ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for September 2011

1.  ACIS Characterization

1.3 Monitor scientific on-orbit performance of ACIS

  ...  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)

  ...  Updated web page examining bias data before and after Crab
  observations to include the most recent one (ObsID 13209).  No
  changes observed.

  ...  Continued work on a paper combining CTI, FWHM and background
  monitoring results from ACIS and Suzaku.  Presented results at HEAD
  meeting and continued work on A&A paper.

  ...  Prepared slides and presented ACIS status at Chandra Quarterly Review.


2.  Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance.  A
  review of the past 60 days of ACIS engineering data indicates all is
  well.

  ...  Answered a SOT question on estimating the probability of
  failure of the engineering unit back plane.

2.2 Flight software maintenance

  ...  Reviewed SOP to load the E-F-G patches, which includes the
  txings patch to enable ACIS to monitor the radiation environment.

  ...  Reviewed CAP to run long duration CTI measurements after
  radiation shutdown events.

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Participated in monthly ACIS operations meeting.  Topics
  included the status of flight software patches, the video offsets
  update status and thermal issues.

  ...  Ran on-board tests of the new values for CCD video offsets on
  September 15.  Back-to-back ECS observations using the old and new
  values confirmed that the new offsets do not change the CCD gain.

  ...  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.  SOP
  to load the patches has been reviewed and approved.  Looking for
  opportunities to upload the new patch in October.

  ...  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 CXC Cal/Ops modeling discussion group.

  ... Provided comment on CXC SDS procedures for detecting ACIS bias
  anomalies.

  ...  Continued analysis of QE evolution due to grade morphing.
  Examined ECS data from I3 and S3 over the entire mission in a grid
  of positions over the entire CCD.  Results presented at September
  ACIS calibration meeting.

  ...  Discussed possible QE anomalies around the Silicon edge with
  CXC Cal.  Provided CCD QE curves for comparison to residuals in data.

  ...  Continued to maintain ACIS calibration database of ground and
  flight data products.  Ran backups of ACIS flight and ground
  databases.  Restored some lost files from tape.


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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