Development and application of an object-oriented graphical environment for the simulation of space-based sensing systems

The simulation of developing complex systems requires flexibility to allow for changing system requirements and constraints. The object-oriented paradigm provides an environment suitable for establishing flexibility, rapid reconfiguration of new architectures, and integration of new models. This paper outlines the development and application of the Brilliant Eyes Simulator (BESim), sponsored by the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC). BESim simulates the Space and Missile Tracking System (SMTS), formerly known as Brilliant Eyes, which represents the Low Earth Orbiting component of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS-LEO). BESim has powerful pre- and post-processing tools for simulation setup and analysis of results. The pre-processor enables the user to specify system characteristics, output data collection, external data interfaces, and modeling fidelity. The post-processor consists of a graphical user interface which allows easy access to all simulation output in graphical or tabular form. This includes two and three-dimensional graphical playback of high level performance results.