TO: All GCN Sites 21 Dec 04 RE: Sign-up for GCN/Swift Notices SIGN-UP: This is the announcement for the public availabiltiy of the GCN/Swift Notices. People should make their their requests for which Swift GCN Notices they want to receive. Send those requests to: scott@milkyway.gsfc.nasa.gov (Replies to this email go to another place and may not be noticed for several days.) NOTICE TYPES: There are 23 different types of information from the Swift mission. Since some of these Notices are of a sufficiently different type of content than previous missions (ie images, spectra, etc), that people may need to study the web pages (see below) carefully to determine which types are suitable for their specific operation. Please note that 3 types are not yet available. Note that there 3 groups of messages: Flight-Generated: SWIFT_BAT_GRB_ALERT // BAT GRB ALERT SWIFT_BAT_GRB_POSITION // BAT GRB Position Acknowledge SWIFT_BAT_GRB_NACK_POSITION // BAT GRB No Position SWIFT_BAT_GRB_LIGHTCURVE // BAT Lightcurve SWIFT_FOM_OBSERVE // FOM decision about the merit check SWIFT_SC_SLEW // S/C decision about slewing or not SWIFT_XRT_POSITION // XRT Position of afterglow SWIFT_XRT_SPECTRUM // XRT Spectruma of afterglow SWIFT_XRT_IMAGE // XRT Image of afterglow SWIFT_XRT_LIGHTCURVE // XRT Lightcurve of afterglow SWIFT_XRT_NACK_POSITION // XRT did not find a position SWIFT_UVOT_DARKBURST // UVOT full-pixel image SWIFT_UVOT_FINDCHART // UVOT sifted-pixel image Ground Re-Processed: SWIFT_BAT_GRB_LIGHTCURVE_PROC // Ground processed version SWIFT_XRT_SPECTRUM_PROC // Ground processed version SWIFT_XRT_IMAGE_PROC // Ground processed version SWIFT_UVOT_DARKBURST_PROC // Ground processed version SWIFT_UVOT_FINDCHART_PROC // Ground processed version SWIFT_UVOT_POSITION // UVOT afterglow position Misc: SWIFT_BAT_GRB_POS_TEST // BAT GRB Position Test message SWIFT_POINT_DIR [NOT YET AVAILABLE] // Pointing Direction message SWIFT_FULL_DATA_INIT [NOT YET AVAILABLE] // Is the initial data set available SWIFT_FULL_DATA_UPDATE [NOT YET AVAILABLE] // Has the initial data set been updated CONTENTS and FORMATS: A detailed description of the Swift Notices is contained in: http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/swift.html and for the socket sites, the packets are defined in: http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/sock_pkt_def_doc.html The Swift mission has packet types 60 through 83. The email/pager/cell sites are encouraged to also read the sock_pkt_def_doc web page, because the same fields that are in the socket packets also appear as the various "TOKEN: value" lines in the email-based distribution formats. Socket sites are also encouraged to look at the socket_demo program to understand the socket packet formats and the content -- there are generic packet unpacking routines therein. http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn/socket_demo.c The formats and contents are not frozen at this time. There is still a few details to be worked out (eg the TBDs). During the first few weeks of the post-launch verification phase, some things may be learned which necessitate some tweaking of the basic formats and contents listed in the web pages. But for now, it is more than 99% complete and static. ATTACHMENTS: 1) For the full_email-based recipients, they can also select if they want to receive the various lightcurves, images, and spectra as attachments. There are only two choices: a) you select no attachments, or b) you get all the attachments (currently, there is no possibility to get the UVOT_DARKBURST Notice with the actual image attached, and get, say, get the XRT_SPECTRUM Notice without its spectrum attachment). These attachments are not big, so getting a couple of the Notice types with attachments that you do not want will not be a burden on your email inbox. You also have to specify which format you want: FITS, GIF, JPEG, Postscript. 2) Not all the Notice types that are slated to have attachments are completed at the moment. They will all be done by L+135. There will be separate announcments as these progress. If you select attachments, then you will receive them as they become available. SCHEDULE: There are 3 phases of availability: 1) Even though the Swift launched 20 Nov 2004, the fully automated phase of the GCN/Swift Notices (positions, images, spectra, & lightcurves) will not be immediately available. The Swift team will be performing an on-orbit check-out, during which the positions will not be made available to the public in real time. The positions will be distributed with some delay through the GCN Circulars. There are numerous cross-checks and calibrations that must be performed to guarantee the safety of the spacecraft & instruments and the accuracy of the burst Notices. (This phase is already happening.) 2) After this some of the check-out period has happened, the positions (& the other information types) will be available and distributed through GCN Notices, also with some delay. (The official check-out interval is 135 days, however the distribution of positions may happen sooner if the various instrument teams develop confidence in their instruments sooner.) During the check-out period, if a burst is determined by the instrument teams to be of high enough confidence, then it will be distributed with some delay. Initially, that delay will be in the 12-24 hr range, and then as procedures and confidence builds, it may drop to a few hours. 3) And then full automatic distribution will start. Full-auto means from the Swift FSW, through TDRSS, to GCN, out to the world; with no human intervention/inspection/processing in the loop. This will happen no later than L+135 days (and may happen sooner if all goes well). OTHER: Of course, you can take this opportunity to change any of the other parameters in your configuration. Sincerely, Scott Barthelmy NASA-GSFC, Code 661, Greenbelt, MD 20771 PHONE: 301-286-3106 (office) FAX: 301-286-1684 (1st choice, -1682 2nd choice) EMAIL: scott@lheamail.gsfc.nasa.gov PAGER: 3013134808@my2way.com (by email, ~200 characters/message) WEB: http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov/gcn