While most of the archive products may be accessed or ordered automatically by users, PDS provides teams of scientists to work with users to select and understand data. Special processing can be done to generate user-specific products. The Planetary Data System is a distributed system sponsored by the NASA Office of Space Science and composed of eight teams, called nodes. The node structure is organized primarily by subdisciplines within planetary science to focus expertise with archive data. Three nodes provide support or special capabilities to the science nodes.
Many teams are consortiums of multiple universities.
Specific node leads and members are determined through a NASA Research Announcement done every five years. The second NRA proposal selection was completed in October 1995. The science nodes include Atmospheres, Geosciences, Planetary Plasma Interactions, Rings, and Small Bodies Nodes. Node, for calibration and ephemeris information, and the Central Node, leading the project, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For more information regarding the node structure please see About The Nodes.