Beginnings
Project Icarus was initially started by Warren Wu and myself when we teamed up for the NASA Space Apps Challenge - a 48-hour hackathon that took place October 1-2, 2022. The specific challenge that we chose was Creative Data Display With the Parker Solar Probe, so we thought it would be a good idea to make a website. And not just any website, but a comprehensive one with everything you need to know about the Parker Solar Probe and its instruments - complete with interactive data visualizations.
Now, keep in mind, although Warren did have some web dev experience, I had none. So despite our best efforts and long hours spent huddled in the library, the website ultimately proved to be way too ambitious to complete in two days.
The Project
Note: Detailed documentation can be found on my GitHub
After an anticlimactic end to our hackathon experience, I decided to continue on with the project, determined to fulfill our original vision. Progress was on and off, and although I enjoyed it, the work was tedious - meticulous data processing and analysis in Python, followed by a lot of JS/HTML/CSS to visualize it and make it look pretty.
By September 2023, the website was more or less complete. It had custom-made, interactive visualizations for 3 of the 4 main science instruments (WISPR, SWEAP, and FIELDS). The last one (ISOIS) wasn't exactly custom-made, but hey - technically it was still an interactive visualization.
Either way, at that point I had realized that there wasn't much point to continuing on. It was unlikely that the website would gain much exposure, and as fun as it had been, I was satisfied with what I had done. And so, we were on to the next project!
The Parker Solar Probe (APL/NASA GSFC)
