Retrieval of FUSE Data from MAST

This page explains the Retrieval Options and gives information on contents of FUSE data.

Once observations of interest are found, registered and anonymous users can retrieve the data. We describe here the various retrieval options for FUSE data and explain the various terms involved, which you will encounter on the retrieval page.

General

Retrieving from the anonymous ftp area

The FUSE data have all been loaded into the anonymous ftp area. If you already know the datasets of interest you can retrieve the data via anonymous ftp or directly through the browser at http://archive.stsci.edu/pub/fuse/data/

To ftp the data
ftp archive.stsci.edu
login as anonymous cd /pub/fuse/data

Retrieving Public Data Anonymously

You can retrieve public data using the username "anonymous" and your email address as your password .

Archive Username

Your archive username. This is the username you were given when you registered for an archive account. If you don't have an archive account, you can register for one on the web at http://archive.stsci.edu/registration/ or use the anonymous method for public data. If you register, you should receive your archive username and password via email in a few minutes.

Archive Password

Your archive password. This is the password that was given to you when you registered for your archive account (See Archive Username, above) or your email address if you are using the anonymous method for nonproprietary data.

Delivery Options

How you want the data sent to you. You may chose either an electronic delivery option or a hard-media delivery option.

FTP: FTP the data to the destination shown: The data will be FTPed to the given destination.
SFTP: sftp the data to the destination shown: The data will be FTPed to the given destination using OpenSSH v2.
STAGE: Put the data onto the Archive staging disk.: The data will be written to the Archive staging disk. You will be able to pull from the staging disk using FTP and logging in with your archive username and password. If you used the anonymous method, you can use either your username and password or anonymous ftp. Only non-proprietary data may be retrieved. You can delete your data when you are done.

Destination (if you selected FTP or STFP)

This is where you would like the data sent. These fields are required if you select the FTP or SFTP retrieval option. The data will be delivered to this destination via the delivery option selected.

Hostname

The hostname of the destination.

Directory

The name of the directory to which the data will be written. Please make sure that this directory exists, is writeable, and has enough space. The retrieval will fail otherwise. (Unfortunately, for technical reasons, we can't reliably estimate the size of your retrieval until the files are read from the optical platters, so we can't tell you whether there is enough space there, but generally, retrievals are rarely more than a gigabyte in total size.)

Username

The username to be used when FTPing the data.

Password

The password for the destination username.

Invalid Password Characters

There are five characters which, if present in a password, will cause the retrieval to fail: (, ), *, ", and /.

Retrieval Security

All the information you enter in this form will be sent to ST ScI through an SSL (encrypted) web connection using a Verisign certificate. The password remains encrypted until it is needed to transfer the data to you. The password is not retained after the data are transferred.

If your local system disallows FTP or sftp access and you are requesting only public data, you can use the STAGE option.

Selection of File Packages

Select package of files you would like (any combination of options):

Minimum recommended Files

Default selection of calibrated observation files plus pipeline processing logs (see below).

Calibrated Exposure Files

Calibrated exposure files.

Raw Exposure Files

Raw exposure files.

Observation Files

Calibrated observation files.

Default option: Minimum Recommended Files

The default set of files delivered to the requestor is the first option under "Files Requested" on the Retrieval Options page. This option returns just 12 calibrated files (rootname "*fcal") per exposure - 8 for each detector/side, and 4 trailer files (trailer files are the logs of the pipeline processing history of the observation), irrespective of the TTAG or HIST observing mode. The files in this package are only those unique to a given observation. Quick-look gif files are not included in this package.

It is important to note that for most (TTAG) observations files are returned for all three spectral entrance apertures, even though only one is normally used. For HIST observations only the target aperture admits light and therefore only one set of aperture files is generated See the Section 2.5.2 of the FUSE Data Handbook.

File Nomenclature

Entering specific file extensions

Enter the specific three-letter file extension if it is not listed in the scrolling listbox.

File Extensions Requested

Parsing FUSE file names can be daunting to the uninitiated. For information on the FUSE file naming conventions and contents see the table in Data Handbook, Chapter 4: The Science Data Files. Hint: the project defines "rootname" with 11 characthers through the exposure number (3 characters). As defined, this name not includes the detector number & side (1a, 1b, 2a, 2b), observing mode, and data product type.

Frequently Asked Questions about Retrievals

I'm the PI on proposal nnnn, why can't I retrieve the data?

You can, but you'll need to let us know you want it. Currently, PIs do not receive automatic electronic access to their data. (This is a technical limitation, not a policy.) If you are the PI and want electronic access to your proposal, contact archive@stsci.edu and let us know the proposal ID and your archive username. We will attach the proper access priveleges to your account to allow you to retrieve this data electronically.

You can also authorize co-investigators and co-workers to have electronic access as well. Just tell us the proposal ID and the names and archive usernames of those to whom you wish to grant access. (If they don't have accounts, or you're not sure if they do, then let us know their email addresses to we can help them set up accounts for access.)

Authorization may be set up only on a per-proposal basis; we cannot restrict access to certain data within the proposal.

OK, I'm now an authorized user on this proposal, and it still says the data is proprietary...

Then one of the following has happened:

You are trying to retrieve the data to the Archive Host staging disk. The staging disk is an anonymous FTP area, so we can allow only non-proprietary data to be written to it. Have the data sent directly to your disk or sent to you on tape instead.
We made a mistake and didn't properly authorize your account. This may be particularly true if you (for some reason) have more than one archive account.
The data are under restriction, which means that they were found to duplicate planned or existing proprietary observations, and an access restriction has been placed on them until the data with which it conflicts is released.

If a retrieval fails due to lack of disk space (or for any other reason), do I have to resubmit it or will it be resubmitted for me?

Requests are deleted out of our system after they are completed, so you will need to resubmit your request.

I don't need the whole dataset. How do I retrieve just one file extension?

Select the extensions from the scrollbox or enter them into the space provided on the Retrieval Options page (or the File Options screen in StarView.)