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We have written a Ground Support Equipment program as an Igor Pro XOP |
Ground Support Equipment (GSE) refers to the equipment used on the ground to receive and process data from a spacecraft. We have written a "temporary" GSE for data analysis and display as an Igor Pro XOP (eXternal OPeration). This allows us to see and manipulate science data directly in Igor. The system handles data from the X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) instrument which we are developing at NASA. It also allows commands to be sent to the instrument. The GSE receives data via a TCP connection, and displays it automatically.
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Igor provides the graphical interface, allowing us to concentrate on decoding the data stream |
While developing the XRS instrument, we needed a way to look at the science data graphically and do various forms of analysis. As the graphical display is both the most important part of the GSE and the hardest to write, we decided to use a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) program to provide the interface. We chose Igor Pro because it is capable of handling the large amount of data we get, the XOP model is tightly integrated with the main program, and we are familiar with it. This system will ultimately be replaced by a UNIX-based GSE, which will integrate with the equipment supporting the other instruments on the spacecraft. However, the UNIX GSE will not be ready for at least another year, whereas the XOP-based GSE was initially written in about three weeks.
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What is XRS, anyway? |
XRS is the primary instrument on the Japanese ASTRO-E satellite, due to be launched in 2000 from the Kagoshima Space Center in Japan. XRS is a high-resolution X-ray spectrometer, which will be used to study various astronomical X-ray sources, including supernova remnants, active galaxies (quasars and Seyfert galaxies) and black holes. Find out more about the XRS instrument.
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