🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1jvcesINNki1@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>, ko_mike@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu 
(Michael Y Ko) writes:

 > I know there are three main sites that receive and control information from 
 > the Hubble Space Telescope. I think they're JPL, Goddard, and Space
 > Telescope Institute in Baltimore.
 > 
 > Can anyone tell me what the function is of the Space Telescope Institute?

Bill Gawne and Ben Zellner both described some of the functions of the 
Space Telescope Science Institute, but lest net-readers think those were 
the _only_ things we'all do in Babylon on the Stony Run, let me add another. 

(To re-cap, Bill G. mentioned science data analysis center for HST science 
data, support for the Guest Observers, and software development.  Ben Z. 
added that we review the engineering data as well as the science data for 
help in science analysis as well as for monitoring the behavior of the 
instruments, and mentioned the occasional real-time commanding.)  

Well, as part of that support for the Observers, we here also make the 
observing schedules for each week, specifying what instruments are to 
look in which observing mode at which celestial targets, subject to 
target visibility (Earth, Moon, and Sun restrictions), radiation impact 
(South Atlantic Anomoly), instrument warm-up and usage times, any time 
or phase criticality of the target (periodic variables, moving targets, 
..) and in my case this morning, TDRS contact availability and data volume 
limits.  There are very many vital steps from proposal submission to 
receipt of the data done here, and while I can't list them all, this 
weekly schedule is an indispensable one.  Each week is scheduled several 
weeks in advance, with the calendar for six weeks in the future being 
started in earnest this week.  

Other divisions here could probably fill pages with their functions, 
(the Educational and Public Affairs office has oodles of lovely info 
for the truly curious) so this note is by no means complete. 

In the vein of telemetry downlink, it was interesting to hear of 
the Deep Space Network / JPL backup.  Now _that_ would add another 
interesting twist to the scheduling.   As if we didn't have enough 
to worrry about.  But we'd be glad to have it if needed. 

Wm. Hathaway - Science Planning and Scheduling System 
               Science Operations Ground System 
               Space Telescope Science Institute 
               Balto MD 21218