vibe coding an orbital mechanics simulation to try out claude code
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3.3 KiB

Session Summary - Documentation Rewrite

Date: 2026-02-04

Session Overview

This session focused on rewriting the technical documentation to reflect the current state of the codebase after switching to analytical propagation.

Changes Made

1. Explored codebase

Used @explore sub-agent to identify all critical data structures and functions across the codebase.

2. Created new technical reference

Rewrote docs/technical_reference.md from scratch:

  • Updated all references from RK4 to analytical propagation
  • Added comprehensive data structure documentation with file locations
  • Added detailed function signatures for critical functions
  • Added module dependency graph (later removed)
  • Added analytical propagation algorithm details for all orbit types
  • Added velocity deviation detection (1e-6 tolerance)
  • Added orbital element reconstruction after burns and SOI transitions
  • Kept coordinate frame strategy, orbit types, and data flow sections
  • Initially had line numbers, ASCII diagrams (later removed)
  • Initial version: 730 lines

3. Created config format documentation

New file docs/config_format.md:

  • Complete TOML format documentation for bodies, spacecraft, maneuvers
  • All field descriptions, types, units
  • Parsing details and default values
  • All 7 validation rules with constants
  • Complete working example config
  • 490 lines

4. Created coding standards documentation

New file docs/coding_standards.md:

  • Code style (C-style C++, no classes/templates)
  • Naming conventions
  • Comment guidelines
  • Whitespace rules (no trailing whitespace)
  • Memory management (malloc/free)
  • Code organization and layer separation
  • Floating-point comparisons for tests
  • Git workflow
  • Build system details
  • Physics considerations
  • Module dependencies
  • Testing guidelines

5. Simplified technical reference

  • Moved verbose config section to config_format.md (replaced with brief summary)
  • Moved config validator section to config_format.md (replaced with brief summary)
  • Removed most line numbers (kept only 5 critical algorithm locations)
  • Reduced from 655 lines to 557 lines

6. Removed ASCII diagrams

  • Removed module dependency graph (replaced with text)
  • Removed data flow diagrams (replaced with text)
  • Removed SOI mechanics flow chart (replaced with text)
  • Reduced from 557 lines to 557 lines (text descriptions were concise)

7. Cleaned up

  • Removed docs/technical_reference.md.backup

Commits

No commits were made during this session (all documentation changes).

Results

  • Created 2 new documentation files (config_format.md, coding_standards.md)
  • Completely rewrote technical reference (730 lines → 557 lines)
  • Documentation is now LLM-friendly (text-only, no ASCII diagrams)
  • All content from original reference preserved, reorganized, and updated

Files Modified

  • docs/technical_reference.md - Completely rewritten
  • docs/config_format.md - Created (490 lines)
  • docs/coding_standards.md - Created
  • docs/technical_reference.md.backup - Removed

Next Steps

None - documentation rewrite is complete.

Notes

  • Technical reference is now optimized for LLM agents to understand the codebase
  • Line numbers kept only for 5 critical algorithms (unlikely to change)
  • Detailed config format is in separate doc for easy reference
  • Coding standards are documented for consistency