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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. Note that all FUSE observations are now public.

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" with your e-mail address as your password
cd /pub/fuse/data

Archive Username
MAST no longer registers their own set of archive users as was done in the past. As of April 2015, users may log into the Archive using an STScI Single Sign-On (SSO) Portal identity.

All STScI employees by default already have this SSO identity set up and can use these credentials for any requested login information requested by the Archive.

Non-STScI users either had their Archive username and password migrated to SSO credentials and were notified via email, or they need to register for an STScI SSO external account. If you want an archive account, you can register for one on the web. See our http://archive.stsci.edu/registration/ page for more information. If you register, you should receive your username and password via email in a few minutes.

Archive Password
This is the password that was given to you when you registered (See Archive Username, above)i. As of April 2015, the username and password are no longer specific to MAST and are referred to as the STScI SSO portal identity which will allow access to other STScI services without requiring additional usernames/passwords.

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. You can delete your data when you are done.

DVD: Send the data to me on DVD.
The data will be written to a DVD and delivered to the mailing address you provide when the data is requested.

DISK or Hard Drive: Send the data to me on a Hard Drive
You may request data to be delivered on an external hard drive if you anticipate many GB of data retrieval. Currently the hard drive must be returned to STScI after the data are read onto your local drive. We have a limited number of drives for use and you MUST contact the Archive Hotseat (410-338-4547 or archive@stsci.edu) to coordinate your requests and use of the hard-drive option.

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.)

Destination 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?
Contact archive@stsci.edu for help. All the data is now public and online, but if you are using an archive account, it may be your username/password has changed.

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.)