Em. Sorensen et al., THE CLUSTER DATA-PROCESSING SYSTEM - A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM IN SUPPORT OF A CHALLENGING SCIENTIFIC MISSION, Space science reviews, 79(1-2), 1997, pp. 527-555
The Cluster mission is aimed at the study of small-scale structures th
at are believed to be fundamental in determining the behaviour of key
interactive processes of cosmic plasma. The mission will be controlled
from the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). ESOC is also in cha
rge of the commanding of the scientific payloads on-board the four Clu
ster spacecraft after negotiation with the Cluster Principal Investiga
tors (PIs) and of collecting and distributing the mission's scientific
results to the Cluster community. This paper describes the process of
translating the scientific requirements of the Cluster mission into a
data-processing system supporting the mission via the definition of a
n appropriate operational scenario. In particular, the process of nego
tiation between the PIs and ESOC to command the spacecraft is mediated
by the Joint Science Operations Centre (JSOC) and finalised by the Cl
uster Mission Planning System (CMPS) while the return of the data to t
he Cluster community is actuated by the Cluster Data Disposition Syste
m (CDDS). The Cluster Mission Control System (CMCS) provides the inter
face between these two systems and the spacecraft. These elements cons
titute the Cluster Data-Processing System (CDPS).