Giant Planet Observations in NASA's Planetary Data System

TL;DR

NASA's Planetary Data System archives and preserves data from missions to giant planets, supporting ongoing and future research by providing accessible datasets crucial for understanding these complex systems.

Contribution

This paper highlights the role of NASA's PDS in archiving giant planet data and its importance for current and future planetary science research.

Findings

Data from giant planet missions continue to inform planetary science.

PDS serves as a key repository for current and upcoming giant planet datasets.

Accessible data supports ongoing research and interpretation of giant planet systems.

Abstract

While there have been far fewer missions to the outer Solar System than to the inner Solar System, spacecraft destined for the giant planets have conducted a wide range of fundamental investigations, returning data that continues to reshape our understanding of these complex systems, sometimes decades after the data were acquired. These data are preserved and accessible from national and international planetary science archives. For all NASA planetary missions and instruments the data are available from the science discipline nodes of the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). Looking ahead, the PDS will be the primary repository for giant planets data from several upcoming missions and derived datasets, as well as supporting research conducted to aid in the interpretation of the remotely sensed giant planets data already archived in the PDS.