ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for September 2018

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).

  ...  Purchased replacement desktop computer to support analysis of ACIS data to monitor instrument health and calibration, and support ACIS command generation.  

2.  Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance.  A review of engineering data over the past 60 days shows no unexpected trends.
  
  ...  The EEPROM checksum was verified in the SEP1018 load.   Will continue to run monthly.  MIT telemetry processing will automatically check the results and send out an alert if the checksum is unexpected.

 ...  Ran a focal plane cooling test on day 250 in which the focal plane set point was changed to -126C.  At the end of the observation, the focal plane had reached -123.6C and was still dropping. The profile of the temperature decrease was very similar to that of the last test, done in January 2017.

  ...  Supported CAP1446, which captured high time cadence temperature data for 1DPAMZT and 1PDEAAT.  These data will be used to characterize the high rate data and ensure there are no short timescale variations that could impede the proper functioning of an on-board monitor.  There appears to be little or no noise in these measurements at the 10 millisecond level.

2.2 Flight software maintenance

  ...  Flight software patch F-G-H (improved buscrash2) uploaded in June 2014.

  ...  We continue to monitor threshold crossing rates.  The current TXINGS parameters, which were last updated on July 28, 2016, will need to be updated in the next few months to keep the trigger thresholds well above the increasing particle background.  This update will likely be the last increase, as the rates should subsequently start dropping again.

  ...  ACIS reviews completed for ACIS patch level G-H-I.  This patch makes two changes to the current FGH patches.  Updated buscrash2 patch to force end of science run following SCS107, and new deahktrip patch to respond to "red alert" DPA component temperatures. Discussed control and review process at the FOT and FDB level.

  ...  Made minor edits to the quick-response anomaly web page for the DEA sequencer anomaly of the expected scienceReport terminationCode and added a link to the terminationCode documentation.

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Participated in monthly ACIS operations meeting.  Discussed status of OCC move and progress on ACIS thermal limit patches.

  ...  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

  ...  ACIS memo listing calibration ObsIDs and observation characteristics (ACIS Memo #165) will no longer be updated.  Functionality is replaced by new web page (http://acis.mit.edu/asc/evt-page.html), which provides the same information but is more automated.

3.2 Provide data analysis support

  ...  Participated in CXC Cal/Ops ACIS response discussion group.  Discussed new contamination results and impact of potential increases in the focal plane temperature limits.

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

  ...  Worked with CXC V&V and pipeline operators to understand and correct an anomaly in ObsID 21842.  This was a bias anomaly due to a cosmic ray track, but with the opposite sign as had been seen before, so excess events were produced.  Suggested how to fix the bias map and how to filter the event list to remove the excess spurious events.

  ...  Supported Cool Targets program by reviewing C-CAT white paper and input target format.


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.  Performed monthly check of all ACIS hardware and software in the TST room at the OCC.  Working on updating documentation.

  ...  New EGSE workstations for the relocated Wayside OCC have passed all tests in the Hampshire St OCC.  Participating in discussions of network topology.  Contributed to ACIS team requirements documentt.

4.2 Generation of commands for ACIS observations

  ... Completed global SI mode assignment for AO-20.  Assigned 567 SI modes.  Created, tested, and installed 8 new TE modes, and one power command.

  ...  Contacted CXC USINT about AO-20 observations with configurations that produced warnings or errors during initial assignment.

  ...  Built SI modes for potential future chip drops.  This covers all 1- and 2-chip drop contingencies down to one CCD powered on.  Built 11 new TE modes and 2 new CC modes.

  ...  Repaired corruption of the ACIS parameter repository data caused by a chip drop work around.

  ...  Reviewed OCT0118A command load. Reviewed OCT0818 preliminary schedule, OCT0818 final OR list, and OCT1518(x2) Long Term Schedule OR list.

  ...  Dropped chips from 7 ObsIDs.  Assigned 5 SI modes.

  ...  Checking on automated processes associated with SACGS.