ION is a system of ground support software for the ion and neutral mass spectrometer (INMS) instrument aboard the Cassini spacecraft. By incorporating commercial off-the-shelf database, Web server, and Java application components, ION offers considerably more ground-support-service capability than was available previously. A member of the team that operates the INMS or a scientist who uses the data collected by the INMS can gain access to most of the services provided by ION via a standard point-and click hyperlink interface generated by almost any Web-browser program running in almost any operating system on almost any computer. Data are stored in one central location in a relational database in a non-proprietary format, are accessible in many combinations and formats, and can be combined with data from other instruments and space-craft. The use of the Java programming language as a system-interface language offers numerous capabilities for object-oriented programming and for making the database accessible to participants using a variety of computer hard-ware and software.

This program was written by Vincent Anicich, Rob Thorpe, Greg Fletcher, Hunter Waite, Julia Xu, Erin Walter, Kristie Frick, Greg Farris, Dave Gell, Jufy Furman, Butch Carruth, and John Parejko of Caltech for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For further information, access the Technical Support Package (TSP) free on-line at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Software category. This software is available for commercial licensing. Please contact Don Hart of the California Institute of Technology at (818)393-3425. Refer to NPO-40282.



This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
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Ground Support Software for SPaecbone Instrumentation

(reference NPO40282) is currently available for download from the TSP library.

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