In 1987 NASA developed plans for the Astrophysics Data System, an integrated approach to the management of data from all astrophysics missions. Although much of the original plan for the ADS failed to be realized (the current ADS abstract and bibliographic services being a notable exception), the policy decision was reached that all NASA astrophysics mission data sets should be made available to the community in the FITS format. In 1989 the NASA/Science Office of Standards and Technology - NOST - established the FITS Support Office to assist mission data managers in formatting their data in FITS. (Responsibility for the NASA FITS Support Office transitioned to the Astrophysics Data Facility group at GSFC in 1995.) NOST also commissioned the first of the FITS Technical Panels whose task was to recast the FITS papers (published in Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplements) into a form acceptable as an official NASA standard. The first draft standard, NOST 100-0.1, was released in December 1990. Since then there have been six revisions of the NOST standard, clarifying ambiguities and adding new features with each version. The accompanying paper represents NOST 100-2.0 and contains all FITS revisions and extensions that have been approved by the IAU-FWG through the end of 1998.
The NOST Technical Panel was responsible for developing the standards documents, making these available for public review and comment, and then evaluating each comment received and making additional revisions to the standard as necessary to address the comment. All comments and the NOST Technical Panel reactions to them were posted on the Internet and distributed by e-mail to all who submitted comments. This process of open review and discussion was audited by the NOST Accreditation Panel to assure that community input was open and unrestricted, and that the Technical Panel was fully accountable to the community. Once approved by the Accreditation Panel, the NOST FITS document becomes the official NASA standard.
Copyright ESO 2001