MissionControl

Repo that handles all applications/services that are needed on a mission control laptop

Section Links

Docker Setup

Git/Github Setup

Server

Telemetry

Database

Interface

Adapter

Where each service runs

First Header	Second Header
MissionControlServer	Docker Container
MissionControlTelemetry	Docker Container
MissionControlDatabase	Docker Container
MissionControlInterface	Locally
MissionControlAdapter	Locally

TODO:

• add useful links list
• add pictures of each GUI
• add draw.io diagram outlining how everything interacts

Docker Setup Instructions

Windows

Running MissionControl Containers in Windows 10/11

Download Docker Desktop for Windows

Linux

Running MissionControl Containers in a Linux distribution

Download Docker Desktop for Linux

Alternatively, you can install and use the command line version of docker (for more advanced users)

Option 1:

#This does not work on a container running on Windows due to WSL
#In that scenario, just install Docker Desktop 
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install curl
$ curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com/ | sh

#to run docker commands as a non-root user
$ sudo usermod -aG docker < your_username >

#to verify everything is set up correctly
$ docker run hello-world

Option 2: run the dockerSetup.sh script in the Docker folder if using a Debian-based image

If you are trying to run a specific docker container (PostgreSQL, Grafana) but get a bind error related to the required port, the issue might be that the Linux machine is already running a local instance of that program. You can either continue to use the locally installed instance (NOTE: may require additional configuration to communicate with other containers) or disable the SystemD service for the locally installed service.

# example
sudo systemctl stop postgresql.service
sudo systemctl disable postgresql.service
# if any local packages need to be removed
sudo apt remove postgresql

Docker Usage Instructions

use the command line to pull the desired Docker image

# public image
$ docker pull debian:trixie

# example team image that does not exist
$ docker pull lprd/MissionControlServer:latest

docker pull documentation

OR

type the desired Docker container name in the Docker Desktop top search bar and select pull.

---

Once an image is pulled, it can be run using the command line

# run a customized container based on a public image
$ docker run -it  --network host --hostname MCS -v /docker --name MissionControlServer1.2 debian:trixie bash

# run an example team container that is already configured (does not exist)
# use -d instead of -it to have the container run in the background
$ docker run -it lprd/MissionControlServer:latest

docker run documentation

OR

click the start button in the Docker Desktop app (first navigate to the containers tab)

---

Docker Development Setup Instructions

Modifying MissionControl Containers/making your own version

Requirements

• VSCode with the following extensions
  • Remote Development
  • Dev Containers
  • Remote Explorer (might only be relevant for SSH)

1. Press the F1 key or click on the search bar at the top when in VSCode
   1. search for ">Dev Containers: Attach to Running Container"
   2. select that option and select the desired container to connect to
2. You now have a VSCode session in the container!

This VSCode documentation page has more information

Github Desktop and git Setup Instructions

Windows

A manager app for Windows 10/11 that makes repository development easier

Download Github Desktop for for Windows

Linux

You can install and use git on the command line if you are using a Linux image (no Github Desktop available) git allows you to do version-controlled development for this repository or others!

# If you’re on Fedora (or any closely related RPM-based distribution, 
# such as RHEL or CentOS), you can use dnf:
$ sudo dnf install git-all

# If you’re on a Debian-based distribution, such as Ubuntu, try apt:
$ sudo apt install git-all

Read the git documentation for more information

MissionControlServer

MissionControlServer is a Docker Container that runs a C++ Application responsible for:

• collecting data from mission hardware
  • Ground Support Equipment (GSE)
  • Flight Computer
    • may interact with an adapter service that runs locally on the host machine
  • any other hardware that can benefit from sending its data to a centralized database
• sending commands to mission hardware
• interacting with the database on the mission control laptop
  • mostly adding information

The MissionControlServer directory contains:

• C++ Application Source Code (in-progress)
• a docker-compose file for setting up the correct container to run the server from
• a publicly available container that has the server installed and set to run when the container is started

Docker Compose Documentation for understanding docker-compose.yml files

Note: the server application requires the latest version of libpqxx (7.8.1). Only certain Linux images support recent versions of libpqxx.

This Repology page shows many linux distributions and the most recent libpqxx library version available.

The image currently being used is Debian 13 (trixie)

MissionControlTelemetry

MissionControlTelemetry is a Docker Container that runs a customizable Dashboard app, called Grafana, for viewing data. Grafana Overview and Site

Our use case for Grafana is viewing:

• live data collected from mission hardware
  • Ground Support Equipment (GSE)
  • Flight Computer
  • any other hardware that can benefit from data visualization
• previously collected data
• export data

The MissionControlTelemetry directory contains:

• a docker-compose file for setting up a properly configured Grafana container
• a publicly available Grafana container that has been customized for our use case

The second checkbox is low priority/unnecessary at the moment because

• Grafana already runs upon container start-up, eliminating the need for a customized container
• the Grafana container can be configured enough for our use case with the docker-compose file

The image currently being used is Grafana

TODO:

• Grafana Dashboard (in-progress)
• (at some point in the future) Three.js Apps (various 3D visualizations)

MissionControlDatabase

MissionControlDatabase is a Docker Container that runs a PostgreSQL database for storing and providing mission data. PostgreSQL Overview and Site

Our use case for a PostgreSQL database is:

• providing an easy-to-connect data source for Grafana to use
• providing an easy-to-connect data path for web-based (such as javascript) applications
  • javascript applications cannot easily open files continuously to show the latest data that was added to it
    • ex: having MissionControlServer add the latest data to a data.json file won't work
  • javascript applications cannot easily connect with TCP Socket or other ethernet servers to share data
    • ex: having MissionControlServer send or receive data to/from a javascript GUI app over a TCP Socket won't work
  • web applications can easily access databases

The MissionControlDatabase directory contains:

• a docker-compose file for setting up a properly configured Postgres container
• a publicly available Postgres container that has been customized for our use case

The second checkbox is low priority/unnecessary at the moment because

• Postgres already runs upon container start-up, eliminating the need for a customized container
• the Postgres container can be configured enough for our use case with the docker-compose file

The image currently being used is Postgres

MissionControlInterface

MissionControlInterface is a local javascript app that runs a basic GUI for sending commands.

Our use case for MissionControlInterface is to:

• provide a minimalistic, easy-to-use, dedicated app for sending commands to the mission hardware

This application is separate from the telemetry visualization app (Grafana) to:

• increase the reliability of this application as it is more safety-critical than a telemetry dashboard
• allow for the Grafana dashboard to be used for telemetry visualization in multiple locations (this would be unwise if the dashboard easily allowed for commands to be sent)

The MissionControlInterface directory contains:

• a javascript app that can populate a special command table in the database container

MissionControlServer will have the ability to periodically read the latest commands added and forward them to the appropriate mission hardware.

MissionControlAdapter

MissionControlAdapter is a local C++ app that allows for communication between Mission Control Laptop (COM/Serial/USB/UART) devices and MissionControlServer.

MissionControlServer cannot easily access serial devices connected to the host machine, such as a serial radio, since MissionControlServer runs in a docker container.

MissionControlAdapter can solve this problem by locally running on the host machine and forwarding serial data (and any other data if applicable) to MissionControlServer via a TCP Socket. MissionControlAdapter will also be responsible for forwarding commands from MissionControlServer to a serial device. The main type of hardware connected over serial is a serial radio. A serial radio, such as an XBee or RFD900, allows for fast, wireless communication with mission hardware that is far away.

Our use case for MissionControlAdapter is to:

• provide a way for MissionControlServer to communicate with hardware connected only via serial

The MissionControlAdapter directory contains:

• a C++ app for allowing MissionControlServer to communicate with serial hardware

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Useful README markdown guide for making these pages