Exploratory Study on Estimating the Cost of an Open Source Platform for an Astronomy Center

Abstract

A huge interest in astronomy has caused many astronomers and developers to collaborate to create software programs in this field. Open source software (OSS) is playing a vital and positive role in space activities and can make a substantial difference in many space software applications, including modeling and design tools, as well as in testing, ground, and flight software. The cost of open software programs for astronomy has not often been discussed in the literature. In this paper, software requirements in astronomy are presented, and OSS for applications in this field and its cost are introduced in the literature review section. We propose an open source platform for astronomy centers and analyze its cost, based on two scenarios: a new installation, and switching to an OSS platform. We selected the Astronomy Center for Space and Science (SACSS) as a case study to help us understand software requirements in the astronomy field.