POLAR
Telecon Agenda for
Agenda:
0.
Upcoming Polar Telecon
1.
Operations
2.
Senior Review Status
3.
Resident Archives
4.
MFE Data Processing Status
5.
Science Nuggets
6.
Polar 10th Anniversary
7.
MDI Science Report
0.
Upcoming Polar Telecon
PIs
and their designated representatives will be telephoned at their usual numbers.
Other
participants may call in at:
1-800-857-6258,
password POLAR TELECON
(Leader:
John Sigwarth)
The
web site for the final agenda will be:
http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/polar/telecons/2006Feb24/
Future
Polar Telecons
Future
Telecon Science Discussion Schedule
[Errors/omissions/preferences
to: nicola.fox@jhuapl.edu]
March
2006: CAMMICE
April
2006: PWI
May
2006:
June
2006: EFI
July
2006: TIMAS
August
2006: Hydra
September
2006: MFE
October
2006: CEPPAD
November
2006: TIDE
December
2006, PIXIE
January
2007, SEPS
February
2007: UVI
March
2007: MDI
1.
Operations
If
you have any concerns about Polar operations, please contact Nicky Fox (nicola.fox@jhuapl.edu)
Sun
Angle Maneuver
The
Polar team successfully executed Attitude Adjust Maneuver #8 on
The
next Polar maneuver is tentatively scheduled for
Polar's operating downlink Solid State Power Amplifier, SSPA-2, suffered a loss
of output power during a real-time contact. Prior to the anomaly, the
output power reading in telemetry was 17.08 W. Immediately after the
anomaly, the value dropped to 11.06 W. The corresponding Electronic Power
Converter (EPC) #2 voltage increased from 4.35 V to 4.43 V, consistent with a
reduced load on the power converter.
This anomaly is very similar to a failure (AR #487) that occurred on SSPA-1 on
SSPA-1 continued to be used in the reduced output state until
SSPA-2 will continue to be used for the immediate future while its performance
is monitored. The loss should be considered permanent and stable; no
further loss in operating power is expected.
IMPACT ON PROGRAM/PROJECT AND SCHEDULE:
The impact of lower output power from the downlink amplifier (SSPA-2) may be an
increase in degraded data for off-nominal aspect angles (>135, <45).
CORRECTIVE ACTION:
The online FOT will record aspect angles, elevation angles, and Signal to Noise
ratios for all supports where degraded data occurs or is suspected. An
Anomaly Resolution Team (ART) will be convened this week to look at the failure
and consider the operational use of alternate communications modes, as well as
use of the Hemispherical Beam antennas for off-nominal aspect angle supports.
Change
of POC for the Polar FOT
Please
continue to direct all future FOT related enquiries to Mike Machado. His
telephone number is 301-286-0666 and his email, mmachado@pop500.gsfc.nasa.gov.
If
the matter relates to the spacecraft directly, please continue to contact Steve
Hearn at 301-286-0665 (shearn@pop400.gsfc.nasa.gov)
2.
Senior Review Status
We
have received the results from the Senior Review 2005 of Mission Operations and
Data Analysis Programs in the Sun-Solar System Connections Theme. The news for Polar is generally good with
some caveats.
The
good news is the Polar spacecraft is authorized to operate for another year
until
The
panel gave the Polar mission rankings that place it in the
"excellent" category for both science merit and for relevance to S3C
goals. The panel's instructions
permitted a distribution of scores to be divided into three categories: future
contributions promise to be compelling; science is excellent, but less
compelling; and future contributions appear relatively modest. Despite excellent science marks, the Polar
ranking suffered because Polar's life can be extended only by 1 year whereas
other missions can go on for multiple years.
Consequently, Polar was ranked low among the operating missions. The Senior Review panel found that
"Polar is the only NASA related mission with the particle instrumentation
necessary for radiation belt measurements, and its 3-D electric field
measurement capability is unique. The proposed radiation belt investigations
will utilize an orbital opportunity with a well-instrumented satellite that
will not likely be available for quite some time." Due to the combination of funding
limitations, of the Senior Review panel's emphasis on radiation belt science,
and of the failure of IMAGE, we are directed to outline a plan for continuing a
limited Polar mission focusing on radiation belt science and maintaining a
minimum capability to observe with the imaging instruments. This plan is due to NASA/HQ on March 20.
All
of the PIs were sent emails on Feb. 16 discussing the funding situation specific
to their instrument team. In general,
there is sufficient funding to complete most of the current grants. All of the PI teams have been directed to
begin immediately preparing the instrument data for the resident archives and
for long term archiving. The current
funding year will be followed by ramp-down funding and then a small amount of
funding is available for what will effectively be the first year of functioning
of the Polar resident archives.
3. Resident Archives
The
Polar mission is directed to write a white paper proposing the structure of
resident archives for the Polar data. We
are encouraged to take as many cost saving measures as possible (i.e.)
combining data sets within institutions or across institutions where it makes
financial sense. This white paper on the
Polar resident archives is due
SUBJECT: Instructions for Resident Archive White
Paper
The
Heliophysics Division is transforming our ways of
archiving data by adopting the concept of resident archives. Typically while a mission is active, its data
are served to the research community through a loose network of data servers
(active archives) that are located at mission data centers and instrument sites
as well as at multimission servers such as the Solar
Data Analysis Center and the Space Physics Data Facility. We are finding that because of advances in
information technology, it is desirable and cost effective to continue serving
mission data under the supervision of the mission’s data providers; i.e.
“resident” with the scientists that produced the data. The architecture for networks of resident
archives is diffuse and all resident data sets will not stand alone. The concept allows for grass roots consolidation
of data servers along institutional lines, along lines of comparable
instruments, as well as along mission lines or in the multimission
data facilities. Resident archives need
to seek their own low-cost solutions for continuation of service.
The
period of “residence” will not be “forever”.
The resident archives will be subject to periodic peer reviews to
determine if the archive is still of value to the research community, if it
should it be merged with other resident archives, or if it should be terminated
with the data sets going to NASA’s permanent data archives. We are formulating the processes for
initiating, maintaining, and reviewing resident archives.
Recent
experiences have shown that when a veteran mission retires, its data are not
quite ready for their resident archive(s).
There is work to be done by the science team before it disbands. Most instrument teams have lists of
unfinished tasks, improvements and updating documentation that are important
but have not been done due to higher priority activities while the mission is
still operating.
Prepare
and submit a white paper by
4.
MFE Data Processing Status
5.
Science Nuggets
It
has been a while since we have produced any science nuggets to send to NASA
headquarters and we have been encouraged to create some. Please come to the telecon with some ideas for content and send any materials
to Nicky (nicola.fox@jhuapl.edu). So
far we have only received inputs from the EFI and TIDE teams.
6. Polar’s 10th
Anniversary
The
Polar spacecraft was launched 10 years ago on
7.
The MDI Science Report