NeoFeed Project

NeoFeed is a web application designed to retrieve and visualize data about near-Earth objects (NEOs) from NASA's NEO API. The application allows users to select a date range, fetch information about NEOs that passed by Earth during that time, and visualize their orbits.

Table of Contents

1. Technologies Used
2. Project Structure
3. Features
4. Setup Instructions
5. API Endpoints
6. Usage
7. Development Notes
8. Future Improvements

Project Structure

NeoFeed/ ├── app.py ├── requirements.txt ├── backend/ │ ├── utils/ │ │ ├── neoFeed.py │ │ └── neoObjectApproach.py ...(rest of backend files) ├── frontend/ │ ├── public/ │ │ └── index.html │ ├── src/ │ │ ... (rest of frontend files) │ ├── static/ │ │ └── neo.css ├── templates/ │ └── index.html ├── README.md

Technologies Used

• Frontend:

  • React (JavaScript)
  • Axios (HTTP requests)
  • Plotly.js (Orbit visualizations)
  • MUI (Date pickers)
  • CSS (Custom styling)

• Backend:

  • Python (Flask)
  • NASA NEO API (for fetching NEO data)
  • Skyfield (Planetary positions for orbit plots)
  • Plotly (Python plotting for orbits)

  Features

• Date Range Picker: Users can select a start and end date to filter NEO data.

• NEO Data Fetching: The app sends a request to NASA’s NEO API and retrieves data about near-Earth objects that passed Earth during the selected date range.

• Dynamic Visualization: Users can click on a NEO to view its details and orbit plotted with Plotly.js.

• Orbit Animation: NEOs' orbits are plotted with respect to Earth or other celestial bodies using accurate data from Skyfield.

• Hazardous Object Highlighting: Potentially hazardous NEOs are highlighted in orange for easy identification.

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Node.js 14+
• Flask
• React

Backend Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/neofeed.git
   

2. Install dependencies:

   cd neofeed
   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

3. Run the Flask server

   export FLASK_APP=app.py
   flask run
   

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory

   cd frontend
   
   

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

3. Run the React app

   npm start
   

API Endpoints

1. GET /api/neo
   • Fetches NEO data for the current day.
2. POST /api/neo
   • Accepts a date range and retrieves NEO data for that range from the NASA NEO API.
   • Request Body Example:

   {
       "start_date": "2024-01-01",
       "end_date": "2024-01-07"
   }

3. GET /api/neoObject
   • Fetches details for a specific NEO object using its identifier.
   • Response includes details like its orbit, size, and hazardous status.