The Implementation of Astrophysics Applications on the World-Wide Web

Alan Richmond

Several astrophysics and astronomy tools have been developed utilizing Mosaic and the Web, at the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center, and are now being used by scientists world-wide.

NASA's first forms-based relational catalog browser on the World-Wide Web (WWW), StarTrax provides a simple interface used by simply typing the name of the object or its coordinates. This causes all the corresponding entries in the specified catalog to be retrieved. Any data files associated with a particular entry can be retrieved by following the hyperlink. We'll look at the architecture of this system.
The RPS is a remote proposal submission system for NASA satellite missions. The Remote Proposal Submission system (RPS) provides facilities for submitting Observation Request forms. It is an automated service, designed to support several missions. Currently only the XTE mission is supported. Other projects that will be supported in the future include ASCA, GRO, and ROSAT. Implementation of this system demanded innovative techniques for presenting and managing forms.

We overview the implementation of these systems, noting the pros and cons of the WWW approach, and looking to future possibilities.

Alan Richmond ____________________