diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 2310d43ebe6107f344a47ae2a650f2455ce59749..bec2d8ad5015b084511c92c7bb8c177780963879 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -183,6 +183,12 @@ version = "0.2.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "fc7eb209b1518d6bb87b283c20095f5228ecda460da70b44f0802523dea6da04"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "android-tzdata"
+version = "0.1.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e999941b234f3131b00bc13c22d06e8c5ff726d1b6318ac7eb276997bbb4fef0"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "android_system_properties"
 version = "0.1.5"
@@ -639,6 +645,20 @@ dependencies = [
  "libc",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "chrono"
+version = "0.4.38"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "a21f936df1771bf62b77f047b726c4625ff2e8aa607c01ec06e5a05bd8463401"
+dependencies = [
+ "android-tzdata",
+ "iana-time-zone",
+ "js-sys",
+ "num-traits",
+ "wasm-bindgen",
+ "windows-targets 0.52.6",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "clipboard-win"
 version = "5.4.0"
@@ -1305,6 +1325,21 @@ version = "0.31.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "07e28edb80900c19c28f1072f2e8aeca7fa06b23cd4169cefe1af5aa3260783f"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "git2"
+version = "0.13.25"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f29229cc1b24c0e6062f6e742aa3e256492a5323365e5ed3413599f8a5eff7d6"
+dependencies = [
+ "bitflags 1.3.2",
+ "libc",
+ "libgit2-sys",
+ "log",
+ "openssl-probe",
+ "openssl-sys",
+ "url",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "gl_generator"
 version = "0.14.0"
@@ -1522,6 +1557,29 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-sys 0.52.0",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "iana-time-zone"
+version = "0.1.61"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "235e081f3925a06703c2d0117ea8b91f042756fd6e7a6e5d901e8ca1a996b220"
+dependencies = [
+ "android_system_properties",
+ "core-foundation-sys",
+ "iana-time-zone-haiku",
+ "js-sys",
+ "wasm-bindgen",
+ "windows-core 0.52.0",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "iana-time-zone-haiku"
+version = "0.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f31827a206f56af32e590ba56d5d2d085f558508192593743f16b2306495269f"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "icu_collections"
 version = "1.5.0"
@@ -1785,6 +1843,20 @@ version = "0.2.162"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "18d287de67fe55fd7e1581fe933d965a5a9477b38e949cfa9f8574ef01506398"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "libgit2-sys"
+version = "0.12.26+1.3.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "19e1c899248e606fbfe68dcb31d8b0176ebab833b103824af31bddf4b7457494"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+ "libc",
+ "libssh2-sys",
+ "libz-sys",
+ "openssl-sys",
+ "pkg-config",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "libloading"
 version = "0.8.5"
@@ -1806,6 +1878,32 @@ dependencies = [
  "redox_syscall 0.5.7",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "libssh2-sys"
+version = "0.2.23"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b094a36eb4b8b8c8a7b4b8ae43b2944502be3e59cd87687595cf6b0a71b3f4ca"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+ "libc",
+ "libz-sys",
+ "openssl-sys",
+ "pkg-config",
+ "vcpkg",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "libz-sys"
+version = "1.1.20"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "d2d16453e800a8cf6dd2fc3eb4bc99b786a9b90c663b8559a5b1a041bf89e472"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+ "libc",
+ "pkg-config",
+ "vcpkg",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "linux-raw-sys"
 version = "0.4.14"
@@ -2304,6 +2402,24 @@ version = "1.20.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "1261fe7e33c73b354eab43b1273a57c8f967d0391e80353e51f764ac02cf6775"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "openssl-probe"
+version = "0.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "ff011a302c396a5197692431fc1948019154afc178baf7d8e37367442a4601cf"
+
+[[package]]
+name = "openssl-sys"
+version = "0.9.104"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "45abf306cbf99debc8195b66b7346498d7b10c210de50418b5ccd7ceba08c741"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+ "libc",
+ "pkg-config",
+ "vcpkg",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "orbclient"
 version = "0.3.48"
@@ -2706,12 +2822,14 @@ name = "segs"
 version = "0.1.0"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
+ "chrono",
  "crossbeam-channel",
  "eframe",
  "egui",
  "egui_plot",
  "egui_tiles",
  "enum_dispatch",
+ "git2",
  "mavlink-bindgen",
  "parking_lot",
  "serde",
@@ -2860,6 +2978,7 @@ checksum = "d66dc143e6b11c1eddc06d5c423cfc97062865baf299914ab64caa38182078fe"
 [[package]]
 name = "skyward_mavlink"
 version = "0.1.0"
+source = "git+https://git.skywarder.eu/avn/swd/mavlink/mavlink-skyward-lib.git?branch=rust-strum#a766c38ea2dada7450cd2531b8610cbabcb6a449"
 dependencies = [
  "bitflags 2.6.0",
  "mavlink-bindgen",
@@ -3285,6 +3404,12 @@ version = "0.1.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "830b7e5d4d90034032940e4ace0d9a9a057e7a45cd94e6c007832e39edb82f6d"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "vcpkg"
+version = "0.2.15"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "accd4ea62f7bb7a82fe23066fb0957d48ef677f6eeb8215f372f52e48bb32426"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "version_check"
 version = "0.9.5"
diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 86847c816c571072d4445219f8deb2d9ab1d6318..54237fe6b1a0e5f7f39d807e2d88594f521f8574 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -42,3 +42,5 @@ crossbeam-channel = "0.5"
 # for dynamic dispatch
 enum_dispatch = "0.3"
 anyhow = "1.0"
+chrono = "0.4"
+git2 = "0.13"
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/ui/composable_view.rs b/src/ui/composable_view.rs
index 5ba5b3e60f109eaa767fa4388ed4414365eaab78..57799b1063a1b1eaedeb2e86ef19a78ad4655b2b 100644
--- a/src/ui/composable_view.rs
+++ b/src/ui/composable_view.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ use super::{
 
 use egui::{Key, Modifiers};
 use egui_tiles::{Behavior, Container, Linear, LinearDir, Tile, TileId, Tiles, Tree};
+//the following to display a small top bar
+use chrono::Local; 
+use std::path::Path;
+use git2::Repository;
+
 
 pub struct ComposableView {
     panes_tree: Tree<Pane>,
@@ -33,6 +38,30 @@ impl Default for ComposableView {
 impl eframe::App for ComposableView {
     // The update function is called each time the UI needs repainting!
     fn update(&mut self, ctx: &egui::Context, _frame: &mut eframe::Frame) {
+        // Add a top panel to display the time and latest commit
+        egui::TopBottomPanel::top("top_panel").show(ctx, |ui| {
+            let now = Local::now();
+            let time_str = format!("{}", now.format("%H:%M:%S"));
+
+            let mut branch_name = String::from("Unknown branch");
+            let mut commit_info = String::from("No commit information");
+
+            // Get the latest commit information
+            if let Ok(repo) = Repository::open(Path::new(".")) {
+                if let Ok(head) = repo.head() {
+                    if let Some(name) = head.shorthand() {
+                        branch_name = name.to_string();
+                    }
+                    if let Some(commit) = head.peel_to_commit().ok() {
+                        let commit_id = commit.id();
+                        let short_commit_id = format!("{:.7}", commit_id);
+                        commit_info = format!("{}", short_commit_id);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            ui.label(format!("SkywardEnhancedGroundStation SEGS v. {} - {} | {} ", commit_info, branch_name, time_str ));
+        });
         // get the id of the hovered pane, in order to apply actions to it
         let hovered_pane = self
             .panes_tree