Mission Status Report #31 Star Date: February 29, 2000 HAPPY Leap Year!!
This figure summarizes the FUSE spectrum of a hot "subdwarf" star called PG 0749+658. Each panel shows the data from one "channel" of FUSE, and each channel provides data in two separate detector segments with a short gap in coverage in the middle. Note how the gaps are offset so that coverage is maintained at all wavelengths. Also, by looking atthe X-axis scales, you can see how the short wavelength channels (top two panels) and the long wavelength channels (bottom two panels) provide overlapping coverage of the important 1000 - 1100 Angstrom region. If this doesn't look like a "spectrum" to you, you might be interested in visiting our educational page, What are Those Squiggly Lines? Using Light to Learn About the Universe.
(Click figure to see larger version.)
FUSE Data Workshop a SuccessBy all counts, the FUSE mission is progressing well. We are keeping the satellite trained on science targets the majority of the time these days, with occasional forays to special targets that allow us to better manage the alignment of the telescopes. We are currently in another one of those "SAA-impacted time periods (see this previous report for more information). We are proceeding well in making observations for the time period called "Cycle 1" and preparing for the call for proposals for the second round of observing. Regular observations for both Guest Investigators and the FUSE Science Team continue to proceed nominally. The project hosted a Data Workshop for the user community Feb. 14-15, in Baltimore where much current information on the performance of the satellite was shared. Detailed information can be found by following the link above [no longer available], and clicking on any of the highlighted presentations. About 80 people participated in this event, and feedback was very positive. One of the things that came out of the meeting was the announcement that a data set was being released to the user community. This data set, summarized in the figure at the top of this page, can be used to understand more about what it takes to download and manipulate FUSE data. It is not for the faint of heart (or the short of disk space!) For more information on this target, CLICK HERE! Reported by: Bill Blair, Chief of Mission Planning
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