xspace

Space Physics Visualization Software Package

Version : 2.0
Author(s) : C. T. Russell1 and J. G. Luhmann2, Bryan Littlefield (bryan@igpp.ucla.edu)
License : UCLA
Website : http://hdf.ncsa.uiuc.edu/

Installs from Open Source Astronomy for Linux cd 1
Disk space required for installation is 3.47 Mb

After the package is installed it can be accessed using the command


		/opt/astro/bin/startxspace

A shortcut will be installed in the KDE/GNOME desktop menu system,
as an entry in the Astronomy submenu

Screenshots

Summary

The UCLA Space Physics Group has developed educational software composed of a series of modules to assist students with understanding basic concepts of space plasmas and charged particle motion. Present modules cover planetary magnetospheres, charged particle motion, cold plasma waves, collisionless shock waves, solar wind, magnetospheric currents and the ionosphere. The software is designed around the principle that students can learn more by doing rather than by reading or listening. The programs provide a laboratory-like environment in which the student can control, observe and measure complex behavior. The interactive graphics environment allows the student to visualize the results of his or her experimentation and to try different parameters as desired. Two versions of the software presently exist. One runs on UNIX-based operating systems in an X-windows environment. The other runs on a PC under Linux. This latter version also may be made to run on a Mac.