ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for November 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).

  ...  Submitted SAR to request new raw mode observations.  New raw mode frames collected.  Analyzed and posted to http://space.mit.edu/home/fergason/acis/raw.html.


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 NOV0418 load.   Will continue to run monthly.  MIT telemetry processing will automatically check the results and send out an alert if the checksum is unexpected.

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, may 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.

  ...  Continuing forward with ACIS patch level G-H-I.  This patch makes two changes to the current F-G-H patches.  Updated buscrash2 patch to force end of science run following SCS107, and new deahktrip patch to respond to "red alert" DPA component temperatures. Preparing for a technical review by the FOT Flight Software team in December, followed at a later date by a presentation to the Flight Directors Board. 

2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  Participated in monthly ACIS operations meeting.  Discussed OCC move, ACIS and OBC patches for thermal monitoring, and final reports on October's gyro anomaly.

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

  ...  Preparing for the move of Ops LAN machines (including colossus-v) from the current OCC to 60 Garden Street.

  ...  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

  ...  Final review of SDS memo on changes to the temperature-dependent CTI correction in acis_process_events that should improve its performance at higher temperatures.

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

  ...  Participated in planning telecon for upcoming IACHEC meeting (May in Japan).

  ...  Reviewed IACHEC newsletter summarizing the activities at the IACHEC meeting last spring.  Will be submitted to astro-ph in December.


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.

4.2 Generation of commands for ACIS observations

  ...  Proposed and reviewed a potential new load review checklist item regarding dither and bright sources.

  ...  Worked with CXC Cal to configure observations of Cas A.  Built new SI modes.  Subsequently canceled in December.

  ...  Working with USINT to configuring AO-20 observation of Sco X-1, an extremely bright source.

  ...  Reviewed NOV0518A, NOV0518B, DEC0318A, and DEC0318B command loads.  Reviewed NOV 0518v2, DEC0318 (x3), and DEC1718 preliminary schedules.  Reviewed NOV0518, DEC0318 (x3), and DEC1718 final OR lists, and DEC2418 (x3) Long Term Schedule OR list.

  ...  Dropped chips from 40 ObsIDs.  Assigned 22 SI modes.

  ...  Checking on automated processes associated with SACGS.

  ...  After upgrade to CXCDS 10.7 and CentOS 7, fixed minor issues with permissions, ssh connections, and perl/python modules.