SOHO SPWG Minutes



SPWG FINAL MINUTES
Friday 30 July 2004

1. Boundary conditions


- SOHO is now upside down until the the next manoeuvre, which is
  tentatively scheduled for 30 September.

- The scheduling windows for the next 2 keyhole periods are given
  below.  For estimated keyhole dates through 2006 see
  http://soho.nascom.nasa.gov/soc/keyholes.txt

* Sep 12        High Rate on 26m stations ends, TBC
* Sep 17        High Rate on 34m stations ends, TBC
* Oct 01        High Rate on 34m stations resumes, TBC
* Oct 05        High Rate on 26m stations resumes, TBC

* Dec 13        High Rate on 26m stations ends, TBC
* Dec 16        High Rate on 34m stations ends, TBC
* Dec 26        High Rate on 34m stations resumes, TBC
* Dec 29        High Rate on 26m stations resumes, TBC

- Long-term DSN outlook: The Mars missions may last through the end of
  the year. Expect keyhole schedules similar to the last/next one as
  long as they are operational.

  The long-term scheduling for 2005 and 2006 indicates that there will
  be very substantial losses of normal VC0/1 during most keyholes, but
  we hope that the SSR patch (see below) will be available to capture
  GOLF, VIRGO and MDI structure with no interruptions.

- Work on an on-board patch for recording only selected APIDs
  (e.g. GOLF, VIRGO, MDI and possibly some spacecraft housekeeping
  data) on the SSR is progressing. Several informal deliveries have been 
  received. The last one is now undergoing formal testing at Saab-Ericsson 
  Space and informal testing here using the spacecraft simulator. So far 
  the results look promising. 

  The formal delivery is not expected until the end of August at the 
  earliest, mainly due to the summer holidays. We will use the results 
  from our simulator tests to prepare the commissioning tests using the 
  spacecraft. The goal is to minimize the needed spacecraft time.
  Right now it is too early to tell if we can use the patch during the 
  September keyhole.

  Uploading the patch is a very simple and short task, and should fit
  within a normal SVM period.

- Unless a Major Flare Watch is in progress, TRACE will be doing full
  disk mosaics if/when EIT is not able to do synoptic sets due to
  keyhole operations.

- MDI continuous contacts

* Jul 4-Sep 5   MDI 60 Day Continuous Contact (Full Disk Mags and Doppler)
* Nov 3-7       MDI Continuous Contact
* Dec 1-5       MDI Continuous Contact

  The baseline plans are as stated above, and other types of
  observations are not likely for these time periods even if requested
  for collaborations. As usual, 96 minute magnetograms will be
  available.

- ALL KNOWN submode dependent activities & submode schedule:

* TOO           JOP175 Extended Filaments at the Limb (see sect. 2a)
* Aug 25        EIT Shutterless, 19:00-21:40 UT
* Sep 1         EIT Shutterless, 14:00-16:40 UT
* Nov 24        EIT Shutterless, 14:00-16:40 UT, TRACE has conflict w/JOP173
* Nov 30        EIT Shutterless, 17:00-19:40 UT

  Submodes: Submode 6 (until further notice)

- EIT Bakeout/Other (shutterless obs listed under "Submode dependent
  activities" from now on):

* EIT bakeout will be during September/October keyhole

* Commanding outlook: See AOB section.

2. Priorities for the coming month & more


a) Joint observing plans and campaigns

Continuing campaigns:

*               JOP136 Default RHESSI Collaborations (#6850), POC:Stein Haugan
*               Default CDS Co-observations with TRACE (#6950)
*               JOP153/MMOP003 Future Major Flare Watch (#7090)
*               JOP159 CMEs in Lyman-alpha (#6870), SWAN/LASCO/EIT/UVCS,
                  POC: Chris St Cyr, Eric Quemerais
* Feb-Sep 2004  Quiescent AR Loop Diagnostics (#7019), CDS/TRACE/EIT/SUMER,
                  POC: Helen Mason (h.e.mason@damtp.cam.ac.uk),
                  Local POC: CDS Planner
*               JOP175 Extended Filaments at the Limb, EIT/TRACE/LASCO/UVCS,
                  POC: Chris St Cyr (Chris.StCyr@nasa.gov)
*               Network-Internetwork Oscillations (#7033), EIT/TRACE,
                  POC: Scott McIntosh

  Campaign #6850 is for "individual instrument studies" selecting an
  AR target [partially] influenced by the Max Millennium target
  selection to maximise chances of serendipitous co-observations.

  The running of the Quiescent AR Loops is left to the decision of the
  CDS planner.

  EIT supports all with half/full-res 195 Å CME watch in submode 5/6,
  except JOP175 getting half/full-res 304 Å CME watch in submode 5/6,
  and Network-Internetwork Oscillations which is TBD by Scott McIntosh.

* Jul 4-Sep 5   MDI 60 Day Continuous Contact (Full Disk Mags and Doppler)

* Jul 25,29,30  JOP100 AR DEM for Heating & Magnetography,
                  CDS/EIT/VLA/Mees/MDI/TRACE,
                  POC: Jeff Brosius (brosius@comstoc.gsfc.nasa.gov),
                  VLA ~1330-1930 UT, CDS ~1330-2130

  EIT will take synoptic sets at 1300 & 1900, and can support with 11x11 
  full-res synoptic sets at 15, 17, 21 and 23 for the Jul 29 & 30 dates.

  TRACE will support on July 25, and will support on July 29 & 30 but only
  after JOP157 is finished.

  MDI will support with full disk magnetograms every minute and
  continuum images every 96 minutes.

* Jul 29-Aug 4  JOP157 Bright Points in Active Regions,
                  EIT/CDS/MDI/TRACE/RHESSI/THEMIS,
                  POC: Etienne Pariat (Etienne.Pariat@obspm.fr)

  There has been some confusion about what JOP is running in this period. 
  The above JOP is what Etienne Pariat will run, with JOP178 as a backup.

  On July 29 & 30, CDS will support JOP157 during 08:00-13:30 UT (switching
  to JOP100 at 13:30). CDS will run JOP157 until 19 or 20 UT after JOP100
  is over.

  Brigitte is trying to work out a plan that allows CDS to support both.

  EIT request is 195 CME watch with 304 image during the observation
  period.  Note conflict with JOP100 if subfield synoptic sets are
  requested for that JOP.

  MDI can only support with Full Disk Mags and Dopplergrams.

* Aug 2-5       High Cadence Campaign, CDS/Hida, 
                  POC: David Brooks (dbrooks@kwasan.kyoto-u.ac.jp)

The aim is to study the relationship between dynamic fine structures
in the EUV and H alpha in the earliest stages of magnetic flux emergence.

The best target is a newly emerging flux region (EFR). Alternatively, can
point to older EFRs or sunspots to study e.g. Ellerman bombs and other 
H alpha brightenings, and their relationship with brightenings in the 
chromosphere/ transition region.

Details of CDS studies have been provided by David Brooks.

* Aug 5-16      JOP083 High Cadence Activity and the Heating of Coronal Loops,
                  CDS/TRACE/MDI, POC: Robert Walsh (rwwalsh@uclan.ac.uk) & Jack Ireland

  MDI can only support with Full Disk Mags and Dopplergrams.

* Aug 20-22	UVCS Star Observations

* Aug 25        EIT Shutterless, 19:00-21:40 UT

* Aug 27-29	UVCS Star Observations

* Sep 1         EIT Shutterless, 14:00-16:40 UT

* Sep 12        High Rate on 26m stations ends, TBC
* Sep 17        High Rate on 34m stations ends, TBC
* Oct 01        High Rate on 34m stations resumes, TBC
* Oct 05        High Rate on 26m stations resumes, TBC

* Oct 5-19      JOP178 Filament and its Environment,
                  CDS/MDI/EIT/TRACE/THEMIS/SST/DOT/DST/Meudon/Pic du Midi/
                  Bialkov/Ondrejov,
                  POC: Thierry Roudier (roudier@bigorre.bagn.obs-mip.fr) &
                  Brigitte Schmieder (Brigitte.Schmieder@obspm.fr)

  This JOP description has been slightly modified in the TRACE section.

  MDI should be able to support this study (no 5-day continuous contact in
  October). A 3 variable high resolution campaign has been requested. Extra
  DSN time has not yet been requested by the JOP leader. MDI can support this
  during ground-based observing hours only if high rate telemetry (requires
  contact) is available.

  EIT can support the request for some 304, though exact dates will be
  decided closer to that time.

  It is important for CDS that study names and the detailed observing
  sequence are provided well in advance of the observation.

  TRACE has this on their calendar as: Oct 5-15 for JOP178 and Oct 12-19 
  for JOP012.

* Oct 15        UVCS Star Observations

* Oct 18-23     CDS/HIDA Observations, CDS/HIDA, TBC

  Draft JOP description provided by Tetsuya Watanabe and sent to planners

* Oct 20-Nov 1  Coordination with La Palma, TRACE/La Palma, 
	 	  POC: Mats Carlsson (mats.carlsson@astro.uio.no)

* Nov 3-7       MDI Continuous Contact

* Nov 23-Dec 2  JOP173 3D Structure and Dynamics of Sunspots, 07:00-22:00 UT,
                  TRACE/MDI/VTT/THEMIS/La Palma SST/DOT/DST/MST,
                  POC: Karin Muglach (muglach@nrl.navy.mil)

  MDI will likely be able to support this as long as it does not
  conflict with the beginning of the December 5 day CC, from 1-5 Dec.
  HR Mag, Doppler and Filtergrams are requested.

  TRACE still has this listed as TBC. There's a conflict for TRACE
  with the EIT Shutterless November 24. The status of this conflict
  will be worked out when the TRACE program for JOP173 has been worked
  out - there may be a mutual benefit between the two campaigns.

* Nov 23-24     UVCS Star Observations

* Nov 24        EIT Shutterless, 14:00-16:40 UT

* Nov 30        EIT Shutterless, 17:00-19:40 UT

* Dec 1-5       MDI Continuous Contact

  MDI exact plans for observing sequence, TBD, but will likely be whatever is 
  run to support JOP173.

* Dec 11-12     UVCS Star Observations

* Dec 13        High Rate on 26m stations ends, TBC
* Dec 16        High Rate on 34m stations ends, TBC
* Dec 26        High Rate on 34m stations resumes, TBC
* Dec 29        High Rate on 26m stations resumes, TBC

b) Intercalibration activities

Last Intercal 1: July 14 (Week 29)

* Week 32/33       ICAL01, CDS/EIT, POC: EIT and CDS planners

c) Individual instrument plans

MDI:

  See section 1 (boundary conditions) for MDI continuous contact
  periods.

  MDI will continue to downlink Magnetograms via the 5k telemetry stream
  during Keyholes, as long as the SSR/TR patch is not complete.  Once the
  SSR/TR patch is complete, MDI will likely downlink a Magnetogram in the 5k
  telemetry stream 3 times per day in addition to having near-continuous
  medium-l data.  MDI will not store Magnetograms on board during this time,
  thus the normal vc2obs campaign that dumps stored Magnetograms will not be
  used, should we get VC2 at any time during the Keyhole.

  All requests for MDI support need to be made several months ahead of
  time and sent to mdi-ops@mdisas.nascom.nasa.gov. Even outside
  keyholes, MDI can only do 1-minute cadence observations when we have
  contact and there is no recorder dump in progress.

  MDI's REQUEST page is at http://mdisas.nascom.nasa.gov/coordination.txt
  NOTE: Listing of a study on that page means *only* that a request has
  been received, not that it will necessarily be supported.

UVCS:
  See their planning page (below) and the SOHO calendar for weekly plans.
  http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/uvcs/observations/obst.html

  The following are listed because of NRT requirements or as candidates
  for collaboration (with e.g. CDS):

  UVCS will probably be in a same safe configuration (no observations) 
  during the September keyhole.

* Jul 26-Aug 1  UVCS Observations of Coronal Streamers Above 2.5 Solar Radii
* Aug 2-8       UVCS Observations of North Coronal Hole
* Aug 9-13      UVCS Streamer Study
* Aug 14-19     UVCS Observations of South Coronal Hole
* Aug 20-22     UVCS Observations of Alpha Leo and In-Flight Characterization
* Aug 23-26     UVCS Streamer Study
* Aug 27-29     UVCS Star Observations of Rho Leo
* Aug 30-Sep 4  UVCS Observations of North Coronal Hole

CDS:
  See their request diary for details:
    http://solg2.bnsc.rl.ac.uk/scientificops/request.shtml

LASCO/EIT:

SUMER:

  Dates for SUMER operations during autumn are still TBD.

TRACE:

  NOTE that TRACE in general reserves the right to withdraw support from
  agreed, existing collaborations if a sufficiently "good active region"
  is called by the Max Millennium group.

3. AOB


* Next SPWG: Friday 27 August, right after weekly meeting in the EOF.

The rest are FYI items:

* If anyone has projects that require high-cadence MDI support, now is
  a good time to ask! If you need MDI data, make sure you request it
  specifically. There is no significant change in the shutter
  performance over the last 10 months; monitoring continues, but no
  immediate changes in operations are planned.

* DSN support should be requested at least 6 months in advance.  Keep
  this in mind for: ground-based collaborations that require MDI
  support, stellar/shutterless observations that require NRT, etc.

* Commanding outlook:

All of August is in continuous contact. There are a few downlink only
stations and a few small gaps each week.