PROGRESS REPORT THE SOLAR-A SOFT X-RAY TELESCOPE (SXT) PROGRAM (CONTRACT NAS8-00119) (for April 2003 - May 2003) OVERVIEW The YOHKOH Mission is a program of the Japanese Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) with collaboration by the U. S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U. K. Science and Engineering Research Council. The YOHKOH satellite was launched on 30 August 1991 from Kagoshima Space Center (KSC) in Japan. The purpose of this mission is to study high energy phenomena in solar flares and the Sun's corona. Under an international cooperative agreement, Lockheed Martin, under NASA contract, is providing a scientific investigation using the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), one of the primary experiments of the mission. The SXT was developed at the Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory in cooperation with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, and the Institute for Astronomy of the University of Tokyo. MAJOR PROGRAMMATIC ACTIVITIES IN THE MONTH We have been trying to complete our work and wind down the staff to a soft ending. Closing of our subcontracts has also been a high priority. As this will be the last monthly report for this very successful and long lived program, I want to personally thank everyone who has been involved in this activity for its great success and accomplishments. HIGHLIGHTS We are now in the process of regenerating the final versions of the various databases in preparation for the final push to complete the archiving of the SXT science data. Acton made two visits to Palo Alto to work on this important problem. The SXT pointing database is now complete thanks to the efforts of Wuelser to update the algorithm for the final years of the mission. The dark frame data base is nearly complete. The synthetic leak correction algorithm, pioneered by Phil Shirts, recently completed verification. Generation of the level 1 SXT data in FITS format will be finalized very soon. The Galileo team has completed a specification for the FITS keywords and the file naming convention that will be used for the final data set. Nitta is computing HXT flare images and movies for the full mission. This important dataset will be archived along with the SXT data in FITS format. The dataset is being generated using the MEM image reconstruction software and includes all channels that have a sufficient count rate for reliable image reconstruction. The Yohkoh instruments were enormously productive scientifically and the Galileo archive will provide researchers with a valuable data set for many years to come. We are all privileged to have had the opportunity to work on this project. The Galileo program can serve as a model for other missions to follow when the time comes to provide a final data archive for posterity, and we thank NASA for the vision to see this important project through to completion. PUBLIC USE OF SXT IMAGES We are continuing to make Yohkoh/SXT images available for a variety of uses. We receive requests for the Yohkoh posters (#2 and #3) by way of the form on the SXT homepage. Currently we receive requests via our homepage at the rate of 2 or 3 per day. The WEB access statistics in April were 71,422 accesses and 5,798 Mbytes transferred for the SXT website and 144,727 accesses and 2,538 Mbytes transferred for the YPOP website. The WEB access statistics in May were 82,514 accesses and 6,609 Mbytes transferred for the SXT website and 140,873 accesses and 2,673 Mbytes transferred for the YPOP website. Respectfully submitted, Thomas R. Metcalf Frank Friedlaender Page 12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NASA REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE (IN LIEU OF NASA FORM 1626) --------------------|--------------------------|------------------------------- 1. REPORT NO. | 2. GOVERNMENT | 3. RECIPIENT'S DR-01 | ACCESSION NO. | CATALOG NO. --------------------|--------------------------|------------------------------- 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE | 5. REPORT DATE Monthly progress report - for the month of | 10 June 2003 April 2003 - May 2003 |------------------------------- | 6. PERFORMING ORG | CODE: O/L9-41 -----------------------------------------------|------------------------------- 7. AUTHOR(S) | 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZA- T. R. Metcalf | TION REPORT NO: F. M. Friedlaender | |------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------|10. WORK UNIT NO. 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS | Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space |------------------------------- Advanced Technology Center, O/L9-41, B/252 |11. CONTRACT OR GRANT NO. 3251 Hanover Street, Palo Alto Ca. 94304 | NAS8 - 00119 -----------------------------------------------|------------------------------- 12. SPONSORING AGENCY NAME AND ADDRESS |13. TYPE OF REPORT AND Marshall Space Flight Center (Explorer Program)| PERIOD COVERED Huntsville Alabama 35812 | Progress report for the month Contact: Larry Hill | of April 2003 - May 2003 |------------------------------- |14. SPONSORING AGENCY | CODE MSFC / AP32 -----------------------------------------------|------------------------------- 15. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16. ABSTRACT The SOLAR-A Mission is a program of the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), the Japanese agency for scientific space activity. The SOLAR-A satellite was launched on August 30, 1991, to study high energy phenomena in solar flares. As an international cooperative agreement, Lockheed, under NASA contract, is providing a scientific investigation and has prepared the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT), one of the two primary experiments of the mission. SXT data collection stopped on December 14, 2001. --------------------------------------|---------------------------------------- 17. KEY WORDS (SUGGESTED BY | 18. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT AUTHOR(S)) Solar-A, X-ray, CCD, | Space Science, Solar Physics ------------------------|-------------|----------|-----------------|----------- 19. SECURITY CLASSIF. | 20. SECURITY CLASSIF. | 21. NO OF PAGES |22. PRICE (OF THIS REPORT) | (OF THIS PAGE) | | None | None | 3 | ------------------------|------------------------|-----------------|-----------