Data Panels (14)

Panel	Data Source	Type
ISS Tracker	Open Notify API	10s poll
Space News	Spaceflight News API v4	5min poll
NEO Asteroids	NASA NeoWs API	10min poll
Upcoming Launches	The Space Devs LL2 API	10min poll
Solar Flares	NOAA SWPC real-time	On load
Mars Perseverance	NASA Mars 2020 Raw Image API	On load
Deep Space Network	NASA DSN Now API	On load
Exoplanets	NASA Exoplanet Archive TAP	On load
Voyager 1 & 2	JPL Horizons distance proxy	On load
Mars Weather	Curiosity REMS (fallback: InSight archived)	On load
APOD	NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day	On load
Ephemeris	Client-side orbital math	Real-time
Planet Info	Curated encyclopedia (9 bodies)	On selection
News Ticker	Spaceflight News API headlines	30s scroll

🎨 UI/UX Design

6-column mission control grid — maximum information density
Monospace typography — Courier New throughout
Dark navy + gold accent palette — #060810 base, #e8d5a3 highlights
Zero border-radius — sharp, utilitarian command-center feel
Custom thin scrollbars — themed to match the dark UI

🚀 STEM Outreach & Workshops

Screenshot: The full browser window — 3D scene, chat, and panels visible at once

A ready-to-run demo for science fairs and coding camps:

Open the dashboard and start exploring — no account needed
Ask the AI anything: "Why is the sky blue?", "Show me Neptune"
Demonstrates real-time APIs, 3D graphics, and AI in one project

🛰️ Space Enthusiasts

A live mission control for anyone who follows space:

Today's APOD as your dashboard backdrop
Real solar flare alerts from NOAA SWPC
Perseverance rover's latest raw images
DSN dish status — see which spacecraft NASA is talking to

🧪 AI Agent / LLM Integration Demo

Show how AI agents interact with real tools and data:

Conversational co-pilot with tool-use (planet data, launches, news)
Streaming SSE responses with multi-model fallback
Camera fly-to from natural language commands
Session memory for contextual multi-turn conversations

🎓 Education & Learning

Screenshot: AI explaining a planet with info panel open — type "Tell me about Saturn"

Interactive 3D + AI tutor makes astronomy tangible. Students can:

Fly to any planet and read real NASA telemetry
Ask "Why is Uranus blue?" and get a streaming explanation
Take progressive quizzes that unlock harder topics
Watch ISS and Voyager positions update in real time

🎮 Gamified Learning

Screenshot: Quiz visible in ChatPanel — question, options, and answer feedback

Turn astronomy into an interactive experience:

Earn quiz completions to unlock harder curriculum levels
Explore planets in 3D instead of reading static charts
Compose prompts like "Quiz me about Saturn" for instant challenges

🏛️ Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     BROWSER (Port 3000)                     │
│                                                             │
│  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────┐  ┌──────────────────┐  │
│  │  3D Scene     │  │  AI Chat     │  │  Data Panels     │  │
│  │  (Three.js)   │  │  (SSE Stream)│  │  (REST + Fetch)  │  │
│  └──────┬───────┘  └──────┬───────┘  └────────┬─────────┘  │
│         │                 │                    │            │
│  ┌──────┴─────────────────┴────────────────────┴─────────┐  │
│  │              Zustand Store (spaceStore.ts)             │  │
│  │  • chatHistory    • currentCameraTarget                │  │
│  │  • isAiProcessing • showInfoPanel • lastCameraAction   │  │
│  └───────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────┘  │
│                              │                              │
│  ┌───────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┐  │
│  │           Next.js API Routes (Server-Side)            │  │
│  │  /api/iss          → Open Notify                      │  │
│  │  /api/nasa-horizons → JPL Horizons                    │  │
│  │  /api/nasa          → Generic NASA proxy              │  │
│  │  /api/dsn           → NASA DSN Now                    │  │
│  │  /api/exoplanets    → NASA Exoplanet Archive          │  │
│  │  /api/mars-rover    → Mars 2020 Raw Image API         │  │
│  │  /api/solar-flares  → NOAA SWPC                       │  │
│  │  /api/voyager       → JPL Horizons Voyager            │  │
│  │  /api/rems          → Curiosity REMS                  │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└──────────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────┘
                               │
                    ┌──────────┴──────────┐
                    │  FastAPI (Port 8000) │
                    │                     │
                    │  POST /api/chat     │
                    │  ┌───────────────┐  │
                    │  │ Orchestrator  │  │
                    │  │    Agent      │  │
                    │  └───┬───┬───┬───┘  │
                    │      │   │   │      │
                    │   nav quiz explain  │
                    │      │   │   │      │
                    │  ┌───┴───┴───┴───┐  │
                     │  │  NVIDIA API   │  │
                    │  │  (5 models)   │  │
                    │  └───────────────┘  │
                    │  ConversationMem   │
                    │  Curriculum        │
                    └─────────────────────┘

State Management Strategy

The app uses atomic Zustand selectors to prevent the WebGL 3D scene from re-rendering when unrelated state changes:

const target = useSpaceStore((state) => state.currentCameraTarget);  // SceneContent
const chat   = useSpaceStore((state) => state.chatHistory);          // ChatPanel
const show   = useSpaceStore((state) => state.showInfoPanel);        // PlanetInfoOverlay

The SceneContent component runs vanilla Three.js (not React Three Fiber) — planet positions, camera movement, and animations are all driven by requestAnimationFrame with mutable refs, completely decoupled from React's reconciliation cycle.

⚡ Key Design Decisions

Decision	Rationale
Vanilla Three.js over R3F	Full decoupling from React render cycle — 60fps even during React re-renders
Server-side memory (re-added)	Session persistence needed for curriculum progression and contextual AI
Classify intent → one LLM call	With keyword fallback for rate-limit resilience
Local orbital math over JPL live	Instant loading — 8 JPL queries replaced by client-side Kepler solver
NOAA SWPC over NASA DONKI	NASA DONKI endpoint returning 503; SWPC is reliable and real-time
JPL START_TIME < STOP_TIME	Horizons rejects equal start/stop; +1 minute offset avoids "Bad dates" error

🖥️ Tech Stack

Frontend

Technology	Version	Purpose
Next.js	16.2.3	React framework with App Router
React	19.2.5	UI component library
Three.js	0.183.2	3D WebGL rendering
Zustand	5.0.0	Atomic state management
TypeScript	5.4.5	Type safety (`strict: true`)
Tailwind CSS	4.2.2	Utility CSS (minimal)
Vitest	4.1.6	Frontend test runner

Backend

Technology	Purpose
FastAPI	Async Python web framework
Uvicorn	ASGI server with hot reload
httpx	Async HTTP client for NVIDIA API & NASA APIs
Pydantic	Request/response validation
python-dotenv	Environment variable management
pytest	Backend test runner (52 tests)

External APIs

API	Usage
NVIDIA API	LLM inference (MiniMax, Llama, Mistral, Gemma, Phi)
NASA JPL Horizons	Real planetary orbital positions
NASA NeoWs	Near-Earth Object tracking
NOAA SWPC	Solar flare events
NASA Mars 2020 Raw Image API	Perseverance rover latest images
NASA Exoplanet Archive	Exoplanet data via TAP query
NASA DSN Now	Deep Space Network dish telemetry
NASA APOD	Astronomy Picture of the Day
Curiosity REMS	Mars environmental data (fallback: InSight archived)
Open Notify	ISS real-time position
Curiosity REMS	Mars environmental data
Spaceflight News API	Space news articles
The Space Devs	Upcoming rocket launches

🧪 Test Results

Suite	Tests	Scope
Frontend: orbital math (vitest)	17	`solveKepler`, `ellipticalPosition`, `getCurrentAngle`, data integrity
Backend: agent routing (pytest)	52	Intent classification, memory, curriculum, tool execution, quiz fallback, navigation

========================== Frontend (vitest) ==========================
 src/utils/orbitalMath.test.ts
   ✔ solveKepler — circular, eccentric, high-e, convergence
   ✔ ellipticalPosition — perihelion offset, planet bounds
   ✔ getCurrentAngle — range, determinism, unknown bodies
   ✔ PLANET_DATA / MOON_DATA integrity — 8 planets, orbit>size
 17 passed

========================== Backend (pytest) ===========================
 tests/test_agents.py
   ✔ classify_intent (11) — navigate/quiz/explain, keywords, fallback
   ✔ safe_json_parse (7) — code fences, invalid JSON, whitespace
   ✔ ConversationMemory (11) — add/get/clear/sliding-window/format
   ✔ Curriculum (7) — level unlock, lesson progression
   ✔ execute_tool (6) — planet data, orbital position, unknown tool
   ✔ determine_navigation_fallback (7) — keywords, pronouns, actions
   ✔ quiz_agent (3) — LLM fallback, bank fallback, completeness
   ✔ PLANET_DB integrity (1) — required fields
 52 passed
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 TOTAL: 69 passed ✅

📁 Project Structure

Space/
├── README.md
├── SETUP.md
├── .gitignore
│
├── backend/                          # FastAPI Python backend
│   ├── .env                          # OPENROUTER_API_KEY, MODEL
│   ├── main.py                       # FastAPI app, routes, CORS, SSE streaming
│   ├── agents.py                     # AI agent system (orchestrator, tools, memory, curriculum, quiz)
│   ├── schemas.py                    # Pydantic models
│   ├── requirements.txt              # Python dependencies
│   ├── pytest.ini                    # Pytest config
│   └── tests/
│       └── test_agents.py            # 52 agent routing tests
│
├── frontend/                         # Next.js 16 frontend
│   ├── .env.local                    # NASA API key
│   ├── package.json
│   ├── tsconfig.json                 # strict: true
│   ├── vitest.config.ts
│   │
│   ├── public/textures/              # Planet texture images
│   │   ├── sun.jpg, mercury.jpg, venus.jpg, earth.jpg, mars.jpg
│   │   ├── jupiter.jpg, saturn.jpg, saturn_ring.png
│   │   ├── uranus.jpg, neptune.jpg, earth_clouds.jpg
│   │
│   └── src/
│       ├── app/
│       │   ├── layout.tsx
│       │   ├── page.tsx              # Main dashboard (6-column mission control grid)
│       │   ├── globals.css
│       │   └── api/                  # 8 server-side API proxy routes
│       │       ├── iss/              → Open Notify
│       │       ├── nasa-horizons/    → JPL Horizons
│       │       ├── nasa/             → Generic NASA proxy
│       │       ├── dsn/              → NASA DSN Now
│       │       ├── exoplanets/       → NASA Exoplanet Archive
│       │       ├── mars-rover/       → Mars 2020 Raw Images
│       │       ├── solar-flares/     → NOAA SWPC
│       │       ├── voyager/          → JPL Horizons Voyager
│       │       └── rems/             → Curiosity REMS
│       │
│       ├── components/
│       │   ├── SceneContent.tsx      # 3D solar system (vanilla Three.js)
│       │   ├── ISSTracker.tsx
│       │   ├── NewsPanel.tsx
│       │   ├── AsteroidPanel.tsx
│       │   ├── LaunchPanel.tsx
│       │   ├── UI/
│       │   │   ├── ChatPanel.tsx     # AI chat with SSE streaming
│       │   │   └── PlanetInfoPanel.tsx
│       │   └── panels/
│       │       ├── SolarFlaresPanel.tsx
│       │       ├── MarsRoverPanel.tsx
│       │       ├── DeepSpaceNetworkPanel.tsx
│       │       ├── ExoplanetPanel.tsx
│       │       ├── VoyagerPanel.tsx
│       │       ├── MarsWeatherPanel.tsx
│       │       ├── APODPanel.tsx
│       │       └── EphemerisPanel.tsx
│       │
│       ├── store/
│       │   └── spaceStore.ts         # Zustand global state
│       │
│       └── utils/
│           ├── orbitalMath.ts        # Kepler solver, orbital elements, data
│           └── orbitalMath.test.ts   # 17 vitest orbital math tests

🔧 Environment Variables

Backend (`backend/.env`)

Variable	Required	Description
`NVIDIA_API_KEY`	✅	NVIDIA API key for LLM inference
`MODEL`	❌	Primary model (default: `minimax-m2.7`)

Frontend (`frontend/.env.local`)

Variable	Required	Description
`NEXT_PUBLIC_NASA_API_KEY`	❌	NASA API key (falls back to `DEMO_KEY`)

🤖 AI Agent Architecture

The backend implements a multi-agent system with specialized roles:

1. Orchestrator Agent

Classifies user intent into one of three categories using a single LLM call:

navigate → returns JSON target → camera flies there
explain → triggers SSE streaming explanation
quiz → generates MCQ via quiz agent

2. Explainer Agent (Streaming)

Two difficulty modes via different system prompts:

Beginner — Simple language, fun analogies, ≤120 words
Advanced — Technical terminology, real measurements, ≤150 words

3. Quiz Agent

LLM-generated MCQs with static bank fallback. Bank covers 11 bodies (Sun, Moon, 8 planets).

4. Tool-Using Agent

When activated, the AI can call tools via TOOL_CALL: syntax:

get_planet_data(planet) — physical properties
get_space_news() — latest headlines
get_orbital_position(planet) — current mean longitude
get_upcoming_launches() — rocket schedule

Model Fallback Chain

minimax-m2.7
  → meta/llama-3.1-8b-instruct
    → mistralai/mistral-7b-instruct-v0.3
      → google/gemma-2-9b-it
        → microsoft/phi-3-mini-128k-instruct

⚡ Performance Optimizations

Optimization	Impact
Vanilla Three.js (not R3F)	3D fully decoupled from React reconciliation
Atomic Zustand selectors	Components re-render only on their slice change
`React.memo` on all panels	Prevents cascading re-renders
Dynamic import with `ssr: false`	Three.js loaded client-side only
Mutable refs for animation state	Camera, planets, angles stored in refs, not state
`requestAnimationFrame` loop	Animation independent of React render cycle
Pixel ratio capped at 2	Prevents excessive GPU load on HiDPI
Local orbital math	Instant computation, zero network calls
Server-side API proxies	CORS avoidance + reduced client requests

🎨 Design System

Color Palette

Token	Hex	Usage
`--bg`	`#060810`	Page background
`--panel`	`#0a0c14`	Panel backgrounds
`--border`	`#161a26`	Primary borders
`--border2`	`#1e2335`	Secondary borders
`--text`	`#c8ccd8`	Body text
`--muted`	`#4a5070`	Muted/secondary text
`--accent`	`#e8d5a3`	Gold accent (headers, highlights)
`--blue`	`#6a9fd8`	Data values, links
`--green`	`#4a8c6f`	Status: online/active
`--red`	`#c0473a`	Status: hazardous/error

Typography

Primary: 'Courier New', monospace — all text
Sizes: 7px (labels) → 10px (body) → 16px (planet names)
Letter spacing: 0.05em–0.14em for uppercase labels

📄 License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

NASA JPL Horizons — Real planetary ephemeris data
NASA Open APIs — NeoWs, Mars Photos, APOD
Curiosity REMS — Mars environmental data
NOAA SWPC — Real-time solar flare data
Open Notify — ISS position tracking
Spaceflight News API — Space news aggregation
The Space Devs — Launch schedule data
NVIDIA API — LLM inference via NVIDIA-hosted models
Three.js — WebGL 3D rendering engine
Solar System Scope — Planet textures

Built for space exploration 🛰️ — one orbit at a time

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 15 Commits
.github		.github
assets		assets
backend		backend
frontend		frontend
.gitignore		.gitignore
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
ROADMAP.md		ROADMAP.md
SETUP.md		SETUP.md

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SPACE MONITOR v3.0

📰 What's New

🤔 Why Space Monitor?

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

1. Clone

2. Backend

3. Frontend

4. Open the Dashboard

🎬 Demos

🪐 3D Solar System with 16 Moons

🤖 AI Co-Pilot — Navigate, Explain, Quiz

📡 14 Live NASA Data Panels

🧠 Adaptive Curriculum

✨ Features

🪐 3D Solar System Engine

🤖 Agentic AI System

📡 Live Data Panels (14)

🎨 UI/UX Design

🚀 STEM Outreach & Workshops

🛰️ Space Enthusiasts

🧪 AI Agent / LLM Integration Demo

🎓 Education & Learning

🎮 Gamified Learning

🏛️ Architecture

State Management Strategy

⚡ Key Design Decisions

🖥️ Tech Stack

Frontend

Backend

External APIs

🧪 Test Results

📁 Project Structure

🔧 Environment Variables

Backend (backend/.env)

Frontend (frontend/.env.local)

🤖 AI Agent Architecture

1. Orchestrator Agent

2. Explainer Agent (Streaming)

3. Quiz Agent

4. Tool-Using Agent

Model Fallback Chain

⚡ Performance Optimizations

🎨 Design System

Color Palette

Typography

📄 License

🙏 Acknowledgments

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