About the PDS Geosciences Node

The Geosciences Node is one of several discipline-specific nodes that make up the Planetary Data System. Our job is to archive and distribute datasets that are relevant to the geosciences discipline. The Geosciences Node consists of the lead node at Washington University in St. Louis and two data nodes, each responsible for a particular kind of data. They are the TES Data Node at Arizona State University and the GRS Data Node at the University of Arizona.

We work with planetary missions to help ensure that their geosciences datasets are properly documented and archived. For Mars missions, this interaction is facilitated by the appointment of the Geosciences Node director, Raymond Arvidson, as the Interdisciplinary Scientist for Data and Archives for the Mars Surveyor Program. We also restore and publish datasets from past missions that are in danger of being lost. We provide information and expert assistance to researchers on the datasets that we maintain, and we are glad to answer questions from the interested non-scientist as well.

In addition to producing the Phoenix Analyst's Notebook, the Geosciences Node produces several other resources for exploring PDS data.  These resources include the MER Analyst's Notebook, for accessing Mars Exploration Rover data sets and the Mars Orbital Data Explorer (ODE), for accessing selected Mars orbital data sets. 

For more information about the PDS Geosciences Node, visit the website http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu.