POLAR Telecon Agenda for March 31, 2006

 

Agenda:

 

0. Upcoming Polar Telecon

1. Operations

2. Polar SWT Meeting

3. Polar Implementation Plan

4. Resident Archives

5. MFE Data Processing Status

6. Science Nuggets

7. CAMMICE Science Report

 

0.  Upcoming Polar Telecon

 

Friday, March 31, 2006

4 pm ET, 3 pm CT, 2 pm MT, 1 pm PT

PIs and their designated representatives will be telephoned at their usual numbers.

Other participants may call in at:

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/2006Mar31/

 

Future Polar Telecons

 

There will be no telecon in April

 

Next telecon: Friday May 5th, 2006

 

Future Telecon Science Discussion Schedule

[Errors/omissions/preferences to: nicola.fox@jhuapl.edu]

 

May 2006: VIS

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

April 2007: CAMMICE

 

 

1. Operations

 

If you have any concerns about Polar operations, please contact Nicky Fox (nicola.fox@jhuapl.edu)

 

Sun Angle Maneuver

 

The next Polar maneuver is tentatively scheduled for October 21, 2006

 

Solid State Power Amplifier (SSPA) #2 Anomaly

 
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 December 12, 2002 (02/346/16:05:00z).  SSPA-1 telemetry showed an output power reading of 12.75 W versus the nominal 16.5 W.  EPC-1 voltage increased from 4.33 V to 4.37 V.  An Anomaly Resolution Team (ART) was convened and a report was issued at that time.  Similar anomalies also occurred on the Wind spacecraft in 1997 and 2000.
 
 The Polar Flight Operations Team (FOT) is evaluating the operational benefit of using the hemi antennas in addition to the belt antennas. These hemi antennas are designed for 0-60 and 120-180 degree aspect angles so their use would be limited to supports which lie entirely within these ranges – roughly 33-50% of supports. Two tests are anticipated which will verify the performance of the hemi antennas.

 

 

2. Polar SWT Meeting

 

The next Polar Science Working Team meeting will take place on June 7-8, 2006, at The Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center, Berkeley Marina, Berkeley, CA USA. More details will be posted on the website next week. We anticipate a full day of science presentations and an operations discussion on the first day, with a continuation of science presentations on the second. It is anticipated that the meeting will finish at 3pm on the second day allowing people plenty of time to catch evening flights. There will be a registration fee of $140 which will include breakfast, lunch and snacks for both days. We will be going out to a local restaurant for a group dinner on the Wednesday evening (7^th).

 

3. Polar Implementation Plan

The following information summarizes the Polar project response to the directions and guidelines from NASA HQ for the Polar Mission as a result of the Senior Review.

 

Polar Mission Implementation Plan in the Post Senior Review 2005 Era.

 

 

Polar Project Scientist:  John B. Sigwarth

Polar Deputy Project Scientist:  Mark L. Adrian

 

The Polar Mission respectfully submits this implementation plan in response to the issued directions and guidelines resulting from the 2005 Senior Review of Mission Operations and Data Analysis Programs in the Sun-Sun Solar System Connections Theme.

 

Budget

 

The revised Polar Mission budget for FY 2007 and 2008 is attached to this implementation plan.  The budget meets the funding guidelines provided in the letter from Richard Fisher dated February 7, 2006.  The following principles have been applied to the funding.

 

FY2007

Polar spacecraft operations will be reduced to the bare minimum to accommodate the resources provided.  Every effort will be made to make mission and instrument operation more efficient so that, as program personnel leave through attrition, they will not need to be replaced.  Realized savings in the operations budget will be used to prolong spacecraft operations as far into the future as possible with the nominal end date of operations being March 30, 2007.  Turning off some of the instruments early will not result in significant operational savings.  Consequently, all instruments will be operated through March 30, 2007 and the data collected.

 

The sharp reduction in funding in FY2007 from the proposed $6,430.1 K to the guideline $4,000K is too large to be absorbed by ramp-down funding of non-radiation belt/non-imaging instruments alone.  Consequently all instrument teams will be ramped down in FY2007 in order to meet the funding guideline. Fortunately, most of the instrument teams have grant or contract anniversary dates between January 1 and April 1, 2007 allowing FY2006 funds to carry, at current strength, all of the teams of operating instruments to within a few months of the end of mission operations. 

 

For FY2007, the funding level for radiation belt instruments (CEPPAD, MFE, EFI, and CAMMICE) has been reduced.  This reduced funding level is sufficient to allow these instruments to complete the radiation belt science investigations, as proposed in the Polar Senior Review proposal, in accordance with the issued directions and guidelines.

 

The imaging instrument teams (UVI and VIS) have also been reduced.  This funding level allows the Polar Mission to maintain a minimal imaging capability as instructed in the directions and guidelines letter to the Polar Mission. 

 

In order to meet the overall funding guideline for the Polar Mission, all other teams have been given a planned ramp down funding profile. 

Additionally, all instrument teams have been directed to begin preparations for resident archiving and final archiving of mission data. 

 

FY2008

The funding guideline of $2.0M for FY2008 is smaller than the proposed $2.85 M.  For FY2008, the funding levels are held constant at the FY2007 ramped down levels for each instrument through March 2008 (i.e. the end of 1 year of data processing and documentation ramp down).  This aligns all instrument funding to the end of March 2008.  The remainder of the FY2008 funding has been designated for 6 months of initial setup and support of the resident archives.

 

As directed there is no funding guideline for FY2009 and FY2010.  All of the Polar instrument teams are aware that the FY2008 funding will need to be stretched as far as possible into the future to allow completion of the archival tasks, but the nominal end date for completion of the Polar mission is September 30, 2008.

 

Archiving

 

As stated above, all instrument teams have been directed to begin preparing their data for resident archiving and final archiving. 

 

Resident Archives

 

The Polar team embraces the concept of resident archiving of Polar data for its continued use by the scientific community.  The Polar team is conducting a trade study to identify the most cost effective approach for creating resident archives for all Polar instruments.  One approach under consideration would, where appropriate, combine the data sets of instrumentation sponsored by a single institution.  Another potential approach would combine data sets across institutional lines where similar instrumentation allows for leveraging of limited resources.  Many of the Polar instrument teams have rudimentary resident archives in place.  It is envisioned that these archives will be upgraded to meet the full requirements for final resident archive status.

 

In response to the letter of directions and guidelines presented to the Polar team, a requirement will be added to document procedures for producing scientifically useful data from the Polar instruments.  The availability of these documented procedures will serve as a fundamental element of the resident archives. 

 

Final archiving

The Polar mission was conceived with the NSSDC serving as the final repository of all processed data at the end of the mission.  All of the instrument teams have been directed to finalize the preparation of the instrument data for final archiving. 

 

DSN Requirements Update

 

The POLAR Mission Director reviewed the requirements for DSN support of the POLAR observatory and determined no changes are necessary.  POLAR currently schedules 28 tracks per week of 1 hour average duration.  This is the minimum requirement to downlink the spacecraft recorder and includes sufficient time to concurrently uplink the stored command load.  POLAR maneuvers are planned by the Flight Dynamics Facility through the end of mission and require support from a primary antenna for up to 6 hours duration depending on the amount of data on the recorder and the duration of the maneuver.  The Mission Director has waived requirements for backup station support due to the fact that the maneuvers are not time critical.

 

The requirements for Polar's use of the DSN or the ‘User Loading Profiles’ (ULPs) were submitted on November 4, 2005 in preparation for the formal Resource Allocation Review at the Interplanetary Network Customer Forum (INCF) meeting at JPL on February 14, 2006. At that time, the End Of Extended Mission (EOEM) was December 31, 2006 (DOY 365) with Polar requiring 28 tracks per week of 1 hour average duration. In early May 2006, the Polar mission operations team will be asked for updates to these requirements in preparation for the August INCF meeting. At that time, the Polar mission operations team will submit maneuver dates as well as the change of the Polar EOEM to March 30, 2007.

Education and Public Outreach

 

The Polar team appreciates the thorough review of Polar EPO efforts.  The EPO review rated the intrinsic merit and relevance to NASA of the Polar EPO efforts in the very good category.  The specific weaknesses given in the review are addressed below and enumerated to reflect the format found there.

 

C1 (1b)

The educator workshops will address customer needs working closely with the existing space science teacher professional development programs that take place at the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at the University of California in Berkeley (UCB). The programs and the use of Polar science and E/PO products will make valuable contribution to K-14 education the public understanding of science.  Specifically, the interaction of Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere with the Sun and solar wind leads to a wide range of space weather events, such as the aurora, which affect life and society. Thus, these subjects can be used to inspire students in science, technology, engineering, and math

(STEM).

 

In addition for the "Information en Espanol", the Polar E/PO team is partnering with the LWS E/PO team to translate and print the Aurora poster, as well as the brochures on the northern lights, storms from the Sun, and "killer" electrons.  The Polar Mission is making all of the Spanish E/PO materials available to the LWS K-14 educator summer workshops at the University of Puerto Rico. This is in direct response to the customer need for Spanish version materials brought on by the LWS E/PO workshops conducted in Puerto Rico.

 

C1 (1d)

The Space Place activities are overseen by an outside advisory council, and all educational Space Place activities are developed and reviewed with teacher advisors in accordance with the relevant national standards. Evaluation of the educator workshops is conducted using credible sources via the hosts at the Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL) at the University of California in Berkeley (UCB). For new efforts, such as the creation of new brochures, the evaluation plan will include field-testing with select members of the targeted audience and modifications before broad dissemination.

 

C2 (2b)

Polar is making a demonstrable contribution to attracting diverse populations to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Specifically, we tap in to the pipeline though the teacher workshops allowing them access to Polar data and materials.

Sun-Earth Connection Education Forum (SECEF) will also be helping Polar reach users in museums and science centers; national parks; Girl Scouts USA; and amateur astronomers (e.g., Astronomical League, AAVSO).

 

C2 (2c)

The Space Place Spanish language columns allow direct access to Polar highlights by underserved and underutilized groups. Translated products will be developed in consultation with members of the Spanish-speaking communities they are intended to serve.

 

SECEF will also be helping the Polar team reach users in numerous minority and professional groups such as the National Society of Black Engineers, La Raza, AGU, AAS, and World Hope.

 

 

4. 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 June 1, 2006. 

 

Previously we had agreed on the following principles for the resident archives:

 

1.  The resident archives are to be distributed at the PI institutions or their designated locations where the expertise in handling the specific data resides.  (GSFC is not to be the sole repository for all of the data).

 

2.  Maximal support might be of order 1/4 FTE (i.e., ~$50 K plus hardware maintenance)

 

3.  The archives should provide the highest possible resolution (spatial and temporal).

 

4.  The data should be available without human intervention.

 

5.  The archive should provide dynamic access to virtual observatories.

 

6.  Every site should provide direct links with brief descriptions of every other Polar site.

 

7.  Every archive should allow ASCII downloads of low and high resolution data for replotting by the requestor.

 

8. Every site should allow plots of the data, either previously made or made on demand

 

9.  Positional and attitude information for the Polar spacecraft should be provided at one or more sites.

 

10.  Documented procedures for producing scientifically useful data from the Polar instruments will be made available and will be a fundamental element of the resident archives. 

 

 

 

 

For information purposes, the instructions for this white paper are given below.

 

Feb 7, 2006

 

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 June 1, 2006, discussing your concepts and configuration for establishing one or more resident archives upon termination of your mission.  In addition, consider the hypothetical situation that your mission failed tomorrow and describe those unfinished tasks that need to be done to serve your data to the community from the resident archive.  List the tasks in priority order with the idea that the most important tasks will be accomplished within one year following the cessation of operations.  The less important may be accomplished under the sponsorship of one of our competitive research programs.

 

5. MFE Data Processing Status

 

PolarMFEreport_2006_Mar23.pdf

 

6. 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 received inputs from the EFI, TIDE, MDI and TIMAS teams.

 

7.  The CAMMICE Science Report

 

The CAMMICE Science Report (Powerpoint)

 

The CAMMICE Science Report (PDF)