A demonstration of the improvement in thermospheric densities using the daily E10.7 proxy compared to F10.7 is shown. The daily altitude decay for the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) satellite from April 1, 1982 through August 9, 1983, using both proxies and the actual altitude data, are compared. The F10.7 case finished 2 km lower than each of the E10.7 and actual altitude cases which were nearly identical. During active solar conditions, daily F10.7 can overestimate the EUV energy input into the atmosphere by up to 60% and also underestimate it by as much as 50%. Progress is shown towards validating E10.7 as a more accurate proxy compared to F10.7 for use in atmospheric density calculations that are applicable to satellite drag problems. In support of the validation of the E10.7 proxy, an operational prototype hardware/software platform for visualizing of the near-Earth space environment was created. This platform uses a data-driven, data visualization environment. Platform development continues so as to accommodate not only historical data but also nowcast and forecast data streams. Upgrades to the SOLAR2000 Research Grade model are continuing in order to improve the correlation coefficients from multiple linear regressions in several wavelength regions. E10.7 is used in applications that incorporate F10.7, including empirical thermospheric models, ionospheric models, and general representations of solar activity ranging from climate research to engineering applications. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union