diff --git a/js/layers/almanac.js b/js/layers/almanac.js
index 18c714a..d5a9df3 100644
--- a/js/layers/almanac.js
+++ b/js/layers/almanac.js
@@ -42,7 +42,18 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
     if (id === 'sun') { out.x = out.y = out.z = 0; return out; }
     if (b.ephemId) return ephem.helioEcl(b.ephemId, jd, out);
     if (b.elements) return ephem.smallBodyEcl(b.elements, jd, out);
-    if (b.parent) return helioOf(b.parent, jd, out); // moon ≈ parent at AU scale
+    if (b.moonOrbit && b.parent) {
+      // parent heliocentric + the moon's TRUE orbital offset (AU) — so e.g. the
+      // Moon's distance from Earth is its real ~384,400 km, not 0.
+      helioOf(b.parent, jd, out);
+      const theta = 2 * Math.PI * ((jd - lib.J2000_JD) / b.moonOrbit.periodDays);
+      const rAU = b.moonOrbit.aKm / lib.AU_KM;
+      const tilt = (bodies[b.parent].axialTiltDeg || 0) * lib.DEG;
+      const ex = Math.cos(theta) * rAU, ey = Math.sin(theta) * rAU;
+      out.x += ex; out.y += ey * Math.cos(tilt); out.z += ey * Math.sin(tilt);
+      return out;
+    }
+    if (b.parent) return helioOf(b.parent, jd, out);
     out.x = out.y = out.z = 0; return out;
   }
 
diff --git a/js/layers/asteroids.js b/js/layers/asteroids.js
index b1d58ab..129b378 100644
--- a/js/layers/asteroids.js
+++ b/js/layers/asteroids.js
@@ -46,6 +46,7 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
   }
 
   function refresh(jd) {
+    if (!geo || !elements.length) return; // toggled on before SBDB load completed
     for (let k = 0; k < elements.length; k++) {
       ephem.smallBodyEcl(elements[k], jd, _e);
       scale.viewFromEcl(_e, _v);
diff --git a/js/layers/comets.js b/js/layers/comets.js
index 2cf8cfd..d15cf55 100644
--- a/js/layers/comets.js
+++ b/js/layers/comets.js
@@ -62,8 +62,9 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
     const tail = new THREE.Line(tgeo, new THREE.LineBasicMaterial({ color: new THREE.Color(w.color), transparent: true, opacity: 0.6, blending: THREE.AdditiveBlending, depthWrite: false }));
     tail.frustumCulled = false; tail.visible = on; scene.add(tail);
     const lbl = makeLabel(spr, name, 'craft-label'); lbl.div.style.color = w.color; lbl.obj.visible = on;
-    const c = { w, name, el, geo, line, spr, tail, tgeo, lbl, auPath: au, lastT: lib.centuriesSinceJ2000(ctx.clock.jd) };
+    const c = { w, name, el, geo, line, spr, tail, tgeo, lbl, auPath: au, lastT: lib.centuriesSinceJ2000(ctx.clock.jd), lastFillP: NaN };
     fillOrbit(c);
+    c.lastFillP = scale.getP();
     comets.push(c);
   }
 
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
     id: 'comets',
     onClockTick(simMs, jd) {
       if (!on) return;
-      const transitioning = scale.isTransitioning();
+      const P = scale.getP();
       const camDist = ctx.camera.position.length();
       // label DOM writes throttled ≤5 Hz (brief §11)
       const nowMs = performance.now();
@@ -104,10 +105,10 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
         tp[3] = c.spr.position.x + _dir.x * len; tp[4] = c.spr.position.y + _dir.y * len; tp[5] = c.spr.position.z + _dir.z * len;
         c.tgeo.attributes.position.needsUpdate = true;
         if (updateText) c.lbl.div.textContent = `${c.name} · ${lib.fmtAU(r)}`;
-        // orbit rebuild on T-drift or scale transition (brief §11)
+        // orbit rebuild on T-drift or any P change (covers the tween + its final frame)
         const needAu = Math.abs(lib.centuriesSinceJ2000(jd) - c.lastT) > CONFIG.orbitRebuildCy;
         if (needAu) { c.auPath = ephem.orbitPathFromElements(c.el, N); c.lastT = lib.centuriesSinceJ2000(jd); }
-        if (needAu || transitioning) fillOrbit(c);
+        if (needAu || P !== c.lastFillP) { fillOrbit(c); c.lastFillP = P; }
       }
     },
     handlePick(raycaster) {
diff --git a/js/layers/planets.js b/js/layers/planets.js
index a30f59f..1fafb75 100644
--- a/js/layers/planets.js
+++ b/js/layers/planets.js
@@ -35,9 +35,10 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
     line.frustumCulled = false;
     worldGroup.add(line);
 
-    const e = { id, b, group, mesh, mat, geo, line, lbl, auPath: null, lastT: NaN };
+    const e = { id, b, group, mesh, mat, geo, line, lbl, auPath: null, lastT: NaN, lastFillP: NaN };
     buildAuPath(e);
     fillView(e);
+    e.lastFillP = scale.getP();
     entries.push(e);
   }
 
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
   return {
     id: 'planets',
     onClockTick(simMs, jd, isLive) {
-      const transitioning = scale.isTransitioning();
+      const P = scale.getP();
       for (const e of entries) {
         const abs = ctx.bodyWorld[e.id];
         if (!abs) continue;
@@ -83,10 +84,11 @@ export default function create(ctx) {
         }
         // focus highlight
         e.lbl.div.classList.toggle('focused', e.id === focus.id);
-        // orbit rebuild only when needed
+        // orbit rebuild: on element drift, or whenever the compression P changed
+        // (covers the whole MEGA↔TRUE tween AND the final frame it settles on).
         const needAu = Math.abs(lib.centuriesSinceJ2000(jd) - e.lastT) > CONFIG.orbitRebuildCy;
         if (needAu) buildAuPath(e);
-        if (needAu || transitioning) fillView(e);
+        if (needAu || P !== e.lastFillP) { fillView(e); e.lastFillP = P; }
       }
     },
   };
diff --git a/js/scale.js b/js/scale.js
index 3a4a107..d20794f 100644
--- a/js/scale.js
+++ b/js/scale.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 // out. Nothing else in the app maps AU→scene by hand (brief §4). "Truth before
 // view": callers compute positions in AU, then pass through here.
 
-import { AU_KM, eclToWorld, clamp, lerp, smoothstep } from './lib.js';
+import { AU_KM, clamp, lerp, smoothstep } from './lib.js';
 
 let K = 9.0;
 let P = 0.4;                 // live exponent: MEGA=0.4, TRUE=1.0
@@ -32,11 +32,18 @@ let moonBase = 1.8, moonK = 1.2;
 export function radial(rAU) { return K * Math.pow(rAU, P); }
 
 // Heliocentric ecliptic AU → view-world Vector3 (radial compression + frame map).
+// Allocation-free (brief §11): the eclToWorld map is inlined with the scale so no
+// intermediate object is created — this runs for every body every frame.
 export function viewFromEcl(ecl, out) {
-  const r = Math.hypot(ecl.x, ecl.y, ecl.z);
+  // Read all components first so this is safe when out === ecl (callers reuse a
+  // single scratch, e.g. viewFromEcl(_v, _v)) and still allocation-free.
+  const x = ecl.x, y = ecl.y, z = ecl.z;
+  const r = Math.hypot(x, y, z);
   if (r === 0) { out.x = out.y = out.z = 0; return out; }
   const s = radial(r) / r; // scale factor along the true direction
-  eclToWorld({ x: ecl.x * s, y: ecl.y * s, z: ecl.z * s }, out);
+  out.x = x * s;           // ecl X → world x
+  out.y = z * s;           // ecl Z (north) → world y
+  out.z = -y * s;          // ecl Y → world −z
   return out;
 }
 
diff --git a/serve.py b/serve.py
index dae802a..9729757 100644
--- a/serve.py
+++ b/serve.py
@@ -82,12 +82,9 @@ def _requested_span_is_past(name, query):
                     bump(_parse_epoch_to_unix(tok))
         if "STOP_TIME" not in q and "TLIST" not in q:
             return False
-    elif name == "cad":
-        for raw in q.get("date-max", []):
-            bump(_parse_epoch_to_unix(raw))
-        if "date-max" not in q:
-            return False
-    else:  # sbdb elements query — has no time span, treat as mutable (TTL)
+    # CAD is NOT immutable even for past dates: close-approach records keep growing
+    # as new NEOs are discovered. SBDB elements advance too. Both get the 24 h TTL.
+    else:
         return False
 
     # Margin: only call it immutable if the latest epoch is > 1 day ago.