IPAC is continuing its transition from an IRAS data center to a center with a strong IRAS heritage that is focusing on new and exciting projects on behalf of the community. Our plans for making all the IRAS data readily accessible over the Internet are rapidly coming to fruition. As this newsletter describes, users can now:
IPAC is building up its expertise in the ISO mission by sending scientists to Europe to learn about the four instruments (ISO articles elsewhere in this newsletter). Steve Lord spent 3 weeks working with the Long Wavelength (LWS) team. Dave Van Buren is in France working with the ISOCAM team. Other staff scientists will be working with the SWS and ISOPHOT teams in the coming months. Our goal is to offer US scientists the best information possible about the instruments in time for the call for proposals due out in spring 1994. This information will be made available through programs like IRSKY, through instrument simulators that will enable detailed integration time estimates, through a library of published and unpublished reference material, and through the knowledge of the staff scientists. In the longer term we will concentrate on working with ESA and the instrument teams to understand a myriad of data reduction issues. We welcome your ideas on ways to support your interests in ISO.
IPAC is completing the overall design of the processing pipeline for the 2MASS survey, based in large part on experience gained from processing data for over 800 sq. deg. of sky using a prototype camera on the Kitt Peak 1.5-m telescope. Preliminary results from the survey with the prototype camera were presented by Susan Kleinmann (Principal Investigator) at the UCLA conference on IR arrays in July 1993. The development phase proposal was reviewed by NASA and NSF during the summer and the project is now under consideration by the agencies for full funding.