The ROSAT data format has now been carefully defined and unified so that data processed at all sites will be written to the same, well-defined set of FITS files known as RDF (Rational Data Format). All data processed (or re-processed) since June 1994 and archived since June 1995 is in RDF format. However, data in the earlier formats will remain available until re-processed and can still be read by PROS.
Table 3.1 below summaries these formats. Please see Section 3.3 for information on PROS input.
| Table 3.1. Summary of ROSAT FITS Format Files | ||||
| Name | PROS task | Dataset | Date | Comments |
| RDF | rfits2pros | PI | >June `94 | Rationalized Data Format |
| rarc2pros | Archive | >June `95 | ||
| FUSFITS | rfits2pros | US PI | <June `94 | Rev0, GSFC |
| rarc2pros | US Archive | <June `95 | ||
| RODFITS | rarc2pros | MPE,UK Archive | <June `95 | Rev0, MPE |