ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for September 2008

1.  ACIS Characterization

1.1 Characterize and model radiation damage in ACIS CCDs

  ...  Continued work on irradiation/annealing tests done at GSFC
in 2005.  Compared trailing pixel distribution before and after
irradiation and annealing.  

  ...  Executed new SI modes which allow more grades to be 
telmetered.  These SI modes are being used to compare TE and CC 
mode grade rejection to help calibrate CC mode.  Three ObsIDs 
(57618, 57607, 57597) in August.

1.3 Monitor scientific on-orbit performance of ACIS

  ...  Investigated a bias anomaly in ObsID 9417.  The anomaly is not
present in any other biases at that time.  Preliminary analysis 
suggests that it may be due to optical light.

  ...  Continued monitoring of ACIS CTI, gain, trailing pixel 
pulseheight, detector efficiency, corner pixel distribution, and 
spectral line centroid and width.  Updated monitoring web pages.  
(http://space.mit.edu/~cgrant/monitor.html)

  ...  Added new web page for monitoring of focal plane temperatures.
(http://space.mit.edu/~cgrant/fptemp/)


2.  Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance. 
A review of the past 60 days' engineering data indicates nominal  
operation of the ACIS instrument.

2.2 Flight software maintenance

  ...  Prepared to uplink a new ACIS flight software patch (version
44) that should prevent one type of BEP crash.  Reviewed CAP 1080
which uploads the new patches.

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Continued close monitoring of ACIS focal plane 
temperatures.

  ...  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.


3.  CXC Support

3.1 Provide user support

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

3.2 Provide data analysis support

  ...  Provided XRCF phase H data to CXC Cal

  ...  Participated in CXC Cal/Ops modeling discussion group.  

  ...  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.  Work nearly
complete.


Outreach:

Mentor to high school students participating in the Chandra
Astrophysics Institute (C. Grant)

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