Database Applications in Science Data Systems for Low-Cost Satellite Missions

As in financial and business applications. satellite systems accumulate data sets over some time period. Certain portions of this data lend themselves to storage within a commercial database system. The advantages and disadvantages of using commercial database systems for storage of data related to satellite systems are discussed. The types of data stored in satellite science data systems are outlined. Case studies from MSX. NEAR and TIMED. three satellite missions developed at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. are reviewed. An example of database logical architecture to support science data queries is presented. Implementation lessons in INGRES and ORACLE are noted. Issues related to the user community in each case are discussed. In conclusion. a summary of the lessons learned from all case studies is presented