NASA opens Fornax cloud Science Console to beta users

NASA’s Fornax Initiative is now accepting beta users for its Science Console, a JupyterLab environment in the cloud that lets researchers compute next to NASA astrophysics archival data. Cloud datasets in the HEASARC, IRSA, and MAST archives can be used directly, including Euclid, SPHEREx, JWST, Fermi and others.

Users can import their own datasets subject to size restrictions, access the Science Console through a web browser, and use pre-installed data analysis software and Jupyter tutorial notebooks for common tasks. Beta accounts include cloud resource credits for compute and storage at no charge.

The Fornax team says it will add credits for scientific use cases that require more than the initial allocation and encourages beta users to contact the helpdesk with needs or issues. The initiative is built on three pillars: Fornax Scientific Components, which provide astrophysics-specific elements such as Python notebooks, curated software environments, and cloud-native services; the Fornax Science Console, the web application for cloud computing, data storage, and interactive JupyterLab analysis; and Science Support Systems, which offer engagement, a helpdesk, and training.

Fornax aims to support users from those learning Python to teams needing substantial cloud resources, and it can be used in conjunction with users' own cloud computing when required.