[sci.electronics] HST transmissions

schaper@pnet51.orb.mn.org (S Schaper) (05/28/90)

Does this mean that some people with the proper equiptment could intercept
digital image downloads from the HST, (in the future of course)?

UUCP: {amdahl!bungia, uunet!rosevax, chinet, killer}!orbit!pnet51!schaper
ARPA: crash!orbit!pnet51!schaper@nosc.mil
INET: schaper@pnet51.cts.com

paulf@jessica.stanford.edu (Paul Flaherty) (05/31/90)

HST uses the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), which is 
encrypted (with something presumably stronger than DES).  It would be
the proverbial good thing if someone at STSCI would make some of the 
images available via anonymous ftp....


-=Paul Flaherty, N9FZX/VK2WYX | "Anything below 1,000,000,000 Hz
->paulf@shasta.Stanford.EDU   |  is just nervous DC."

medin@cincsac.arc.nasa.gov (Milo S. Medin) (06/02/90)

In article <1990May30.174352.9182@portia.Stanford.EDU> paulf@jessica.stanford.edu (Paul Flaherty) writes:

>HST uses the Tracking Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), which is 
>encrypted (with something presumably stronger than DES).  It would be
>the proverbial good thing if someone at STSCI would make some of the 
>images available via anonymous ftp....


Paul, the HST PI's have exclusive access to HST data for a year after it's 
acquisition I believe.  This is inline with NASA policy for spacecraft data.
This is the reason that no images of the voyager Neptune encounter (except
those digitized from NASA Select video by Stanford) have been released
to the public (except for press photos).  If the PI's choose to release data
early, I guess this could be made available.

This is designed to protect scientists who may have waited years for their
experiment to fly, and not allow some 3rd party to quickly analyze the
data and publish before the PI can.  I think this is reasonable, but
it certainly can be frustrating.  Perhaps it would be possible to get some
low resolution bitmaps of press photos released to the public.  

						Thanks,
						   Milo

PS Usual disclaimers about this not representing NASA or Government policies
or positions apple of course.

leech@ornat.cs.unc.edu (Jonathan Leech) (06/02/90)

In article <1990May30.174352.9182@portia.Stanford.EDU> paulf@jessica.stanford.edu (Paul Flaherty) writes:
>encrypted (with something presumably stronger than DES).  It would be
>the proverbial good thing if someone at STSCI would make some of the
>images available via anonymous ftp....

    It would certainly not be a good thing for their network
connection and whatever machine hosted the images, as it would rapidly
be swamped under hundreds to thousands of connections.	Using the
Internet to copy large images merely to satisfy people's curiosity
and/or give them more background bitmaps is not wise.
--
    Jon Leech (leech@cs.unc.edu)    __@/
    ``There ain't hardly nothin' cuter nor a sleepin' baby tad
      lessen it's a pork chop'' - Churchy La Femme