# Presentation: 135464

## GLAST Users Committee (GUC)Report

- Josh Grindlay
- GLAST SWG Meeting
- SLAC
- Sept. 2, 2005

## GUC Members

- Josh Grindlay (Harvard; Chair)
- Roger Brissenden (SAO)
- Jim Buckley (Washington U.)
- Wim Hermsen (Leiden)
- Don Kniffen (GSFC)
- Jim Ling (JPL)
- Alan Marscher (BU)

- Reshmi Mukherjee (Barnard)
- Rene Ong (UCLA)
- Rita Sambruna (-> ExOfficio?)
- Greg Stacy (LSU)
- Mark Strickman (NRL)
- Ann Wehrle (JPL)

*Ex Officio Members*
- David Band, Neil Gehrels, Rick Harnden, Julie McEnery,
- Chip Meegan, Peter Michelson, Steve Ritz

## June 6-7, 2005, Meeting Agenda

- Agenda for GLAST User's Committee (GUC)
- SLAC, Orange Room (Bldg 40, R140/150)
- June 6-7, 2005
- _Monday, June 6:_
- _ _
- 8:00 	Coffee and sustenance and pre-meeting consultations
- 9:00 	Welcome and Introductions (Persis Drell, SLAC; Josh, Steve)
- 9:05 	Review Aug. ‘04 meeting Minutes (Josh)
-        - inputs for Minutes preparation; archiving “extra” inputs?
- 9:10 	Mission Update – the view from HQ (Rick)
-        - how HQ has dealt with the descope; overall HQ issues
- 9:25 Project Overview, including Spacecraft progress (Steve)
- 9:45  LAT Overview and Science Update (Peter)
-        - overall progress; new science opportunities
- 10:10 LAT Schedule (Lowell Klaisner)
-        - current status, upcoming milestones
- 10:30 	Break

## GUC Agenda, cont.

- 11:00	GBM Overview and Schedule (Chip)
- 11:20 	GSSC Report (David and Jay (by telecon))
-               PDMP (review); Tools for mission & obs. planning
- 11:45 Lunch (in conference room) – pick up lunch and munch over demos...
- 12:00	Demonstration (over lunch) of Likelihood and other Tools (David, Seth D., Jim C. and others)
- 1:00 Review/close-out Action Items from last meeting
*(Items likely requiring significant discussion) *vs. [info item only]
*Merits of pointed observations vs. Survey* (Jim B. et al)
- Policy for Proj. Scientist discretionary time (Rene, Steve)
*GBM sensitivity for BATSE-type Sky Survey* (Jim L., Chip)
- GSSC-LAT responsibilities (Jay, Peter)
- GUC Charter (Josh, Don, Rick)
- LAT data release in year 1 (Pete, Steve)

## GUC Agenda, Cont.

- Science Policy Document (Steve, Roger)
- [Analysis Thread using SAE (Jay)]
- Size of GI program and possible DOE support (Josh, Steve, Peter)
- [Update on PDMP (David, Don)]
*Policy for GLAST Legacy Proposals* (Josh, Rita)
- 3:30 	Break
- 4:00 	LAT Tour
- _Tuesday, June 7:_
- 8:00 	Coffee, rolls and free conversation/collaboration...
- 9:00 	Remaining discussion on any open AIs (Josh)
-       -  GUC convergence on possibly contentious issues (e.g. *AI’s 1, 3, 6*?)
- 9:45   Summary of SWG Activities  (Steve)

## GUC Agenda, cont.

- 11:00 Multiwavelength observations & monitoring (Steve Thorsett, others?)
-        - how to start and maintain monitoring pre-launch
- 11:30  Report on GLAST E/PO (Lynn)
- 12:00 	Lunch (in conference room) and *Science Talk *(**new for GUC meeting day2 lunches**)*:*
*	**Blazar program and plans for GLAST, Roger Romani (Stanford)*
- 1:00 	Executive session of Committee
-       - action items; writing assignments; issues raised for Project/GSSC
- 2:00 	Discussion with Project and GSSC
- planning for DC2
- next GUC meeting
- 3:00 	Adjourn

## Highlights from Minutes(Minutes posted at http://glast.gsfc.nasa.gov/ssc/resources/guc/) 

- Mission Report (Steve Ritz presentation)
- Re-baseline complete for 8/07 launch; HQ very supportive
- S/C structure done; minor concerns re. Qwknuts etc..
- LAT Report (Peter Michelson presentation)
- 4 towers installed; completion by 1/06; work beautifully!
- Review of Data Challenges and planning for DC2
- GUC pleased that diffuse bkgd in model vs. tools differ
- GBM Report (Chip Meegan presentation)
- End-to-end tests imminent; concerns over LE response
- Solar flare(s) in DC2? (GUC will consider at Nov. ‘05 mtg.)

## Analysis Tools (demos)

**David**** ****Band** reported on GSSC development plan for Tools: source detection, spectral analysis. RPS interface and sky maps still to be developed.
**Seth Digel **provided an overview of Science Tools; question raised about blind pulsar searches
**Jim Chiang **gave an extensive demo of Liklihood Analysis tool. GUC commented that considerable cookbook examples need to be provided for the new user community

## Key issues (Action Items – Partial list)

- Pointed observations (AI#1)? (Buckley, McEnery)
- Considered several “pointings”: e.g. GRB afterglows; Blazar variability
- Tradeoffs complicated but in general pointings hard to defend (or this was/is preliminary GUC consensus)
- GUC requests further studies; will try to resolve at Nov. mtg.
- Mission Discretionary Time (MDT) (AI#2) (Ong, Ritz)
- Mission time for response to TOOs and systematics tests
- GUC supports 5 wks/y (10% of time) for MDT; AI closed
- LAT Data release for year 1 (AI#6) (Michelson, Ritz)
- Processed data for ~20 sources; source list TBD before NRA#1
- GUC clarifies policy for GRB prompt data release (e.g. to guide TeV observations): new statement to be provided on website
- Preliminary source catalog released 6mo. after start of Phase 1. AI closed

## Action Items – Partial list (cont.) 

- Science Policy Document (AI#7) (Brissenden, Ritz)
- Defines policy for TOOs; Obs. parameters affecting science; etc
- Under review by GUC; closeout expected at Nov. ’05 meeting
- Size of GI Program (AI#9) (Grindlay, Ritz, Michelson)
- Funding not expected from DOE; NASA to support 80-100 GI programs/year (after cycle 1)
- Strawman distribution of programs &  funding posted
- Cycle 1 program at ~1/2 level (~50 GIs); AI closed
- Legacy Programs (AI#11) (Grindlay, Sambruna)
- GUC recommends GLAST Legacy Program (GLP; new acronym needed!) for Key Projects: long-term surveys, deep samples, etc
- ~3 projects ongoing at any one time; must re-propose to continue
- Under review for overall implementation; closure by Nov. ’05 mtg

## New Action Items and Issues

- AI #12-25 defined and posted in Minutes SWG members invited to comment
- How to deal with inter-agency impasse for support of long term multiwavelength programs?? This will be discussed at next GUC telecon (Sept. 14) and meeting (Nov. 8,9) but input from SWG now would be useful. Should we go to AAAC (Astronomy Astrophysics Advisory Committee – for NSF-NASA-DOE) to seek “help”?