Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA)

Elise Blaese
Hughes STX 

301-441-4194
mblaese@ccmail.stx.com.

The Life Sciences Data Archive (LSDA) collects and
distributes results of the NASA Life and Biomedical Sciences
and Applications Division's space flight research program.
This NASA division studies the effects of space flight and
microgravity on living systems, and is developing the
scientific and technical foundation that will enable humans
to explore space.  The LSDA provides a central repository of
space life sciences information and a means of ordering data
to assist scientists in future experiment planning and
retrospective data analysis.

To allow easy access to this information, the archive has
been designed as a computer-based system using the Internet
and CD-ROMs.  The entry point to the LSDA is called the
"Life Sciences Data Archive Homepage" and is available via
the World Wide Web (WWW) through the NSSDC.  From the
Homepage, users can access the LSDA Master Catalog. The
Master Catalog contains descriptions of life sciences space
flight missions and experiments, documents, hardware,
research subjects and personnel, as well as descriptions of
data, all of which are available on CD-ROMs.

The data being archived by the LSDA include spreadsheet
data, audio and video tapes, images, microscope slides, log
books, spacecraft environmental data, etc.  Many of these
data have been digitized and are available only on CD-ROMs,
which can be ordered from the NSSDC (no data are directly
available on-line).