The Archiving of Space Astronomy Data

When considering the archiving of space astronomy data, one has only to look at the current and projected astrophysics missions to be aware of the enormity of the archival requirements and the urgent need for careful planning in order to properly manage all the data which is and will be acquired. The current list of astrophysics missions for which NASA supports observing/archival phases during the next ten years numbers 23! Even when a mission’s observing period was less than a year, as for the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS), or only a week, as for Astro-1, the archival phases last for many years, especially if the archives are user-friendly and easily accessible.