README.workinprog

This file describes the changes to the software actually being implemented
and not yet included in the public distribution. It also decsribes the known
problems and bugs. (Updated 3 June 2011).

1) The problem of non gravitational perturbations is still unsolved in
   the stable version of the code. The merge of the non-gravitational
   aware version with the stable version is due, but we do not have a
   date yet.

2) The full error model with correlations, according to the formalism
   of Carpino et al. (2003), but with the new model and coefficients
   computed by Baer et al. 2011, is not yet implemented in 4.2,
   although most of the code is there, where it is not possible to
   reach it.

3) There are too many developments which are not yet included in the
   distribution, contrary to our promise that stable improvements
   would become available. The problem is, a lot of work would be
   needed for this, as well as solving some complications with
   different licenses, including "scienceware" type licenses.


KNOWN PROBLEMS

1) Documentation: the project of a "Mathematical Specification" document has
   been abandoned, to be replaced by Milani and Gronchi, "Orbit
   Determination", Cambridge University Press 2010, 392 pages.

2) References. A serious work in providing references could to a large extent
   replace the ad hoc documentation. Just our own papers are dozens. The
   problem is how to link the subrotuines, and the algorithms used in them, to
   the references. Possible to use some BiBTeX machinery?

2) Cometary orbits. The module ever_pitkin is now quite stable, even if the
   "universal" variables are NOT universal (unless we have a computer with
   infinite mantissa). Still observing a Sun-grazing comet while very far from
   the Sun is not possible numerically, for our good luck it is also
   impossible astronomically.