4 September 1995 M. Weber SXT CHIEF OBSERVER REPORT AND TABLE PLAN SXT TABLE PLAN FOR WEEK 36 (04-SEP-95 to 10-SEP-95) The SXT Table plan for Week 36 is straightforward. It is marked chiefly by Spartan observations over the weekend. - Dark calibration on Monday. - Standard observing during the week. - Offpoint terminators for Spartan Table offpoints. - Coordinated observing with SPARTAN at the end of the week. The SXT Table Plan for the week is as follows: KSC Time (start) in JST Pass Table ID Comments _____________(= UT + 9 hrs)______#_______________________________ Monday 04-Sep-95 11:44 3 950903 P3 ARS1 DARKCAL Tuesday 05-Sep-95 12:03 3 950904 P3 ARS1 STD+LONG Wednesday 06-Sep-95 10:40 3 950905 P3 ARS1 STD+LONG Thursday 07-Sep-95 09:16 2 950906 P2 ARS1 STD+LONG Friday 08-Sep-95 09:35 2 950907 P2 ARS1 SPARTAN-A Saturday 09-Sep-95 06:31 1 950908 P1 ARS0 SPARTAN-B " " 09:55 3 950908 P3 ARS1 SPARTAN-A Terminator-Offpointing: With the recent developments in the stray light perturbations, the terminator-offpoint program has entered a new phase. Because of the ubiquitous effects of the optical stray light in the SXT, calibration data taken after Aug. 16 can only be properly applied to data obtained after that date. This adjustment has been implemented. Procedures shall remain the same as before. Instructions for the tohbans will also remain the same. The SSOC tohbans are required to manually insert the off-point OGs for the terminators in the OP tables. SSOC TOHBAN, please fax the preliminary OP list to D-tou when it contains a terminator so that the Chief Observer can suggest which OG's to be used. POINT OF INFORMATION: In last week's report, under the section of "Terminator - Offpointing", with regard to the straylight increase of Aug. 16th, I said "It will no longer be possible to calibrate for data before August 16th." Although my meaning was probably clear, it has been observed that the wording was not. Due to the efforts and ingenuity of the SXT Team, there is a large and sufficient calibration database for SXT data taken prior to Aug. 16, 1995. The implication of the Aug. 16 increase is that a new calibration database must be accumulated for data obtained after this date. This project was implemented almost immediately, and quickly brought up-to-date. I did not mean to imply that recent events have negated or precluded any calibration of SXT data before or since. Dumping Patrol images: We request that KSC tohban continue to dump a patrol image each time an SXT table is loaded to facilitate the study of optimizing ARS parameters for an awfully quiet period. /// KSC and SSOC TOHBAN PLEASE NOTE: \\\ \\\ THIS TABLE PLAN IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. /// The SXT Chief Observer sees two possibilities in particular this week. - Some STD+LONG Tables may be eliminated if they prove to be unnecessary. - The tentative plan for SPARTAN observations is always subject to rearrangement. ____________________________________________________________________ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ SXT CHIEF OBSERVER'S REPORT for Week 35: 28-AUG-95 to 03-SEP-95 The SXT Chief Observer Corps was enlarged in a timely fashion by the arrival of Nariaka Nitta. We also welcome Kevin Reardon to ISAS for a few weeks of mutual science. Much time and effort was spent on correspondence with the Spartan team, and on planning SXT Observing Tables for co-observation with Spartan. SOLAR ACTIVITY In a word, "minimal". GOES data shows a slow deflation of last week's increase in X-ray emission. There were a handful of B-class events. The current trend seems to show only two or three medium- sized active regions per hemisphere (east and west). SXT INSTRUMENT STATUS The recent increase in SXT straylight remains stable. In all other respects, the SXT has been functioning properly. CURRENT AND UPCOMING CAMPAIGNS = (For more information on SXT campaigns, use the following UNIX command): finger campaign@isass0.solar.isas.ac.jp - FILAMENT OBSERVATIONS (R. Canfield, et al.) This is an ongoing project "to observe filament channels and possibly catch eruptions with SXT in a configuration for good time resolution." Regrettably, SXT filament busting efforts have had to be temporarily put aside amidst the frenetic scheduling and re-scheduling of Spartan observations. - POLAR RAY CAMPAIGN (S. Koutchmy, H. Hara) The focus is the "study of polar spikes and polar rays in coronal holes." There are currently no requests from Koutchmy or Hara for special SXT operations prior to the October Eclipse. However, some of the PFIs taken by the SXT/Spartan Tables may be of some use. - SPARTAN (L. Strachan, M. Guhathakurta) The stated purpose is "coordinated observations of the corona with the SPARTAN instruments near Ulysses N polar passage." Spartan 201-03 launch has been re-RE-scheduled for September 7. The satellite will operate over that weekend. The SXT Team has test-run SXT Tables prepared for the earlier Spartan schedule, and hope to view the results soon. - XBPs (K. Harvey) The dates are 15-23 September 1995. The purpose is to "determine the spatial and temporal correspondence between XBPs and He I 10830 dark points." Recent correspondence between Harvey and SXT has followed the effects of the recent straylight increase on the diagnostic filters, especially thin aluminum. SEMINARS No seminars were given in Week 35.