ACIS Instrument Support - Monthly Progress Report for December 2022

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).

2.  Engineering

2.1 Instrument hardware engineering performance

  ...  Continue to monitor long term ACIS instrument performance.  Engineering trending over the past 60 days is nominal.

  ...  The EEPROM checksum was verified in the DEC0522A loads. Will continue to run monthly.  MIT telemetry processing will automatically check the results and send out an alert if the checksum is unexpected.

  ...  Continued weekly physical audit of the ACIS Engineering Unit lab.  Lab temperature monitor failed.  As a cautionary measure, the EU was powered down for the holidays.  At the same time, it was realized the host computer was vulnerable to an MKI-wide issue. After the holidays, the temperature monitoring was restored.  During the shutdown, we are updating the host computer OS and the device drivers required for interfacing between the computer and the EU, as well as identifying and locating redundant hardware.  The EU was returned to service in January, albeit with procedural changes.

2.2 Flight software maintenance

  ...  Released ECO-1064, updated buscrash rev C, for internal review.  This addresses SPR 161, a bug in which an ACIS science run fails to terminate properly after a stop science during the bias if any FEPs remain powered.  (Current SCS-107 procedure leaves three FEPs on for thermal reasons)  This patch will be included with three others in the H-J-K patch level release.

  ...  ACIS flight software patch G-I-J (improved TXings) uploaded on August 11, 2022.  First new patch set since January 2020.  No issues to date.

  ...  We continue to monitor threshold crossing rates. Threshold crossing rates have begun dropping again and will likely need a parameter update in January/February.  The last parameter update was September 12, 2022.


2.3 Instrument science performance

  ...  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 updates on cold ECS time and time-dependent gain, results of -105C calibration observations, and CTI correction at warmer temperatures.

  ...  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 Wayside OCC.  Restarted both EGSE machines routinely.  Updated EGSE software.

  ...  Supported successful BUOCC demo.

4.2 Generation of commands for ACIS observations

  ...  Started training of additional MIT ACIS team member on ACIS ops on-duty tasks.

  ...  Worked with USINT on a problematic ACIS configuration.

  ...  Audited demostration of new USINT tool.

  ...  Working with MP and HRC on timing issues with using TXings and event histogram modes for radiation protection during HRC observations.

  ...  Reviewed CAP to run new ECS SI mode with alternate CCD selection for long measurements during shutdowns.

  ...  Finished updates to "or2simodes" tool which is used for ACIS review of OR lists. Removed outdated warnings, and adjusted dither parameter warnings with the new default settings.  Fixed a few bugs.  Updated documentation for readability and to match output of new tool.
 
  ...  Checking on automated processes associated with SACGS.