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The Planetary Rings Node
The Planetary Rings Node is devoted to archiving and distributing
scientific data sets relevant to planetary ring systems. The two major
classes of ring data are images and occultation profiles, although a
variety of additional data types (e.g. spectra, particle absorption
signatures, etc.) are also of interest. A large fraction of our data
sets are from the Voyager missions to the outer planets, but Earth-based
and HST data sets are also represented. The Rings Node also performs a
variety of services to support research into these data sets. These
services include developing on-line catalogs and information systems,
filling orders for data, developing software tools, and coordinating
special observing campaigns.
The Planetary Rings Node supports research into all aspects of
planetary ring systems, including their physical properties (particle
sizes, composition, ring geometry), dynamical processes (including
interactions with satellites) and origins. Indirectly, the Node also
supports studies of other dynamical analogs such as the solar nebula and
the asteroid belt, where similar physical processes are (or were) at
work. In addition to supporting research, the Rings Node is committed to
NASA's broader goal of educating the public about science and
technology.
The Rings Node is a cooperative project of NASA Ames Research Center and the
Center for Radar Astronomy at Stanford University. Facilities are managed at
Ames by
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