Past Weekly Report Extracts

USRA SOFIA Weekly Report Digest - September 14, 2007

Science and Program Management & Systems Engineering

• Continued development of position descriptions and statements-of-work for FY08 hires
• Worked with project controls and USRA to establish cost accounts by WBS in preparation for Oct 1 cost reporting
• Worked with Science Project to revise WBS elements and collect all USRA deliverables as Level 3 milestones
• Management Team meetings this week with PMtec to complete Work Packages, responsibility assignment matrix, and develop reporting templates and process to status and report out on Baseline
• John McClelland and Eric Becklin will be at DFRC on Thurs to talk with DSI personnel on staffing and procurements

Science and Mission Operations

• Participating in Data Cycle System (DCS) verification efforts.
• Writing draft of the Short Science Data Rights and Usage Agreement
• Integrating tasks and schedule to Early Science with Information Systems Development manager and Science Instrument Development manager
• Writing performance reviews of Science Ops staff

Mission Operations, Engineering And Maintenance

• Travel to Dryden to help with closeout of all Telescope Assembly (TA) open work orders and non-conformities and as well as other final preparations for start of Segment 1 flight tests
• Finished Cable, Harness and Crimp class at Dryden; achieved NASA certification to perform work on SOFIA aircraft and TA
• Started laying out Primary Mirror Assembly (PMA) Alignment components on plywood template on the floor of the Mirror Coating Facility (MCF)
• Identified week of September 24th as best date for SOFIA Science Project Office (SPO) to arrange for initial cleaning of MCF
• Presented Mirror Coating overview to new NASA Code Q participants
• Reviewed and commented on space planning concept drawings for SOFIA Operations Center Mirror Coating Facility (MCF) and various lab spaces

Science Instruments

• Reviewed FORCAST milestones to Early Science, 2008 work plan and budget plan
• Reviewed GREAT instrument Early Science effort for inclusion in schedule
• Supported airworthiness meeting with NASA-Ames and Dryden personnel
• Supported Principal Investigator (PI) rack submittal data preparation
• Reviewed counterweight rack status and planned for new build

Information Technology & Information Systems Development

• Met with NASA Software Quality Assurance re: DCS verification
• Began Data Cycle System (DCS) verification dry-run testing.
• Finalized DCS verification test plan
• Continued performance testing for Flight Planning Editor Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) (est. completion: Sept 14)
• Continued test case development for Flight Planning Editor GUI release testing (est. completion: Sept 14)
• Continued analysis of integrated SOFIA Command Language (SCL) (est. completion Sept 21)

Education and Public Outreach

• Staffed SOFIA exhibit with program and E&PO handouts, in collaboration with Dryden Public Affairs office, at Wired Magazine's "NextFest" (Sept. 13-16, Los Angeles)
• Assisted Dryden Public Affairs office in preparing press release regarding NASA exhibits (including SOFIA) at "NextFest"
• Assisted USRA HQ in preparing press release regarding SOFIA program's award of California Space Authority "SpotBeam" award
• Gave talk on infrared astronomy and SOFIA to Antelope Valley Astronomy Club
• Continued preparation for:   (a) AAS Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) annual meeting (Oct. 7-12, Orlando), (b) Holloman AFB / X-Prize national air show (Oct. 24-28, New Mexico), and (c) California Science Teachers Association (CSTA) annual convention (Oct. 25-27, Long Beach)
• Continued working with ARC Director's Office to plan events for SOFIA's visit to Ames in October

UPCOMING ACTIVITIES / EVENTS / MILESTONES:

Science and Program Management & Systems Engineering

• Continuing definition of Early Science
• Continuing definition of staffing plan and hiring strategy for staff ramp-up in FY08/09
• Start working to Baseline October 1 with essential project control systems in place

Science and Mission Operations

• Week of Sep 17: Keck telescope observing run, Mauna Kea (W. Vacca)
• Sep 24-27: James Webb Space Telescope workshop on synergy with other missions, Tucson
• Sep 26: University of San Francisco physics department colloquium re. SOFIA (D. Backman)
• Dec 6-8: SOFIA's 2020 Vision Workshop at Caltech
• Jan. 8: SOFIA special session at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting, Austin, Texas, to gather community input regarding SOFIA's science priorities

Mission Operations, Engineering And Maintenance

• Travel to DFRC week of September 17th to: (a) support combined system test (CST) on aircraft, plus (b) help with closeout of all Telescope Assembly (TA) non-conformities and final preparations for start of closed door flights
• Attend Confined Space Entry training at NASA-Ames for upcoming Mirror Coating Facility (MCF) work

Information Technology & Information Systems Development

• Complete DCS verification against minimum science capabilities: Sep 30
• Release Flight Planning Editor to early science SI teams: Nov 19

Education and Public Outreach

• Oct 7-12: SOFIA exhibit at AAS Division of Planetary Sciences (DPS) annual meeting in Orlando
• Oct. 24-28: SOFIA exhibit at Holloman AFB / X-Prize air show in New Mexico
• Oct. 25-27: SETI / SOFIA / Kepler joint exhibit at California Science Teachers Association meeting in Long Beach, plus talk on infrared astronomy and SOFIA, 10/27
• Nov. 16: Talk on infrared astronomy and SOFIA at Turtle Bay science museum in Redding, California, jointly sponsored by SETI Institute