PLANCK LFI Instrument Performance Monitoring
Instrument performance monitoring is a critical part of mission
operations and the long term performance of the experiment. The instrument
performance monitoring tasks during operations are likely to be divided
into the following categories:
Instrument Performance Monitoring During Operations
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Instrument health and safety
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Is there an immediate threat to the instrument safety?
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Is the instrument within prescribed operating ranges?
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Are the housekeeping trends indicating an incipient problem?
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Are the data being received in proper condition? and being archived properly?
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Are up coming mission operations consistent with proper instrument preservation?
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Are all sensor channels in nominal mode?
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Are all systems and subsystems in proper mode?
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Is instrument health and safety data base and history file in order?
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Is on -board software in proper order?
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Instrument Performance
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Are the indicators of instrument performance within acceptable ranges?
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Do the data appear to be appropriate and in proper value range?
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Are calibration and ancillary data in place and appropriate.
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Are all calibrations and baselines at appropriate levels and trends?
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Follow up of anomalous signals and performance
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On-board processing and software performing properly?
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verification and validation of results
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Instrument Performance Software development
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Software repository contains correct source codes and data base files?
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Data and results transfer and interfaces working properly?
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Special software development for comparison to normal commanding modes
and operations?
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Development and testing of new on-board software and processing and
its testing
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verification and validation of results
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Verification and Validation of Instrument Performance Monitoring
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This is a management issue foremost but requires additional resources
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Focus on continued instrument health and safety and performance monitoring
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Special software development for comparison to normal commanding modes
and operations
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Verification and validation of instrument performance monitoring processes
To provide these major level tasks for PLANCK LFI instrument
performance monitoring will require substantial preparation and also a
reservoir of knowledgeable scientists and engineers. Work will need to
be done prior to launch to develop the instrument monitoring guidelines
and then more after launch to refine and further develop those guidelines.
We can also anticipate that a significant effort will be needed to understand
the instrument performance and trends in much greater detail than the simple
filter, status, sieve, and trending done for the instrument performance
monitoring routinely. This will require personnel
with the expertise to understand the detectors and instrument at a deep
level. e.g. thermal performance, sensor behavior, etc. These are called
out roughly in the following list.
Instrument Performance and Trend Monitoring Preparation and
In-Depth
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Definition of Instrument Performance Monitoring
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Health and Safety factors and issue - specify and define
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Define normal commanding modes and operations
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Define nominal operating status and conditions
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Develop and define instrument monitors and housekeeping for use in instrument
performance monitoring
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Outline nominal instrument performance monitoring
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How does the on-board software and data processing affect instrument performance
monitoring?
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Are there special diagnostic modes of operation or data?
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Specify software development for instrument monitoring
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Software and instrument data base definition
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Data formats for input and output
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Specify instrument performance monitoring results for review and analysis
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Define software and instrument monitoring results reporting and exchange
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Outline future special software development for comparison and further
advance instrument performance monitoring
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Record of commanding modes and operations
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Development of on-board software and processing for instrument performance
monitoring
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How is software verified, validated and delivered?
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In-Depth Analysis of Instrument Performance During Operations
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Expert personnel and scientists investigate the detailed nominal instrument
performance
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Investigation of data taken during special operations or sky targets
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Investigation of data taken for calibration, beam mapping, sources, etc.
as a test and check of instrument performance
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Follow up of anomalous signals and effects
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Development and testing of new software for instrument performance monitoring
as a result of operations
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In-Depth Reports of Instrument Performance
However, all the expertise and knowledge about the instrument
and its various subsystems will not reside there. So the knowledgeable
and responsible personnel will have to provide support in both the development
of the instrument performance monitoring processes, in the processes remotely,
through verification and validation of the instrument performance monitoring,
e.g. review of reports and results, and through in-depth monitoring of
the instrument performance and long-term health. This is one of the areas
in which the US and NASA supported staff can be very valuable to the Planck
mission.
Tasks and Roles for Instrument Experts
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Definition and Development of Instrument Performance Monitoring
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Software specification and development for instrument monitoring
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Provide Expertise and Support for Instrument Performance Monitoring
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Daily shifts of instrument performance monitoring
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Interpretation and Review of results of instrument performance monitoring
process
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Verification and Validation of Instrument Performance Monitoring
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Suggest and Develop instrument performance monitoring processes based on
in-flight results
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In-Depth Analysis of Instrument Performance During Operations