GSFC XMM-Newton GOF Status Report #078: AO-2/AO-3/CCF Information

[GSFC XMM-Newton GOF <xmmhelp@olegacy.gsfc.nasa.gov>]

Contents:
1) Funding of AO-2 proposals with recent observations
2) AO-3 Phase 2 (budget) proposals
3) CCF updates

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1) Funding of AO-2 proposals with recent observations

Due to a change in the financial management system here
at GSFC, we have been unable to process grants since
around mid-May.  With a successful transition to the new
system, we expect to begin processing grants in the next
week or two.  We will reduce the backlog as quickly as
possible.

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2) AO-3 Phase 2 (budget) proposals

Tentatively we expect to release the XMM-Newton AO-3
Phase 2 Call for Budget Proposals around mid August with
a due date of mid September.  The budget proposal process
will again be open to US PIs and US Co-Is of foreign PI
proposals.  Details will also be similar to those of AO-1
and AO-2, and will be released with the Call.

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3) CCF updates

The CCF system provides SAS with the flexibility to
incorporate updated calibration information in processing
without requiring a revision of SAS itself.  However, this
means that the version of SAS being used does not
uniquely determine the processing that was used for a
given data set.  The more relevant pieces of information
are the specific CCF constituents used (which, for example,
can be found in the CALINDEX extension of the EPIC photon
event files).

Whether or not reprocessing is necessary with the release
of a new CCF constituent depends on the specific constituent
and the use one is making of the data.  Clearly, if one is only
analyzing EPIC data and the CCF file is specific to the OM
reprocessing is not needed.

The SOC maintains a mailing list to inform users when new
CCF files are released, which can be found at:

http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_sw_cal/calib/index.shtml



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