Overview of the Planetary Data System

Abstract

The NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) is an active archive that provides high quality, usable planetary science data products to the science community. This system evolved in response to scientists' requests for improved availability of planetary data from NASA missions, with increased scientific involvement and oversight. It is sponsored by the NASA Solar System Exploration Division, and includes seven university/research center science teams, called discipline nodes, as well as a central node at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. PDS today is a leader in archive technology, providing a basic resource for scientists and educators. Operational since 1989, PDS distributes more than 11,000 orders annually. Current master holdings include more than 300 unique CD-ROM titles, 700 CD-Write Once titles, and 54,000 tapes. Major data additions to the PDS archives are now in process, including more than 350 new CD-ROM titles over the next two years. Deliveries are expected from Clementine, Shoemaker-Levy 9, Galileo, Ulysses, and the Giotto Extended Mission. Additional archive products are planned in future years from Galileo, Mars Global Surveyor, Lunar Prospector, Cassini, Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous, and the Mars Pathfinder projects. PDS is also restoring data from the following previous missions to improve data descriptions, formats, and quality of the data so that scientists have better access: Voyager, Viking, Pioneer, Pioneer Venus Orbiter, Magellan, plus Mariner 9 and 10. Many restorations still remain. PDS produces several hundred copies per title in initial distributions, with additional distributions to users via the National Space Science Data Center, and online orders via the World Wide Web.