Next: The Final Observation Tape
Up: The Data Management and
Previous: The Data Management and
  Contents
The ground support facilities are split among different ground
system components:
- the Ground Station, located in Malindi, for the telecommand
uplinking and telemetry retrieving when the satellite is visible
(see the beginning of this chapter);
- the Operation Control Center (OCC), pursuing the spacecraft
orbital management and payload monitoring activities;
- the Scientific Operation Center (SOC), planning the on-board
scientific activities in detail, archiving the orbit-to-orbit
raw telemetry data and monitoring them in order to promptly detect
possible transient events, like GRBs in particular (Quick Look
Analysis, QLA);
- the Science Data Center (SDC), collecting the observation
requests from the astronomical community (previously approved
by a Time Allocation Commettee),
planning long range period observations and
archiving the raw data from the overall mission into the final
data products called ``Final Observation Tapes'' (FOTs), ready
to be delivered to the final users.
All these facilities, apart from the Ground Station, are located
in Telespazio (Rome) and their integration has turned out to be
one of the keys of the stunning successes derived from the first
localizations and X-ray afterglow observations of GRBs.
Once the observation proposals have been approved, they contribute
to the scheduling of the planned observations according to the
following scheme:
- Long-Term Planning
- : a timeline optimizing the satellite
performances, that takes into account the observability and the
operative constraints and priorities;
- Short-Term Planning
- : a one-week detailed timeline defining
the attitude sequences, the orbital links, SAGA passages and the
on-board instruments' set-up for every observation;
- Target Of Opportunity (TOO) Management
- : TOO feasibility
checks and, when positive, quick replanning of the short-term planning.
Subsections
Next: The Final Observation Tape
Up: The Data Management and
Previous: The Data Management and
  Contents
Cristiano Guidorzi
2003-07-31