Contents

• List of Figures
• List of Tables
  • 1. Mission Overview
    • 1.1 Program Organization
    • 1.2 Unique Capabilities
    • 1.3 Observatory Overview
    • 1.4 Pointing Control and Aspect Determination (PCAD )
    • 1.5 HRMA
    • 1.6 Science Instrument Module (SIM )
      • 1.6.1 Aimpoints
    • 1.7 Ground System
    • 1.8 Orbit
    • 1.9 Particle Detector
    • 1.10 ACIS
    • 1.11 HRC
    • 1.12 HETG
    • 1.13 LETG
    • 1.14 Effective Area Comparisons
    • 1.15 Allocation of observing time
    • 1.16 How to get information and help
  • 2. Spacecraft, Telescope, Operations, & Mission Planning
    • 2.1 Introduction
    • 2.2 Spacecraft
    • 2.3 Telescope System
    • 2.4 Science Instrument Module (SIM )
      • 2.4.1 SIM Motions
    • 2.5 Electron Proton Helium Instrument (EPHIN )
    • 2.6 Operations
      • 2.6.1 Launch and On-orbit Verification
      • 2.6.2 The Ground System
      • 2.6.3 Commanding
      • 2.6.4 Telemetry
      • 2.6.5 SI Science Data
      • 2.6.6 Event Timing and the Spacecraft Clock
    • 2.7 Mission Planning
      • 2.7.1 The Long-Term Schedule
      • 2.7.2 Selecting Candidates for Short-Term Scheduling
      • 2.7.3 The Short Term Scheduling Process
  • 3. Offset Pointing, Visibility, and other Constraints
    • 3.1 Introduction
    • 3.2 Offset Pointing
    • 3.3 Visibility
      • 3.3.1 Radiation Belt Passages
      • 3.3.2 Avoidances
      • 3.3.3 Roll Angles
    • 3.4 Constraints and Considerations
      • 3.4.1 Instrument Constraints and Considerations
      • 3.4.2 User-Imposed Constraints
  • 4. High Resolution Mirror Assembly (HRMA)
    • 4.1 Description and Physical Configuration
    • 4.2 Calibration and Performance
      • 4.2.1 Calibration and Model
      • 4.2.2 HRMA Effective Area
      • 4.2.3 Point-Spread-Function and Encircled Energy Fraction
      • 4.2.4 Effective Area in Flight
    • 4.3 Ghost Images
    • 4.4 Effects of Aspect and Instrument Uncertainties
    • 4.5 HRMA Background Material
      • 4.5.1 Heritage
      • 4.5.2 Exit Cone Angles
      • 4.5.3 Sub-assembly Calibration
      • 4.5.4 Operating Environment
    • 4.6 References
  • 5. Pointing Control and Aspect Determination System
    • 5.1 Introduction
    • 5.2 Physical configuration
      • 5.2.1 ACA
      • 5.2.2 Fiducial lights and Fiducial Transfer System
      • 5.2.3 IRU
      • 5.2.4 Momentum control - RWA and MUPS
    • 5.3 Operating principles
    • 5.4 Performance
    • 5.5 Heritage
    • 5.6 Calibration
      • 5.6.1 Pre-launch calibration
      • 5.6.2 Orbital activation and checkout calibration
      • 5.6.3 On-orbit calibrations
    • 5.7 Operations
      • 5.7.1 PCAD modes
      • 5.7.2 Operational constraints
      • 5.7.3 Output data
    • 5.8 Performing an Observation
      • 5.8.1 Star acquisition
      • 5.8.2 Science pointing scenarios
      • 5.8.3 PCAD capabilities (advanced)
    • 5.9 Ground Processing
      • 5.9.1 Data products
      • 5.9.2 Star catalog
  • 6. ACIS : Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer
    • 6.1 Introduction & Layout
    • 6.2 Basic Principles
    • 6.3 Optical Blocking Filter & Optical Contamination
    • 6.4 Calibration
    • 6.5 Quantum Efficiency and Effective Area
      • 6.5.1 BI Response Matrices
      • 6.5.2 Molecular Contamination of the OBFs
    • 6.6 Spatial Resolution & Encircled Energy
    • 6.7 Energy Resolution
      • 6.7.1 Correcting the Energy Resolution of the FI CCDs
    • 6.8 Hot Pixels and Columns
    • 6.9 Aimpoints
    • 6.10 Dither
      • 6.10.1 Gaps Between the CCDs 
    • 6.11 Operating Modes
      • 6.11.1 Timed Exposure (TE) Mode
      • 6.11.2 Frame Times - Full Frames
      • 6.11.3 Frame Times & Subarrays
      • 6.11.4 Trailed Images
      • 6.11.5 Continuous Clocking (CC) Mode
    • 6.12 Bias Maps and Telemetry Formats
      • 6.12.1 Bias Maps
    • 6.13 Event Grades
      • 6.13.1 Telemetry Formats
    • 6.14 Pileup
      • 6.14.1 Other Consequences of Pileup
      • 6.14.2 Pileup Estimation
      • 6.14.3 Reducing Pileup
    • 6.15 On-Orbit Background
      • 6.15.1 The Non-X-ray Background
      • 6.15.2 The total background
      • 6.15.3 Background variability
      • 6.15.4 Background in Continuous Clocking Mode
    • 6.16 Sensitivity
    • 6.17 Bright Source X-ray Photon Dose Limitations
    • 6.18 Observing Planetary and Solar System Objects with ACIS
      • 6.18.1 Observations with ACIS-I
      • 6.18.2 Observations with ACIS-S
    • 6.19 Observing with ACIS  - the Input Parameters
      • 6.19.1 Required Parameters
      • 6.19.2 Optional Parameters
      • 6.19.3 Non-ACIS Parameters Relevant to an Observation with ACIS 
  • 7. High Resolution Camera (HRC)
    • 7.1 Introduction and Instrument Layout
    • 7.2 Basic Principles
      • 7.2.1 Aimpoints
    • 7.3 Dither
    • 7.4 Spatial Resolution & Encircled Energy
    • 7.5 Energy Resolution
    • 7.6 UV/Ion Shields
    • 7.7 Quantum Efficiency and Effective Area
    • 7.8 On-Orbit Background
      • 7.8.1 HRC-I
      • 7.8.2 HRC-S
      • 7.8.3 Temporally Variable Background
    • 7.9 Source Sensitivity
    • 7.10 Instrument Anomalies
    • 7.11 Calibration
    • 7.12 Operational considerations and constraints
      • 7.12.1 Total Count limits
      • 7.12.2 Count rate limits
    • 7.13 Observing with HRC - Operating Modes
      • 7.13.1 Timing Mode
      • 7.13.2 Edge and Center Blanking
      • 7.13.3 Zero-order Blocking
    • 7.14 References
  • 8. HETG : Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating
    • 8.1 Instrument Overview
      • 8.1.1 Examples of Observations with the HETGS
      • 8.1.2 Scientific Objectives and Grating Heritage
      • 8.1.3 HETGS Operating Principles
      • 8.1.4 HETG Physical Configuration
    • 8.2 Instrument Characteristics
      • 8.2.1 HETGS Effective Area
      • 8.2.2 HETGS Line Response Function
      • 8.2.3 Background
      • 8.2.4 Absolute Wavelength
    • 8.3 Calibration Status
    • 8.4 HETG Operations
      • 8.4.1 Flight Events and Anomalies
      • 8.4.2 Operational Constraints
      • 8.4.3 Output Data
      • 8.4.4 Performance Monitoring, Health and Safety
      • 8.4.5 Thermal Response Time
      • 8.4.6 Observation Frequency/Duty Cycle
      • 8.4.7 Radiation Considerations
    • 8.5 Observation Planning
      • 8.5.1 Focal Plane Detector Considerations
      • 8.5.2 Complications from Multiple Sources
      • 8.5.3 Extended Sources and Spatial-Spectral Effects
      • 8.5.4 Optimizing Detection of Isolated Emission Lines: Choice of Spectrometer
    • 8.6 Simulations with MARX
  • 9. LETG : Low Energy Transmission Grating
    • 9.1 Instrument Description
      • 9.1.1 Scientific Objectives
      • 9.1.2 Heritage
      • 9.1.3 Operating principles
      • 9.1.4 Physical configuration
    • 9.2 Calibration
      • 9.2.1 Pre-launch Calibration
      • 9.2.2 In Flight Calibration
    • 9.3 LETGS Performance
      • 9.3.1 Usage
      • 9.3.2 Wavelength Coverage and Dispersion Relation
      • 9.3.3 Resolving Power
      • 9.3.4 Grating Efficiency
      • 9.3.5 Effective Area
      • 9.3.6 Background
      • 9.3.7 Sample Data
    • 9.4 Observation Planning
      • 9.4.1 HRC-S , ACIS-S and HRC-I Detector Choices
      • 9.4.2 Other Focal Plane Detector Considerations
      • 9.4.3 General Considerations
    • 9.5 Technical Feasibility
      • 9.5.1 Simple Calculation of Exposure Times and Signal-to-Noise Ratio for Line and Continuum Sources
    • 9.6 References
  
  
• I. Appendices
  • A. Contact Information
    • A.1 Contact Information
    • A.2 DO Staff
  • B. Acronym List