Why Data System Standards

Abstract

This paper discusses some ideas about data system standards which have been developed at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) of NASA over a period of about nine years, mainly as the result of experience gained in using the Space Tracking and Data Acquisition Network (STADAN), a collection of tracking, command, and telemetry stations for ground support of scientific satellites. The authors have found that the purposes and uses of data system standards are often misunderstood. To aid in clarifying this situation, they have described the growth and current implementation of the working approach to standards at GSFC. This approach is conditioned by the operating environment and by a number of administrative decisions, which are discussed. The areas included in the existing GSFC standards and some of those planned for future coverage are described, and some considerations bearing on the feasibility of combining GSFC and other data system standards are examined.