Scientific desktop app for lunar rover traversal planning and terrain analysis at the lunar south pole. Loads 20 m/px LOLA/LRO GeoTIFFs, plans paths, and computes terrain statistics along them.
Beta. If something doesn't work, open an issue at github.com/osh3276/cynthium/issues.
- 2D map + 3D terrain views with cursor tooltip showing raster values
- Layer manager — elevation, slope, hillshade, illumination (monthly/daily avg), meteor flux, temperature, permanently shaded regions
- Waypoint management — editable table with per-waypoint pause durations, live on the map
- Pathfinding — A*/Dijkstra over a 16-connected grid using slope, illumination, meteor flux, and temperature costs. Weighted or minimax strategy. Optional 4× bicubic upsampling for 5 m/px effective resolution
- Rover simulation — 4-wheel skid-steer with stop-pivot-go, PID speed control, resistive motor model, and battery drain. Configurable mass, power, friction, wheel geometry, motor torque, damping, and more
- Illumination analysis — sun position and shadow mapping via NASA SPICE
- Data export — paths, simulation stats, and full session settings as CSV/JSON
- Custom GeoTIFF import with CRS validation
- Site rasters auto-download via pooch on first use
git clone https://github.com/osh3276/cynthium.git
cd cynthium
pip install -e .Requires Python ≥3.12 and a C/C++ compiler (for rasterio).
cynthium- Load a site — pick a preset (Haworth, Shackleton rim, Nobile rim 1, ...)
- Choose a map layer — elevation, slope, illumination, etc.
- Plan a path — place waypoints on the map, click Autopath. A progress dialog keeps the UI responsive while the computation runs in a background thread
- Configure the rover — select a preset or open Tools → Rover Settings
- Run a simulation — click Run Simulation. Results in Path / Slope / Environment tabs with traverse time, battery stats, failure point, and more
- Inspect in 3D — switch to the Terrain View tab
- Export — paths, simulation data, or full session settings
No path found — start or goal may be on an untraversable pixel. Try moving to a ridge or sunlit area.
Rover gets stuck — max climbable slope is the minimum of traction (μ − Crr), power, and torque limits. Increase μ, reduce mass, increase power, or increase motor torque.
Data files not found — Cynthium downloads them via pooch on first use. Needs internet.
SEXTANT is a MATLAB tool with similar goals. Cynthium is an open-source Python alternative.