Read about the day-to-day activities in a series of Field Journals
Scientists and Researchers
Planet Advocates:
Reta Beebe (Jupiter),
Marc Buie (Pluto),
Heidi Hammel (Neptune),
Carolyn Porco (Uranus)
HST Commanding Astronomers:
are responsible for the actual commands
that go to the various HST instruments, such as when to turn them on and
off. This is done to help ensure the health and safety of these
sensitive instruments.
HST Instrument Scientists:
develop and maintain the telescope's
instrument calibration program, reduce and analyze the resulting
calibration data, perform instrument-related data analysis and generate
technical documents. Most Instrument Scientists also devote a portion
of their time on their own astronomy research.
HST Astronomers:
is a broad term including a variety of
different types of astronomers. Astronomers' time can be spent doing
their own research, assisting senior astronomers with data analysis, and
doing functional work (such as managing a group of Instrument
Scientists).
HST Data Analysts:
keep track of what the telescope is doing involving
the various instruments. They look at and reduce the data to a form where
it can be compared with other similar data.
HST Ground System Software Support:
is responsible for writing the
software programs which run the HST ground system. This includes the
programs needed by the astronomers to submit a proposal for observing
time on HST and the software used to transform this information into
the schedules uplinked to the telescope during operations.
HST Operations Specialists:
construct weekly calendars of observations
for the telescope. They take astronomer's proposals for using the HST and
schedule them into the best order for the telescope to use.
HST Program Specialists:
help astronomers who have been given time
on the telescope to plan and execute their observations. When all the
technical questions have been answered, they prepare the observations to
be executed on HST.
HST Data Archive Specialists:
are responsible for all of the past data that
the telescope has observed. They develop software that enables people to
easily identify images already saved and to access these images.
HST Computer Specialists:
are responsible for maintaining all the computers
needed to run the Space Telescope Science Institute.
HST Compression Technical Assistant:
works with the digitized photographic survey
of the whole sky. This photo survey is used to build the Guide Star Catalog
which is used to point HST.
This effort has resulted in the STScI Digitized Sky
Survey, which is a 102 CDROM set.
HST Grants Specialists:
are responsible for issuing and
keeping track of the grant money given to users of the telescope.
Goddard Operations, Control Center, and Ground Systems
Operations Management: responsible for
the day-to-day operations of HST; to make
sure that it is operated in a safe manner, that the scientific
observations are carried out, and to monitor the health and performance
of the spacecraft.
Mission Operations: manage and
coordinate the spacecraft and ground system specialists, investigate
spacecraft problems and implement solutions, and plan for operating new
equipment.
Mission Planning:
works in conjunction with the
Science Institute to process the command loads for the spacecraft and
corrdinate the review and approval prior to uplink to the
satellite.
Operations Servicing Mission:
managers prepare for the
on-orbit missions in which the HST is upgraded with new instruments and
electronics.
Systems Management:
manage the design and operation of the
overall spacecraft and ground system. They help all the players on the
team work well together. They provide broad systems engineering across
all aspects of the HST. This is in contrast to the subsystem engineers,
who have in-depth knowledge of just one subsystem.
Flight Software:
works with the flight computers that
control the HST; responsible for developing new software and maintaining
existing programs.
Instrumentation and Communication:
provides engineering
expertise in radio communications between the spacecraft and
ground.
Electrical Power System/Thermal:
provides engineering expertise on solar
panels, batteries, and heat controls. Provides engineering expertise on
the safing system which protects the satellite when something
breaks.
Pointing Control System:
provides engineering expertise on
the intricate system of gyroscopes, fine guidance sensors, reaction wheel
assemblies, and magnetic torquer bars which gently and accurately point
the telescope at its targets.
Data Management Subsystem:
provides engineering expertise on
the onboard flight computer, tape recorder and the flow of data to/from
the spacecraft.
Data Capture Facility:
receives the downlinked data from the
Hubble and processes the data to make sure it is all there and not
corrupted
Science Instruments:
provides engineering expertise on the
science instruments which record the astonomical data.
Flight Controllers:
watch the satellite minute-by-minute to
make sure it is operating properly.
Ground Systems:
design, build, and modify the vast array of
ground based computers and communications systems which help process the
data and control the HST.
Financial Manager:
tracks the dollars to make sure all
financial obligations and commitments are met
Systems Verification:
test flight and ground software,
procedures, etc. prior to their being used operationally.
Flight Systems and Servicing:
Pat Leahey
All of the people listed above participated in corresponding with us via journals and answering questions. We'd like to extend
a big THANK YOU for all their time and effort!
Note: The people listed above are those who agreed to
participate in Live from Hubble Space Telescope. There are many
more people who comprise the overall Hubble team.
Other astronomers and assistants:
Sanjay Limaye, Richard Glover
Space Telescope Science Institute
Wayne Baggett,
Ron Pitts,
Mike Wenz
Sylvia Baggett,
Chris Burrows,
Jeffrey Hayes,
Robert Jedrzejewski,
Anuradha Koratkar,
Howard Lanning,
David Soderblom
Trisha Borgman,
Howard Bushouse,
Ed Colbert,
Megan Donahue,
Bryan Miller,
Joe Pesce,
Meenakshi Sahu,
Dick Shaw,
Peter Stockman,
Meg Urry,
Nolan Walborn,
Dave Zurek
Inge Heyer,
Peter Mangiafico,
Lisa Sherbert
Marty Durkin,
Mary Alice Rose,
Tony Krueger
George Chapman,
Forrest
Hamilton, Bill Hathaway,
Mark Kochte
Alice Berman,
Ray Lucas,
Karla Peterson,
Max Mutchler,
Chris Ready,
Tony Roman,
Giselle Sleiman
Tom Comeau,
Herb Kennedy
Andy Gerb,
Alex Framarini,
Marian Iannuzzi
Mike Meakes
HST Science Education Specialists:
are responsible for implementing all
the educational-based activities done in conjunction with HST data. This
is done for grades K-12 along with the general public.
Flavio Mendez
Elyse Wagner
The people below are responsible for the engineering and operations
of the HST satellite, including checking all commands for safety and
constantly checking the system to make sure that it is operating
properly. There are two parts to the story, the satellite and the
ground system. The telescope you've seen. The ground system
consists of dozens of computer systems each designed for a special
function. Some systems prepare the intricate lists of commands
needed to take a single observation. Other systems process, check
and display what's happening on HST. Still other systems process
the data into the pictures you see. Each system has a dedicated
staff of programmers and operators who control the process.
Jack Leibee,
Bill Crabb,
Chris Wilkinson,
Eric Isaac, Andy Dougherty Julio Marius,
Kathy Southall,
Gary Kinnaman.
Dave Lychenheim.
Bill Ochs,
Dave DeRenzis
Al Vernacchio, Bob Chapman, David Douds
Leslye Boyce,
Brian Vreeland,
Charlie Hicks,
David Simpson
Harry Wynn
Rick Fredo
Tony Cruz
Brent Hyatt
Angela Manifold
Len Olsen,
Lisa Grove
Lynn Foster Bassford,
Dan Schultz
Mark Lupisella, Caleb Principe,
Tom Walsh
Sherri Thornton
Jeane Ryan
