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Re: What is a .pds file?



Late breaking news . . .

PDS stands for Planetary Data System and is a NASA format for storing
astronomical images. Some information (this info comes from a
magical, if rudimentary, web site at http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/graphics/fileformat
s-faq/top.html):

PDS was created by the Planetary Branch of the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA) to store solar, lunar, and planetary
data collected both on Earth and by spacecraft. And as with most U.S.
Government documents, the specification is quite large and spread over
several documents:

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Standard for the Preparation and
Interchange of
Data Sets, JPL Document D-4683, NASA, Pasadena, CA, 1988.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Data Preparation Workbook,
JPL Document D-7669, NASA, Pasadena, CA, 1990.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Planetary Data System Standards
Reference,
JPL Document D-4683, NASA, Pasadena, CA, 1990.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Specification for the Object Description
Language, NASA, Pasadena, CA, 1990.

These documents are available from:

NASA
Planetary Branch
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Mail Stop 525-3610
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA 91109
Voice: 818.354.7587
Email: PDS_Operator@jplpds.jpl.nasa.gov

The PDS Standards Reference Document may also be found at:

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/stdref/stdref.htm


Good luck!


...sorry to go off-topic, but I need a speedy answer to a DOS-style
question that the local DOS/Wintel people don't recognize.

We have a number of graphic files (posters for astronomical happenings) on
DoS/Windows 3.1 files that end in the .pds extension. What program opens
.pds files?

Dan M

Dan MacIsaac, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Northern AZ Univ
danmac@nau.edu http://www.phy.nau.edu/~danmac/homepage.html



Paul J. Camp "The Beauty of the Universe
Assistant Professor of Physics consists not only of unity
Coastal Carolina University in variety but also of
Conway, SC 29528 variety in unity.
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