The NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive (NSSDCA) serves as the permanent archive for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
space science mission data. "
Space science
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
" includes
astronomy
Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
and
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
, solar and space
plasma
Plasma or plasm may refer to:
Science
* Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter
* Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral
* Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics
Biology
* Blood pla ...
physics, and
planetary and
lunar science
Lunar most commonly means "of or relating to the Moon".
Lunar may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lunar'' (series), a series of video games
* "Lunar" (song), by David Guetta
* "Lunar", a song by Priestess from the 2009 album ''Prior t ...
. As the permanent archive, NSSDCA teams with NASA's discipline-specific space science "active archives" which provide access to data to researchers and, in some cases, to the general public. NSSDCA also serves as NASA's permanent archive for space physics mission data. It provides access to several geophysical models and to data from some non-NASA mission data. NSSDCA was called the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) prior to March 2015.
NSSDCA supports active
space physics Space physics, also known as solar-terrestrial physics or space-plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere (aeronomy) and within the Solar System. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of ...
and
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
researchers. Web-based services allow the NSSDCA to support the general public. This support is in the form of information about spacecraft and access to digital versions of selected imagery. NSSDCA also
provides access to portions of their database contains information about data archived at NSSDCA (and, in some cases, other facilities), the spacecraft which generate space science data and experiments which generate space science data. NSSDCA services also included are data management standards and technologies.
[
NSSDCA is part of the Solar System Exploration Data Services Office (SSEDSO) in the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA's ]Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC empl ...
. NSSDCA is sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. NSSDCA acts in concert with various NASA discipline data systems in providing certain data and services.[
]
Overview
NSSDCA was first established (as NSSDC) at Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is a major NASA space research laboratory located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center, GSFC empl ...
in 1966. NSSDCA's staff consists largely of physical scientists, computer scientists, analysts, programmers, and data technicians. Staffing level, including civil service and onsite contractors, has ranged between 15 and 100 over the life of NSSDCA. Early in its life, NSSDCA accumulated data primarily on 7-track and 9-track tape and on various photoproducts, and all data dissemination was via media replication and mailing. Starting in the mid-1980s, NSSDCA received and disseminated increasing data volumes via electronic networks. Dissemination formats are presently via the internet, either via HTTP or FTP.
Astrophysics
''Data Services'' contains data and mission information: The Multiwavelength Milky Way, the Multimedia Catalog and the NSSDC Photo Gallery.
''Flight Mission Information'' contains lists of flight missions and information about them; this is where the NSSDC Master Catalog is along with mission-specific access. A graphical interface to mission information is in this area as well.
''Related Information Services'' have detailed information about data held at NSSDC via the Master Catalog, NSSDC Lunar and Planetary Science, and NSSDC Heliophysics.
There are also ''NASA Astrophysics Data Archive/Service Centers''. These include HEASARC (High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center), IRSA (Infrared Science Archives), LAMBDA (Legacy Archive for Microwave Background Data Analysis), MAST (Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes The Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST) is an astronomical data archive. The archive brings together data from the visible, ultraviolet, and near-infrared wavelength regimes. The NASA funded project is located at the Space Telescope Scie ...
).
Master Catalog
The NSSDC Master Catalog is available for the queries pertaining to information about data that are archived at the NSSDC as well as for supplemental information via the following query mechanisms:
*Spacecraft Query. This interface allows queries to our database of orbital, suborbital, and interplanetary spacecraft.
*Experiment Query. This interface allows queries for information about scientific experiments that flew on-board various space missions.
*Data Collection Query. This interface allows queries for data that are tracked by NSSDC, primarily those that are currently archived here.
*Personnel Query. This interface allows queries for locator information for personnel that were associated with various missions and/or data collections submitted to NSSDC.
*Publication Query. This interface allows queries information about publications that are relevant to the data NSSDC archives or to the experiments and/or missions that accumulated the data. The publications so captured are not intended to be comprehensive bibliographies.
*Lunar and Planetary Map Query. This interface allows queries of the lunar and planetary maps that NSSDC currently has in stock.
*New and Updated Data Query. This interface allows queries for those data collections for which the NSSDC has recently acquired new data, either additions to existing collections or entirely new collections.
*Lunar and Planetary Events Query. This interface allows queries for events that have occurred which are related to the exploration of the Moon and the Solar System.
See also
*Planetary Data System
The Planetary Data System (PDS) is a distributed data system that NASA uses to archive data collected by Solar System missions.
The PDS is an active archive that makes available well documented, peer reviewed planetary data to the research communi ...
*NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database The NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED) is an online astronomical database for astronomers that collates and cross-correlates astronomical information on extragalactic objects (galaxies, quasars, radio, x-ray and infrared sources, etc.). NED was ...
* HEASARC
*Astrophysics Data System
The SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is an online database of over 16 million astronomy and physics papers from both peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed sources. Abstracts are available free online for almost all articles, and full scanned a ...
*NSSTC
The National Space Science and Technology Center (NSSTC) in Huntsville, Alabama is a joint research venture between NASA and the seven research universities of the state of Alabama, represented by the Space Science and Technology Alliance. The ai ...
References
* Meeks, Brock N. (Feb 12, 1990
"NASA Data: Where No LAN Has Gone Before"
''InfoWorld'' Vol. 12, No. 7:S17
* NASA Office of Space Science and Applications (OSSA) (1992
''State of the Data Union''
NASA-TM-109951 pp 28-32
* Bretherton, Francis (1993
''1992 Review of the World Data Center-A for Rockets and Satellites and the National Space Science Data Center''
US National Research Council, Washington, DC: US National Academies Press OCLC 30712126
* US National Research Council (2002
''Assessment of the Usefulness and Availability of NASA's Earth and Space Science Mission Data''
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press pages 24, 27, 33, 42-43
* Burden, Paul R. (2010
''A Subject Guide to Quality Web Sites''
Scarecrow Press page 506
External links
NSSDCA website
NSSDCA Master Catalog
{{Authority control
NASA groups, organizations, and centers
Online databases
Spaceflight
Space science organizations