SOHO SPWG Minutes

Friday, July 21, 2000
0. Telecon with TRACE
In past months and weeks, the TRACE team has received many conflicting
messages from NASA about its funding level for the third year of
operation, which started on May 1, 2000.  On Thursday, TRACE received a
clear statement from Chuck Holmes of NASA HQ; the level he quoted is
about 70 % of the present level, starting immediately.  It goes without
saying that we will not be able to operate TRACE as we have in past.  TRACE
will have to simplify operations considerably and reduce (but not
eliminate) collaborative programs with SOHO and other observatories.  TRACE
will keep a small resident operations staff at GSFC but not, except
perhaps on special occasions, send visiting science planners.  TRACE will
not observe during eclipse season.  TRACE will try to develop a clearer
plan for our new approach to operations by next week.


1. Review of action items
  None.


2. Boundary conditions 
* No Maneuvers for the August planning period.
  No maneuvers anticipated until early November.

* MDI Continuous for August: 
  A longer than the usual 5 days per month is planned.
  The MDI continuous starts 15 August at 15:15 UT until 29 August 
  at 05:50 UT.

* Submode 6 all month.


3. JOPs status 
No new or updated JOPs.  Will revisit JOPs 126 and 127 at the next SPWG.


4. Priorities for the coming month 
a) Joint observing plans

* Aug 7-13:   Flare Studies, CDS/TRACE/SXT/MDI, Contact: Dick Shine
* Aug 18-28:  MDI/Yohkoh SXT/BBSO/TRACE flare study specifically looking 
              at loop oscillatons.  SXT picking the target.
              Contact: Lyndsay Fletcher.
* Aug 29-Sept 4: MDI and TRACE high resolution flare watch, POC: E. Zamkoff

b) Individual instrument plans

  CDS -- Has listed 2 flare programs to run in week of August 7.
         (limb and disk programs, depending on the target) 
         with Sarah Matthews - sam@mssl.ucl.ac.uk as the contact.
         TRACE, Yohkoh SXT, and MDI were planning on running a flare
         study during this week -- so perhaps CDS can join in and
         follow that target.  CDS had allocated 2-3 uninterrupted days
         for the study.
  UVCS -- CME Watch Campaign and observations of Rho Leo during
          late August.
  EIT -- Nothing unusual.
  LASCO -- may do some extra pB sequences when alpha-Leo and rho-Leo
           pass through their field.
  MDI -- during August continuous will try and emphasis high resolution
         field programs.
  
c) Intercalibration activities

  The last ICAL001 was done was on July 7 with SUMER, CDS and EIT.
  Another ICAL001 needs to be scheduled for August.

  EIT had no preference, when Andrzej Fludra (CDS) returns from Europe,
  he can pick whichever week is best for CDS and let EIT and the SOCs know.
 

5. Preview of future months
* See the Monthly Calendar at: 
  http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/soc/head_calendar.html


6. AOB
* Next SPWG:  Friday, August 18 at 2:00 pm in EAF  

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