Lessons learned in setting up and running the European copy of HST archive

Benoit Pirenne; Piero Benvenuti; Rudolf Albrecht; B. F. Rasmussen

doi:10.1117/12.158750

1 November 1993 Lessons learned in setting up and running the European copy of HST archive

Benoit Pirenne, Piero Benvenuti, Rudolf Albrecht, B. F. Rasmussen

Proceedings Volume 1945, Space Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments II; (1993) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.158750
Event: Optical Engineering and Photonics in Aerospace Sensing, 1993, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The endeavour of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) proved once more that arguments such as high costs, extremely long preparation time, inherent total failure risks, limited life time and high over-subscription rates make each scientific space mission almost always a unique event. The above arguments immediately point to the need for storing all the data produced by spacecraft in a short time for the scientific community to re-use in the long term. This calls for the organization of science archives. Together with the Space Telescope Science Institute, the European Coordinating Facility developed an archive system for the HST data. This paper is about the experience gained in setting up and running the European HST Science Data Archive system. Organization, cost versus scientific return and acceptance by the scientists are among the aspects that will be covered. In particular, we will insist on the 'four-pillar' structure principle that all archive centers should have. Namely: a user interface, a catalogue accurately describing the content of the archive, the human scientific expertise and of course the data. Long term prospects and problems due to technology changes will be evaluated and solutions will be proposed. The adaptability of the system described to other scientific space missions our ground-based observatories will be discussed.

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Benoit Pirenne, Piero Benvenuti, Rudolf Albrecht, and B. F. Rasmussen "Lessons learned in setting up and running the European copy of HST archive", Proc. SPIE 1945, Space Astronomical Telescopes and Instruments II, (1 November 1993); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.158750

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