SSOC Tohban Report for Week 49 (30-Nov-99 to 5-Dec-99) SSOC: Aoki, Hudson KSC: Masuda, Sekiguchi 0. Meeting Attendance There was no weekly operations meeting because of the Yohkoh 8th anniversary conference. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Solar Activity Solar activity dropped again - only desultory C-class flares. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Standard Operations 2.1 SXT Table Uploads The following SXT tables were uploaded during week 49: ================================================================ JST Day UT Start Time Pass Table ID ================================================================ Monday PM 29-NOV-99 07:52 1 991129 P1 ARS1 DARK Tuesday PM 30-NOV-99 06:24 1 991130 P1 ARS1 DIFF Tuesday PM 30-NOV-99 11:29 4 991130 P4 ARS1 HI-FFI Wednesday PM 01-DEC-99 06:35 1 991201 P1 ARS1 HI-FFI Thursday PM 02-DEC-99 10:12 3 991202 P3 ARS1 HI-FFI Friday PM 03-DEC-99 07:00 2 991203 P2 ARS1 HI-FFI Saturday PM 04-DEC-99 08:55 3 991204 P3 ARS1 HI-FFI Sunday PM 05-DEC-99 09:07 3 991205 P3 ARS1 STD ================================================================ 2.2 STT Timer setting STT timer was re-set during Pass 2, 991130-0517, on 30-Nov-99 (UT). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Special Operations 3.1 GRS calibrations were done eight times. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Errors and Problems 4.1 BCS Errors: None 4.2 SXT Errors: None ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5. NASA Station Scheduling 5.1 Contact pass cancellations/additions The following DSN/NASA passes were added/deleted: =========================================================================== DSN/NASA Schedule Week Schedule Changes =========================================================================== Final 49 1 Cancellations by SSOC (incomplete record) Final 50 2 Cancellations by SSOC (incomplete record) 5 Adds requested, 1 granted Preliminary 51 0 Cancellations by SSOC 3 Adds requested, none granted Strawman 52 62 Cancellations by SSOC =========================================================================== 5.2 Data Transmission from NASA Ground Stations ----(Copy of /home/flare1/yohkoh/dsn_corrupt/99_49)---- 322 74 1957 not received requested 24-Nov no response requested 29-Nov corrupted tape requested 30-Nov Closed/ correct data 323 74 1322 missing data tape requested 24-Nov no response tape requested 28-Nov Closed/ same data Low elevation pass. Several dropouts at LOS. 333 46 1822 missing data requested 02-Dec 333 74 1528 corrupted tape requested 02-Dec 5.3 Elevation angle limit at Santiago Seko_san noticed two fault reports from Santiago (DSS-74) due to low elevation at the end of the pass: These were shown as max elevations of 11.1 degrees (323/1322) and 10.7 degrees (315/1645) in our database. Accordingly, after consultation with Watanabe-san, we suggest increasing the threshold (for this station only) to 13.5 degrees maximum elevation. 5.4 Software upgrades The operations software (ie, what is on the "wallops" directory) has been upgraded to include version numbers, both for OP's and for DSN files. 5.4.1. The upgrades are in FMT_WALLOPS and RD_RASM. The FMT_WALLOPS software now creates a new version number for SOLASS and SOLASF files based upon the version number in the 7DAYSS file that we get from NASA. This helps to track the changes (we also save the change files separately, also now with version numbers). 5.4.2. PRINT_OP now checks to see if an archived OP for that pass ID exists, and if so it increments a version number. Please always use PRINT_OP to print the OPs so that this archive updates. Also please try to avoid more than ten version numbers for any given OP, there might be a problem. - HSH ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. KSC Pass Conflicts and Schedule In Week 49, 10 KSC contacts were lost, 9 for ASCA, 1 for AKEBONO In Week 50, 12 KSC contacts will be lost, 9 for ASCA and 2 for Astro-E The holiday was placed on Monday, Dec. 6, replaced by normal operations on Dec. 5. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Hikitsugi Items 7.1 Tohbans for Week 50 SSOC: (K. Shinoda), T. Yokoyama KSC: H. Sekiguchi, K. Kumagai 7.2 STT Timer Setting The next STT TIMER SET is due on Tuesday 7-Dec-99. Because of the holiday schedule, this has been programmed by the week 49 tohbans. 7.3 Holiday Schedule Next Yohkoh holiday will be Sunday, 12-Dec-99 (JST). 7.4 OP_FIRST_GUESS problem (w49) This may have been noticed before, but OP_FIRST_GUESS does not optimize the BDR correctly in cases where there is a gap in the KSC coverage. This can be corrected manually by changing the rates between High and Medium, remembering that the BDR holds about 38 minutes of High data and that Medium takes 1/8 the space. 7.5 Version numbers have been added via FMT_WALLOPS to the Wallops telemetry schedules. Everything should work as before. Next tasks: to add version numbers to the add and delete files. Also to the OP archive files (HSH). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Unchanged Hikitsugi Items from Last Week 8.1 Weekend Terminators If possible, please schedule terminator opportunities on any weekend table (i.e., if room permits). 8.2 Keeping Santiago contacts Currently, ASCA conflicts cause the loss of about 10 KSC contacts per week. We do not know which contacts Yohkoh will lose until the weekly meeting. Santiago contacts occur on the same orbits as KSC contacts. Therefore, please keep as many Santiago contacts as possible in the DSN Strawman and Preliminary Forecasts. 8.3 OP and Real-time Command Glossary We need a shorthand glossary for common OP and command-sheet commands. This already exists pretty much in the Sakao-san manual in Japanese, and the Week 26 tohbans started accumulating an English version on "yohkoh.glossary" 8.4 Software Problems pr_gev with /hc keyword produces a temporary output file but does not print it at the printer. 8.5 OP_FIRST_GUESS problem (w38) In a situation with two KSC cancellations on each of two days (a rare condition) the BDR optimization feature of OP_FIRST_GUESS crashed. After experimentation, we found that it ran OK without the final cancellation request (two the first day, but just the first one on the second day). The second one then had to be removed manually. Records of the problem were forwarded to Lemen-san, but no answer had arrived at the time of writing. 8.6 Keeping Wallops contacts (w42) This is not a new policy, but to emphasize (paraphrased from e-mail from Hugh Hudson): We should keep all valid Wallops passes, independent of day/night status, in order to maximize our Wallops use and minimize our DSN use. NASA won't give us many DSN passes anyway, so if we select a Goldstone pass in preference to a Wallops one, we'll normally just lose both. Another reason is that CANCEL_DSN software needs some repair, since it seems to replace the DSS identifier WGS with 0. This is likely to cause confusion, but of course if we don't cancel Wallops passes we won't have this problem often. 8.7 OP_FIRST_GUESS problem (w42) In one instance, op_first_guess produced a nested RB HV RDCT ON/ RB HV RDCT OFF sequence (i.e. ON-ON-OFF-OFF). This problem is easily spotted, and corrected by deleting the second ON command and the first OFF command manually. The bug has been reported to J. Lemen. 8.8 Tohban Manual (w42) The English-language version of the Tohban Manual has been updated recently and should be considered authoritative. The corresponding checksheet is also new (August 1999). 8.9 A New Antenna System in Wallops (w43) Since October 1, a new antenna GN-WGS is used instead of a 9m antenna DSS-76 in Wallops station. SSOC tohbans should not be surprised at the unfamiliar antenna code GN-WGS in the DSN schedules. This new code GN-WGS is replaced with DSS-80 in solass.w## and solsf.w## by the program "fmt_wallops". But some programs for the strawman scheduling replace it with DSS-0. 8.10 OP_FIRST_GUESS Problem (w46) OP_FIRST_GUESS printed "Night" instead of "Day" (as it should have printed) on pass sheets for 1999/11/15 Pass 5(991115-1341). 8.11 OP_FIRST_GUESS Problem (w46) During the preparation of the 991115-1031 OP, OP_FIRST_GUESS inserted a QUIET RATE HIGH command during an SAA passage at a time when about 20 minutes of daylight remained. The maximum duration of QUIET RATE HIGH mode during an SAA in daylight should be 10 minutes. 8.12 OP_FIRST_GUESS Problem (w46) During the preparation of 991109-1238 OP,991110-1135 OP and 991111-1032 OP OP_FIRST_GUESS crashed with the message "OP_START_END: problem with detection of LOS/AOS/DSN Repro events". This problem was solved by changing OP_FIRST_GUESS options: choose optimization 1 rather than 2. All these 3 problems above (item 8.10, 8.11 and 8.12) occurred also on week 45. === END ===