Experiments with Storage and Preservation of NASA's Planetary Data via the Cloud

Abstract

The computing and storage demands force to optimize and manage complex and often conflicting software engineering challenges. Several domain-specific, independent software solutions have been developed to manage large amounts of data, including grid computing platforms- specifically, data-grid software packages such as the Globus Toolkit, DSpace, and OODT (ObjectOriented Data Technology). In addition, several computationally focused software products are geared toward executing large numbers of jobs, including workflow technologies such as Condor and Pegasus, and batch submission systems like the Portable Batch System (PBS) and Torque. The use of cloud computing in NASA's Planetary Data System for large-volume data storage and preservation illustrates how clouds can help researchers meet modern data backup demands, which are approaching the petabyte scale.