Connectivity for real time processing
Customer: U.S. National Science Foundation, National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NSF NRAO), North Liberty
Service: Internet
ICN recently upgraded Internet service to Iowa’s radio antenna site for the U.S. NSF NRAO in North Liberty. This site is 1 of 10 observing stations that make up the U.S. National Science Foundation Very Long Baseline Array (NSF VLBA). As a ‘super eye’ for astronomers, these stations across the United States have the mission of viewing galaxies and supermassive black holes.
The North Liberty station consists of a 25-meter radio antenna dish and a control building. Identical to the other sites, the antenna collects, digitizes, and records radio signals. Currently, the telescope generates 8Gb of data per observation using disk storage capabilities. The data captured is then sent to the operations center in Socorro, NM, to be processed by a powerful computer.
The bandwidth increase at North Liberty was needed since the stations are moving to real time processing of data, explained Sandy George, NSF NRAO’s Network Operations Manager. “The network connection was used for command and control of the telescope. Because network bandwidth was insufficient to transmit data back to the operations center in Socorro, NM, data has always been stored on portable disks and shipped to Socorro,” said George.
With the added bandwidth to 1Gb, the site is currently testing real time data processing at 512Mbps. NRAO’s future goal with the North Liberty site is to upgrade to 10Gb to perform actual real time processing. The public can also view real time photos of the North Liberty station on the NRAO website. The site was designed and built to be operated 24/7. The ongoing operations means data can be consistently gathered to be analyzed for discoveries.
Here at the ICN we are proud that our Network can assist in providing connectivity for new advancements in technology, so astronomers perform future discoveries from mapping the universe, monitoring the changes of the Earth, and tracking asteroids and black holes.
To learn more about the NSF Very Long Baseline Array visit the NSF NRAO’s website.