About the ISOC

Scheduled for launch in 2008, GLAST has two instruments onboard: the Large Area Telescope (LAT), and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM).

Responsible for maximizing the LAT's science performance, the ISOC is organized into three groups:

• Flight Operations
• Science Operations
• Science Analysis Systems

Key Functions:

• Command planning
• Generating and validating commands and command sequences
• Monitoring the LAT's health and safety
• Maintaining and modifying flight software and the LAT testbed
• Verifying and optimizing LAT performance
• Processing and archiving Level 1 and Level 2 data
• Maintaining and optimizing the software that produces science data products
• Distributing science data products and instrument analysis tools to the LAT Collaboration
  and the GLAST Science Support Center (GSSC)

LAT Data Flow:

The ISOC receives Level 0 "raw" data and real time housekeeping data from the Missions Operations Center (MOC). After processing this data, the ISOC then delivers Level 1 data (i.e., data in FT1 format that is ready for scientific analysis) plus the spacecraft's Level 2 (pointing and livetime history data in standard FT2 format), as well as specialized instrument analysis tools to the LAT Collaboration and to the GLAST Science Support Center (GSSC). In addition, all intermediate pipeline products are delivered to the LAT Collaboration.

The ISOC also creates new calibration files as needed, and prepares observation schedules. Corresponding instrument uploads and commands are delivered to both the GSSC and the MOC; and schedules are delivered to the GSSC. Refined alerts are delivered to the Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) Coordinates Network (GCN).

Also See:

• The GLAST LAT ISOC (poster)
• ISOC Data Flow