The Decade of Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics (1991) / Chapter Skim
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5. Astronomy and the Computer Revolution
5. Astronomy and the Computer Revolution
Pages 91-99
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From page 91... ...
In this chapter, the committee discusses exciting developments in astronomy that can occur as a result of enhancements in computing strategies, techniques, or power. Since computing has a central role in astronomical research, the committee makes recommendations regarding archiving, workstations and hierarchical computing, networks, and community code development.
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From page 92... ...
These machines, with their huge memories, extensive disk capacity, and extremely fast processing and input and output rates, will be crucial to a minority of computer users with the most demanding programs. DATA ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING Computers have become essential to the acquisition of astronomical data, offering enhancements in performance comparable in some cases to improvements due to new telescope and detector designs.
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From page 93... ...
The type of data processing required varies widely depending on the telescope and the purpose of the observations. Large user facilities with stable instrumentation and operating conditions like the VLA lend themselves to processing in which the typical user has little involvement until the final analysis stages.
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From page 94... ...
Defects in the image due to residual effects of the atmosphere and other calibration errors manifest themselves as mottled structures all over the image. Additional processing steps in the middle and bottom frames "clean" the image in a mathematically well-defined way and enhance the astronomer's ability to discern weak structures in the presence of strong sources by a factor of 100 or more.
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From page 95... ...
ARCHIVING There are compelling scientific reasons for archiving selected astronomical data from ground- and space-based telescopes. First, astronomical processes occur on time scales that are long compared to the lifetimes of individual researchers.
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From page 96... ...
On-line archives of major observational datasets, catalogs, and processed data from the astronomical literature would improve productivity and enhance the return from both ground- and space-based science programs. A national archiving program would allow researchers and students from smaller colleges and universities to work with data from the best instruments in a way that is now impossible.
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From page 97... ...
Roughly 10 percent of the time devoted to scientific computing at the NSF Supercomputer Centers is used by astrophysicists who are using supercomputers to solve problems that push the system to the limits of today's software and hardware capabilities (Plates 5.1 and 5.2~. The observational community has made concerted efforts at developing community software; commendable examples include NSF's development at its national observatories of AIPS, IRAF, and the Flexible Image Transport System (FITS)
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From page 98... ...
Topics that could be considered include what, initially, would constitute appropriate datasets for archiving; proposals to ensure the broadest acceptance of archiving plans; the identification of costs and funding sources for archiving; community comments on the archive designs; integrating ground-based archives with NASA's Astrophysical Data System and Planetary Data System; interagency and international collaboration; and establishment of a national archive center. It is important that the astronomical community determine the relative priorities between archiving particular datasets and supporting new observations.
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From page 99... ...
The committee also urges NASA to allocate an appropriate fraction of the Mission Operations and Data Analysis funds associated with the space missions of the 1990s for purchases of mini-supercomputers by those university departments involved in space research. The committee bases this suggestion on the assumption that the NSF, NASA, and DOE supercomputer centers, which must be periodically upgraded to remain at the forefront of technology, will continue to provide this scarce resource to the astronomical community.
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