ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for October 2004

1. ACIS Characterization

1.1 Characterize and model radiation damage in ACIS CCDs

  ...  Continuing test of our CTI/background relation by running a series 
of alternating exposure mode observations with a grid of exposure times.  
In October there was a single observation in which the focal plane
temperature was too warm.  This is scheduled to be redone in Nov/Dec.

  ...  Two new charge injection tests.  These data can be used to
study charge loss at energies not present in the calibration source.

1.2 Monitor scientific on-orbit performance of ACIS

  ...  Continued monitoring of ACIS CTI, gain, trailing pixel pulseheight
and detector efficiency.  Updated monitoring web pages.
(linked from http://space.mit.edu/~cgrant/monitor.html)

  ...  Added new web page monitoring the centroid and width of the Mn-Ka 
and Al-K spectral lines.  Will be updated monthly like the previous ones.

  ...  Presented ACIS monitoring results at Chandra Calibration Workshop

1.3 Analyze data from engineering unit ACIS CCDs

  ...  Began comparison of non-flight ACIS BI CCD to non-flight XIS-2 BI
CCD to help understand flight cross-calibration data as they become
available after launch.  May also help in better analyzing data from
flight BI CCDs.


2. Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance.  The ACIS 
instrument continues to function nominally.

2.2 Flight software maintenance

  ...  Ran two new charge injection tests which exercise the compressall
software patch for the first time.  The patch performed correctly.  Now
future charge injection tests can be done in a more efficient manner.

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Continued daily quick-look processing of ACIS telemetry and 
maintained Web interface to ACIS real-time data.

  ...  Continued to publish the "annotated DOT" timeline reports.

  ...  Participated in ACIS telecon on the possible ACIS bakeout. 


3. CXC Support

3.1 Provide user support

  ...  Updated ACIS memo listing calibration ObsIDs and observation
characteristics (ACIS Memo #165).

  ...  Answered user questions on short-term gain stability.

  ...  Provided CXC helpdesk with reference to recent SPIE paper which
describes the CTI correction algorithm currently included in 
acis_process_events.  CXC will add a link to this paper on their
web pages.

3.2 Provide data analysis support

  ...  Supported Chandra Calibration Workshop and the associated
executive session.

  ...  Working with CXC Cal on CTI correction calibration.  Current
calibration products were provided by MIT, but future updates will
need to be created by CXC.  Tested new map for I3 from November
2002 through October 2003 (epochs 11-14).  Initial results were
very poor.  After some investigation, identified possible culprit.
New map from CXC is forthcoming.

  ...  Participated in CXC Cal/Ops RMF discussion group.  Agenda included
more discussion of spatial contamination implementation, time-dependence
of contaminant and further progress on CXC CTI correction calibration.

  ...  Continued to maintain ACIS calibration database of ground and 
flight data products.


4. OCC Support

4.1 Use of MIT/ACIS EGSE at OCC

  ...  Continued support and maintenance of ACIS EGSE software and 
hardware at the OCC.

  ...  Continued work on improving configuration management of the ACIS
workstations in the TST area of the Chandra OCC.

  ...  Began planning for move of the ACIS EGSE setup to a new location 
at the OCC.  Supported ACIS Operations team meeting to discuss plans.

Outreach:

None


all recent memos available at http://space.mit.edu/ACIS/iacis.html