The dataset I'm interested in should be public but it's not - Why?
There are a number of common reasons why data are not yet available in the GSFC ROSAT archive:
- The proprietary period has not yet expired.
For normally processed data, the proprietary period is 54 weeks after the delivery of the completed dataset to the PI, or 54 weeks after it's clear the sequence will get no more observing time. For some reprocessed data, there may be an additional 6 months proprietary period attached to the distributed data (this is most likely in the case of reprocessing from REV0 to REV2).
- The data are MPE-processed data which are indeed public but which have
not yet been archived at GSFC.
Because data exchange with MPE is via exabyte tapes which are mailed to GSFC, there is often a delay of at least a month between the release of the MPE-processed data and the ingest of the data into the GSFC archive. If you are interested in MPE data which you think are public, it's generally a good idea to check the MPE archive to see if in fact the data have been released (you can use Jakob Englhauser's nice MPE archive browser too)
- Other problems.
For example, there have been occasional problems with the jukebox storage at the USRSDC which have delayed release of data to the GSFC public archive.
Page Author: Michael F. Corcoran
Last modified April 28, 1999
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