JOP153 Major Flare Watch

Author/contacts: soc@soc.nascom.nasa.gov
Version 0, 25 February 2002
Version 0.25, 26 February 2002

SOHO & TRACE instruments: CDS/EIT/LASCO/SUMER/MDI/UVCS/TRACE
See MMOP003 for other spacecraft and ground based observatories.

The scientific objective, justification, target selection, and individual instruments' observation strategies for this JOP is described in the Max Millennium Observing Plan 003, "Region Likely to Produce Major Flares".

Purpose of this JOP description

Here we will briefly outline the response of SOHO instruments & TRACE when a Major Flare Watch is called by the Max Millennium Chief Observer, in order to point out the constraints and response times that can be expected.

1 Initial contact

One of the SOHO Science Operations Coordinators will be the point of contact for SOHO & TRACE if a Major Flare Watch is called outside of normal business hours (Goddard time). During normal business hours, the usual email Major Flare Watch notification is considered sufficient, but the SOCs will still make sure individual teams have been notified.

2 Instrument team notifications

TRACE will be notified, any time, to ensure they are running an appropriate observation program.
EIT/LASCO is notified, any time, to ensure they are running an appropriate observation program.
MDI will be notified during normal working hours (including weekends). If the HESSI target is outside the MDI high resolution field of view, the MDI observing program will be set to a full disk magnetic campaign if needed. If the target is completely inside the MDI high resolution field of view, MDI will switch to a high resolution magnetic campaign if needed when not in Dynamics. During MDI Dynamics periods, the MDI instrument will make full disk doppler and magnetic field measurements and will not switch observing programs. Campaign data is only available during periods with VC2/VC3 telemetry.
UVCS will be notified between 8am to 10pm GSFC time, but only if the active region(s) in question is closer to limb than 64 degrees east or west.
CDS will be notified during normal working hours. They may change or interrupt their observing plan, depending on the priority of their existing plan (collaborations, instrument monitoring etc).
SUMER will be notified during normal working hours, if the instrument is currently observing.

Note that changing an instrument's observation plans is contingent upon DSN contacts and personnell constraints.

3 Telemetry Submode Changes

SOHO's science telemetry is normally in one of two submodes:

Submode 6 is used if SUMER is not observing. EIT/LASCO are given SUMER's science telemetry quota, allowing EIT to do full resolution CME watch with 12 minute cadence.
Submode 5 is used if SUMER is observing, using their science telemetry quota for themselves. In that case, EIT's CME watch has to be done with half resolution images to avoid congestion. EIT's synoptic sets (four sets per day of 171/195/284/304) are still at full resolution.

If SUMER is observing at the time of a Major Flare Watch, but cannot observe the Major Flare Watch target, they will accept a change to Submode 6. However, submode changes have a number of operational implications, and have to be planned carefully with respect to personnell, telemetry and commanding, and safety constraints:

The CDS command and data handling sybsystem (CDHS) may hang as a result of a submode change. The chances are smaller when the instrument is idle; therefore they must upload a plan with an idle time window for the submode switch.
In case of a CDS CDHS hang, they must be given sufficient commanding time within a few hours to avoid a thermal reconfiguration. This must be taken into account in the scheduling of both submode switches.
SUMER must command their instrument into an idle mode before giving up telemetry, and send new commands to resume observations after getting telemetry back.
EIT/LASCO must make and upload new plans to take advantage of the increased telemetry, and new plans to go back to half-resolution CME watch when switching to the lower rate.

The above points involve a number of operations and science planning personnell. Therefore, submode changes can only be done on a "best effort basis", with planning and execution during regular working hours only.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] Last modification: Tuesday, 26-Feb-2002 13:43:39 EST