Should Webb telescope’s data be open to all?

A storm is about to brew over access to the data of the James Webb Space Telescope. Most of the data from the telescope is kept in an archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. The researchers who proposed the observations have time to analyze them.

Astronomers argue that data from federal projects should be free for everyone to use. The White House is pushing NASA to end the restriction on open data. It doesn't pass the smell test if you have a lot of data locked away. Illingworth was an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz and chaired a committee on future science operations for the space agency.

He makes a practical argument in favor of open data policies. Lowering the efficiency of a highly sought-after instrument that has consumed billions of dollars of public money is the result of proprietary time.

There are efforts to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in astronomy. Smaller institutions might need more time for analysis compared to established research universities. Eliminating proprietary time could put people in a position where they can't succeed, says astronomer Mercedes Lopez-Morales of Harvard University, chair of the influential JWST Users Committee.

More than 12,000 astronomer will be asked about their attitude to proprietary time later this month. The associate director for science says that there are some feelings in the community. There is a belief that open access is a good way to go. There isn't a single size that fits all.

Astronomers were the first to put data into open archives. Data from automated survey telescopes are usually deposited immediately. Astronomers who propose observing proposals are given exclusive access to their data for 18 months.

The advisory committee that Illingworth chaired before the telescope's launch wanted it to last just 6 months. The committee concluded that most of the data collected during the first year of observing would be unavailable to the astronomer trying to plan what to look for in cycle 2 or 3. It was not supported by some committee members for a mission to only last five years.

The Chandra X-ray Observatory's proprietary time has been reduced to 6 months. The academic teams that built the instruments and the European and Canadian space agencies that worked on the project had proprietary time written into their agreements.

The committee suggested that the planners give immediate access to a key subset of data: 500 hours of observations made during the first 5 months of cycle 1. The data from the ERS program is put in the archive immediately and provides some material for scientists to work with.

The data-access debate has been somewhat moderated by the successful launch of the telescope because it required less course correction than expected and left a fuel reserve that could extend the telescope's lifetime.

Astronomers are not happy with proprietary time. The call for cycle 2 proposals will be released on November 15th. Although the ERS data help many plan future observations, most cycle 1 data are locked up and won't be unlocked until the second half of 2024. The White House is trying to get NASA to do something. The White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy ordered departments and agencies to make the results of federal research freely available by the end of the year.

The users committee was asked to look at the telescope's proprietary time again. The recommendation was to move to 6 months. Lopez-Morales said that a year wouldn't fly anymore. The committee recognized that some of its members may have a different view than the rest.

Mark McCaughrean is an astronomer with the European Space Agency. Astronomers at small universities often have a lot of work to do. If their observations were made public immediately, teams at large, well-resourced research institutions would be able to grab them before they had a chance to analyze the data over the summer. Europeans don't get automatic funding for postdocs and other expenses linked to winning time on a space telescope like the U.S. McCaughrean says that fixed proprietary periods can help improve diversity by removing biases against smaller institutions.

According to Illingworth, underrepresented groups could be helped by making proprietary time optional, with space in the proposal form for researchers to request it. The principal investigator of the near-infrared camera at the University of Arizona favors giving everyone time with the expectation that those who don't need it will give it up. She says thatProprietary time encourages people to analyze data.

Lopez-Morales admits that it is complex. Reducing proprietary time could be in conflict with NASA's other efforts to widen the pool of astronomer. Many groups who are unsuccessful at applying for observing time can still get access to the data despite the 75% rejection rate. Lopez-Morales will advocate for what the community wants.

Michael New, NASA's deputy associate director for research, says even if the community comes down in favor of 6 months, that will be a step towards removing proprietary time. instant access to instrument data will be mandated by a NASA policy. According to New, the agreements with other space agencies allow for the reduction of proprietary time once the telescope is operating. He says it's not if we do it but when. Will everyone have a good time? We will listen to everyone.

NASA is trying to help researchers who will be disadvantaged. Don't preserve proprietary time if some are under-resourced.