SWG - Tele-Conference Call - January 31, 2002
Attended:
David Band
Guido Barbiellini
Elliott Bloom
Patrizia Caraveo
Liz Citrin
Lynn Cominsky
Brenda Dingus
Neil Gehrels
Isabelle Grenier
Neil Johnson
Don Kniffen
Scott Lambros
Giselher Lichi
Chip Meegan
Peter Michelson
Jay Norris
Jonathan Ormes
Martin Pohl
Steve Ritz
Dave Thompson
Stephen Thorsett
Kathy Turner
Welcome and opening comments were made by Jonathan.
Don Kniffen - NASA HQ:
- Implementing Agreement (IA) has been signed. Thanks to Kathy Turner and Steve Horowitz. Will e-mail to members of the SWG.
- International agreement - Since the IA has been signed, these agreements can be given top priority. Neil Neuman has been working on them, but he is leaving shortly for another assignment. He is a strong supporter of GLAST and would like to have them written before he leaves. Both the Italians (political uncertainty) and French have issues. Mark Allen should make contact with them to help work these issues out.
- The German agreement is drafted and should be completed quickly.
- JOG meeting - Steve Horowitz is organizing the meeting since the IA has been signed. It should be held in the next couple weeks.
- UserÕs Group - Has been talking with Liz Citron and Mark S. about the ability to pay the expenses for committee members. Liz and Mark stated that this can be done. Still needs to get some additional people and ask the one that have said yes if they still are available. Dave Bertsch will serve on the committee. Will concentrate on this, this coming week.
- Feb. 4, is the day the administration budget is released. There will be an all-hands meeting at HQ at 3:00. Don plans to attend.
- After the budget is released, there is a POP exercise. On Tuesday we will meet with Ann Kenney to go over the budget items. Will bring up the GLAST contingency problems.
Guido Barbiellini and Patrizia Caraveo - Italian Report
- There will be two MOEÕs with ASI - ASI and NASA, ASI and SLAC
- ASI wants 50% of shared responsibility for the tracker.
- ASI has a new President - wants to understand the overall plan before signing.
- ASI is busy preparing new space plan and GLAST is included. The President of ASI will not sign without approval of the Board of Directors. Space plan will be ready for the Minister by the end of February. Meeting with ASI after that. No fixed duration for the Board of Directors study.
- Patrizia has requested a copy of the draft when completed so the process in Italy can start.
- Italians would like a mirror of the GLAST data in Italy. ItÕs in the plan but hasnÕt been discussed yet.
Kathy Turner - DOE:
- The PDR/DOE Baseline review was held at SLAC earlier this month. Looked at cost and management schedule of the whole project as well as the technical.
- Out of 10, 4 subsystems were not ready for baseline - calorimeter, ACD, INT, and mechanical and thermal.
- DOE takes recommendations. They felt that costing, contingency and scheduling were not ready. Felt schedule too tight, and extra funding requested.
- Peter needs to go over these problems.
- INT review is scheduled for March - needs to be ready by then.
- Baseline Review - Layman wants to look at all the instruments. Ormes asked 4 baselines or 1 meeting? Ans: only 1. They will need to be an overview of the whole project laid out again.
Comments from Foreign Partners:
- Italy - In addition to the earlier report, Guido just commented on the LAT Collaboration Meeting to be held in Italy in the Spring.
- France - Isabelle commented that they are working closely with NRL and itÕs going well.
- Germany - Giselher reported that there was a meeting with the Commission, got the go ahead for GBM. DLR funding not yet received but should be in within the next couple weeks.
David Band - SSC:
- 2 scientist will be joining the SSC in the next couple months. They are Dave Davis and Yasushi Ikebe.
- PDMP - revised and has been sent to Jonathan. This will be sent via e-mail to the SWG members.
- The SSC working document has been sent around the GSFC for comments. Peter and the SSC need to talk. Working group needed for software development.
- Mirror data base - SSC will provide the data base to Italy, also to France if interested.
- Jonathan suggested that in Europe maybe it should be at one site. Peter stated that would entail a whole other International agreement. Patrizia stated that would be no problem working with the French.
- Steve Ritz made a clarification that the LAT team is International. The Mission is SSC with International components.
- SSC will provide data. Maybe the International site should pull from the LAT team site at the same time the SSC does.
- Peter stated that the International Agreement not only covers Malindi, but mirror data site.
- Data I processing will be done at SLAC.
- Paolo is the director of ASI data center. Should set up a conference call to discuss the issue. Possibly next week.
- Has been working on a SSC website.
Peter Michelson - LAT:
- NASA/DOE PDR aspect successful. No spacecraft design so could not be provided. Working on correcting the 4 subsystem problem areas. LAT is moving forward - completing and closing out issue items. Next week there will be a week long meeting in France on the calorimeter problems. Neil Johnson will attend.
- CoNess review last week - this review started last November. It was generally good. Positive in management plan in giving NRL more responsibility. Technical document issues will be discussed. The concern is that the French feel they are in Phase A while US is in Phase B. Need to get the French up to Phase B. They are concerned about the aggressive short term schedule.
- Isabelle commented that they felt the CoNESS review was too early for us but was needed at this time for budget/management reasons. March 5 there is a Board of Directors meeting.
Liz Citrin - Project Manager:
- LAT PDR Review - big milestone for project. From the PDR point of view it was very successful. Close to spec for LAT to complete designs.
- We have not receive the ACTION items for review yet. We will be getting a hand written form so we can start working on them.
- Delta review is for Mechanical/Thermal.
- GBM PDR is scheduled for April.
- Project Side: NAR (Non Advocate Review) to coincide with the mission PDR in the fall.
- Release of documentation in March - review in Oct/Nov.
Re-Entry Debris - EUVE re-entry caused no problems but reporters made it a big issue. Hit in Kuwaite.
Our plan - RFO - asked vendors to review and explain their re-entry proposal and complete orbital debris analysis.
Not optimistic that we can go without a system - will need a re-entry plan.
Spacecraft vendor should be on board in May.
Downlink :
20 megabytes per sec at X-band
Need waiver and is attainable.
5 contacts for Malindi. Checking into back-up facilities.
The French have offered to find ground station connected with them.
What about S-band? Liz to check on this.
Patrizia stated that maybe the University of RomeÕs antenna can be used but would need to be refurbished. Malindi has not conflict with other spacecrafts.
Downlink antenna - gimbaled antenna? Multi contacts per day is a concern. Steve R., Dave T. and Neil J. will go over the analysis.
Steve R. - Pointing knowledge error - investigation and write-up regarding this issue will be out next week. This will help with how to set specs for the spacecraft procurement.
Chip Meegan - GBM:
- Co-I Marc Kippen has left the project to go to LANL. Have a contingency plan.
- GBM PDR will be April 9-11, 2002. The 9/10th will involve hardware, the 11th will be software.
- The GRB working group includes: Jay, Brenda, David B., Giselher, and also a LAT member to be determined.
- In the process of writing charter - this is important. GBM & LAT interactions on spacecraft and writing papers are 2 issues that will be discussed.
- This will be a subcommittee of the SWG and will report to the SWG.
Lynn Cominsky - EPO:
- AAS meeting - GLAST telescope network was well received. What about checking into the observatories in Hawaii and AGN telescope at the University of Tokyo. The JPL telescope?
- The AGN posters have been printed - 10,000 of them. Will be going into the packets at educational meetings.
- The GLAST educational website has been upgraded. glast.sonoma.edu. Is more user-friendly and easier to navigate.
- Ambassador Training to be held at Sonoma State, July 15-19.
- In the Spring will be coming East to meet with Tom Lucas regarding the NOVA TV show.
- COSPAR meeting, Oct. 10-19th in Houston, Lynn there on Oct 11-12.
Neil
- APS/HEAD meeting in Albuquerque.
- JD will man the booth during the meeting.
- On April 20, Saturday, there will be a GLAST session.
- Patrizia would like to see more European representative at US meetings.
Jonathan Ormes - Action Items still to be addressed:
1. Don KniffenÕs action items - Don had to leave so not addressed
2. Steve to checked into fixed antenna item.
3. Peter - characteristics of LAT on website. LAT-IOC/SSC group - Dave B. will send revised charter to Peter.
4. Peter - Preliminary Catalogue available.
5. Chip and Peter - Pre-flight calibration plan.
6. Blazars - Jonathan to talk with Lynn
7. Jonathan - Transient - review impact of 5 sigma in the definition of a transient.
8. SSC scientist spending time at Stanford. To be discussed.
9. SSC at GBM and LAT sites - more staff at sites. Peter, Tune, and Jonathan will do a conference call.
10. PDMP - David Band to send out revised version to SWG members.
11. Pulsar timing solution - Collect & maintain data base? Dave B. to talk with Stephen. Patrizia suggested Nicki Amico for the Italian data base.
12. Steve - plan survey before launch
13. Legacy program - Peter and Jonathan will talk.
Next GLAST SWG Face-to-Face:
Huntsville with Burst Workshop
September 12-13, 2002
Send memo to SWG to check calendars.
Will be held at the NSSDC.
