A Review of Mass Storage Systems for CCD Imaging (Abstract)

Volume 21 number 1 (1992)

J. R. Engel

Western Research Company, Tucson, AZ

Eric R. Craine

Western Research Company, Tucson, AZ

Abstract

(Abstract only) Users of CCD imaging systems engaged in scientific programs involving acquisition, reduction, and analysis of large numbers of images quickly find that one of the most pressing problems they must solve involves finding a satisfactory way to save, transport, and archive those images. This issue is a particularly important one for users or managers responsible for ongoing, extended observing programs, since experience has shown that the extraction of useful scientific data has a strong direct correlation to the speed and ease with which the raw data can be accessed and moved about. This issue is also important as it represents a system component cost of some significance which is often forgotten or not fully appreciated until the basic CCD system is installed. In this presentation we review advantages and disadvantages of several types of mass storage systems suitable for use with microcomputers, including tape, magnetic disc, optical disc, and magneto-optical systems. We provide a summary of some of the systems available, along with basic system parameters. We also provide a summary of price ranges for both the drives and their respective magnetic media.