Ames Life Sciences Data

Archive

A Briefing to the STS-107 IWG

Kennedy Space Center
August 17, 2000
P X Callahan, NASA/Ames
 What is the LSDA

“NASA Is Not Archiving All Potentially Valuable Data”,

Government Accounting Office / IMTEC-91-3, November 1990.
“NASA Is Not Properly Safeguarding Valuable Data From Past
Missions”, GAO /IMTEC-90, March 1990.
Data Management Initiative (DMI) - new start funding made
available for Life Sciences in FY93, through Information Systems
Branch, for archiving and storage of valuable life sciences data.
Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) - program established in Oct.
1992, to develop archive system for NASA Life Sciences (Code
UL). Data
Archiving Projects (DAPs) - Level III nodes at JSC, ARC, and KSC
to ensure acquisition/ archiving of data.
Archiving of Raw and Processed Data Required by 107 NRA.

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 Benefit to Investigators
➤ Repository for all your flight related data
➤ Secure repository for all project and PI data.
➤ Management & tracking of experiment results (publications, measurements,
telemetry, other data sets).
➤ Protected by back-up, multiple storage and deep archiving
➤ Approved and verified raw data and data products
available to scientists/ general public
➤ Data available for proposal writing
➤ For correlation between experiments
➤ Allows retrospective analysis across missions, experiments, disciplines, research
subjects.
➤ Available to you and your colleagues
➤ For reference, immediately available (no digging through boxes)
➤ Storage and cataloging of valuable biospecimens from space flights for analysis by
other investigators.
➤ Provides information on available biospecimens to research community

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 What is the Ames LSDA?

➤ A repository of all Ames Code SL sponsored

space life sciences (flight) research
➤ 43 Missions, 452 Experiments, 2 GB Information

➤ Information and data from flight experiments

(1961-present--will include International Space
Station)
➤ Site for preparation/scrubbing of data for LSDA
➤ Web site available only to Ames Managers/PIs
➤ Limited by IP address (and possibly password for off-base personnel).
➤ Mandatory password and encryption for limited access data

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 Ames LSDA Personnel

➤ Dr. Paul X. Callahan, Data Archive Project Manager

➤ pcallahan@mail.arc.nasa.gov; 650-604-6046
➤ Ms. Alison French, DAP Office Manager
➤ afrench@ mail.arc.nasa.gov; 650-604-0711
➤ Mr. Alan Wood, Database Implementation
➤ awood@ mail.arc.nasa.gov; 510-548-4920
➤ Ms. Lourdes Briones, Data Archivist
➤ lbriones@mail.arc.nasa.gov; 650-504-2290
➤ Mr. Richard Mains, Archiving Consultant
➤ rmains@mail.arc.nasa.gov; 510-548-1262

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 Ames LSDA Postflight
Reports
➤ All Code U payloads must submit 2 postflight reports:
➤ 1. Operational Accomplishments Report (for Ames, primarily
a project report)
➤ Designed to capture information comparing planned research
with research actually completed
➤ Focuses on the operational aspects of the mission rather than
the actual research results
➤ Purpose is to determine if data was able to be collected,
whether it was properly received, and to assess the quality of
the data
➤ Due thirty to ninety days after flight (set by Mission Manager.)

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 Ames LSDA Postflight
Reports & Data Collection
➤ 2. Final Research Report
➤ Designed to be a comprehensive research report,
containing information typically found in a journal
article, plus a complete set of data
➤ Data may precede or follow report
➤ All protected from viewing until publication
➤ Due one year after the receipt of data from Project Office
or the last data collection session after flight.
➤ Data would be appreciated as soon as we can get it.
➤ Data can be updated as analyses progress (submission not irrevocable)
➤ Data not lost/misplaced
➤ PI has best understanding of data/metadata at the time of preparation.
➤ Revisiting of data at later date painful & time-consuming.
➤ New activities requiring attention; Time marches on!
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 Ames LSDA Postflight
Reporting & Data Collection
➤ PI sent Data Inventory Form
➤ Form available at website: http://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/sts107/
➤ FinalReport, Data Inventory Forms and data
submitted to project office
➤ Data is cataloged, metadata (detailed data description) added
➤ Two types of data; Project data & PI data
➤ Verification steps
➤ Entered, Checked (by project office), Verified (by owner)
➤ Placed on Ames secure website
➤ Working copy. PI (only) can view until a release is provided
➤ Final
validation
➤ Submitted to LSDA Central Node
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 Ames LSDA Postflight
Reporting Timelines

➤ Timelines to be established later by Mission

➤ Consistent with general guidelines presented here.
➤ Negotiated with PIs under special circumstances.