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Operations CXO Status Report

Friday 17 May 2013 9.00am EDT

During the last week Chandra completed the observing schedule as planned.

A real-time procedure was executed on May 10 to swap the roles of the Fine Sun Sensors (FSS), using the B-side for nominal operations and the A-side for Safe Mode. This swap is in response to continuing changes in the minimum pitch angle in FSS-A at which data with large roll-angle errors have been observed. Since FSS-B performance has proven to be nominal over a 9-month evaluation period, this swap will eliminate the risk of another Safe Mode transition caused by bad FSS-A data. The swap procedure included flight software patches and power-loss recovery relay setting adjustments to maintain hardware/software consistency. Real-time procedures were executed on May 10 and 11 dump OBC-A memory as a follow-up to the patches. The dump will be used to update the baseline memory image maintained on the ground.

A Chandra image release was issued on May 15 describing observations of the galaxy 4C+29.30. A giant black hole in the center of 4C+29.30 is generating two powerful jets of particles. By combining X-rays, optical, and radio data, astronomers get a full picture of what is happening. The X-rays reveal superheated gas swirling around the black hole, some of which may eventually be consumed by it. The black hole at the center of 4C+29.30 is thought to be about 100 million times more massive than our Sun. For details see: http://chandra.si.edu/photo/2013/4c2930/

The schedule of targets for the next week is shown below and includes an observation of CXOU J072648.3+854549, which was accepted as a Director's Discretionary Time TOO on May 9 and is coordinated with the EVN, and an observation of Sgr A* coordinated with the EVLA.



------------------------------------------
        2S1417-624             ACIS-S       May 20
        HD109085               ACIS-S
        SDSSJ115106.69+4711    ACIS-S
        CassiopeiaA            ACIS-S
        Radiation Belts                     May 21
        COSMOSLegacy           ACIS-I
        BD-223804              HRC-I        May 22
        GROJ1750-27            ACIS-S
        A2033                  ACIS-I
        COSMOSLegacy           ACIS-I
        LSE153                 HRC-I        May 23
        SgrA                   ACIS-S/HETG
        CODEX59304             ACIS-I
        Radiation Belts                     May 24
        CXOUJ072648.3+85454    ACIS-S
        LSIV+109               HRC-I
        G11.2-0.3              ACIS-S

------------------------------------------

All spacecraft subsystems continued to support nominal operations.

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