Aspects of data flow for an Edison-type observatory

Abstract

The design of the flow of data for an Edison-type space mission, involving a large diameter telescope for use in the near-infrared and having a mission lifetime of 10-20 yrs, is discussed. Relevant lessons on data flow that can be learned from the IUE, HST, ground-based observatories, IRAS, and SOHO are briefly considered. Future design developments to cope with the much larger anticipated data sets and data flow are briefly addressed.