ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for July 2011

1.  ACIS Characterization

1.3 Monitor scientific on-orbit performance of ACIS

  ...  Following the Chandra safe mode on July 6, verified ACIS was
  safe, monitored low electronics temperatures during the shutdown,
  verified ACIS data was OK after restart.

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

  ...  Continued work on a paper combining CTI, FWHM and background
  monitoring results from ACIS and Suzaku.  Presented poster at Suzaku
Science Conference and started draft of A&A paper.

  ...  Collected new raw frames and updated monitoring web page.
(http://space.mit.edu/~fergason/acis/raw.html)

2.  Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance.  All
  ACIS engineering parameters continue to operate within predicted
  limits.

2.2 Flight software maintenance

  ...  Repeated certification tests for flight software patch E-F-G
  which contains the "txings" radiation monitor algorithm.  Prepared
  presentation for Aug 18 FDB.

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Participated in monthly ACIS operations meeting.  Topics
  included the status of flight software patches, the engineering
  unit, and the recent test of new CCD video offsets.

  ...  Parameter blocks to test potential new values for CCD video
  offsets were successfully run in July. The results of the tests will
  inform future global changes to prevent bias-uncorrected
  pulseheights from going below zero at higher detector temperatures.
  A memo is being written to document the results.

  ...  Continued investigation into whether ACIS can act as it's own
  radiation monitor, prompted by action from the thermal working group
  which is concerned about the continued degradation of EPHIN.
  Repeated patch certification tests.  Prepared ACIS patch
  presentation for FDB on August 18.

  ...  Updated online description of the ACIS SOP that loads the
  standard flight software patches with a contingency to clear a
  frozen ACIS FIFO.

  ...  Reviewed OFLS 11.8.3 test products for the SOSA WG.

  ...  Reconfigured ACIS quick-look processing after July 6th Chandra
  safe mode.
 
  ...  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

  ...  Participated in discussion with ACIS user about S3 graded mode
  and the long-term stability of QE.  Prompted an ongoing analysis of
  the evolution of grade morphing.

  ...  Prepared a summary of the history and provenance of S3 and S1
  QE files in response to a report of problems.  Problems turned out
  to be in the analysis, not in the calibration.

  ...  Participated in CXC Cal/Ops modeling discussion group.
  Discussed CC mode calibration, ACIS contamination, how to remove the
  gain jumps on I0 and I2, and the calibration plan for next year.

  ...  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.



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