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Operations CXO Status Report

Friday 3 January 2003 8.00am EST

I am happy to wish everyone a Happy New Year for 2003 from the Chandra team, but greatly saddened to report the passing on December 25 of our friend and colleague Leon Van Speybroeck. Leon was diagnosed with malignant melanoma after only a short illness, and his passing has come has a great shock to us all. He will be missed as a giant of X-ray astronomy, an insightful scientist with extraordinary engineering judgement and skill in optics design, and as a modest, charming and thoughtful friend and colleague.

During the last two weeks the observing schedule was replanned to include an observation of U Gem that was accepted as a 3 day turn-around Target Of Opportunity (TOO) on 21 December. The schedule was replanned to include two grating observations of the TOO. Observations of NGC 1265 and MAC SJ2228.5+2036 were impacted and will be rescheduled in a later load.

Over the last week, three new high temperatures were recorded, for the Electron Proton Helium INstrument (EPHIN), the EPHIN I/O (EIO), and the Fine Sun Sensor (FSS). The engineering team has been monitoring these and several other systems due to a generally increasing thermal trend. No immediate operational changes are required, however these and other thermal trends are under active study.

Preparations are complete for the Jan 5-9 American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Seattle and include a Chandra press release.

The observing schedule for next week is shown below.

------------------------------------------
2MASS040925+075856      ACIS-S       Jan 5
G266.2-1.2              ACIS-S
NGC3377                 ACIS-S       Jan 6
87GB 0850+2825          ACIS-S
SDSS J101314-005233     ACIS-S
G266.2-1.2              ACIS-S
Radiation Belts                      Jan 7
MACSJ0717.5+3745        ACIS-I
RX J050339.8+451715     ACIS-S       Jan 8
Orion Nebula Cluster    ACIS-I
Radiation Belts                      Jan 10
Orion Nebula Cluster    ACIS-I

------------------------------------------

All spacecraft subsystems continued to operate nominally.

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