******************************************************************************** RELEASE NOTES FOR HEASOFT 6.31.1 December 16, 2022 ******************************************************************************** HEASoft 6.31.1 is a patch-level release driven by bug fixes in the spectral tools (HEASPTOOLS), the Python interface to HEASoft (HEASoftPy), and in NICER mission data analysis software. There is a patch installer utility available, which can be used to update existing 6.31 source code installations to 6.31.1: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/lheasoft/patch.html This link also describes how to patch existing 6.31 pre-compiled binary installations with the 6.31.1 updates. ******************************************************************************** HEACORE ******************************************************************************** - (heautils) Fixed bug in expand_item_list() for multiple long lines in an input file; bug fixes to prevent memory overflows when reading @filename with very long lines ******************************************************************************** ATTITUDE ******************************************************************************** - prefilter: (v4.8) Fixed long-standing bug for some NICER cases reported as 'error: satellite has re-entered'; constraints are now applied by mission during TLE refinement to prevent values from going haywire ******************************************************************************** HEASP ******************************************************************************** - (arfII) Fixed incorrect unit labels, added error check when creating the extension, and forced the ENERG_LO, ENERG_HI, and SPECRESP to be columns even if they have identical values (which should not happen). - (rmf) Added information on total response and energies of largest response to the rmf::disp output. Fix to rmf::multiplyByModel: need to subtract the first channel number, as given by TLMIN4 and stored in m_FirstChannel, from the 'for' loop settings. - (SPio) Added error trapping when writing vector columns. - Regenerated Python interface with changes to correctly include header file modifications and to handle string, arf, and grouping. ******************************************************************************** HEASPTOOLS ******************************************************************************** - ftgenrsp: Fixed overwrite of effective areas by filter transmissions if the latter are input. ******************************************************************************** MAXI ******************************************************************************** - mxversion: Updated version string to "15Nov2022_V02.2" - mxdownload_wget: Corrected URLs in help ******************************************************************************** NICER ******************************************************************************** - NicerUtils.pm: Fixed bug that causes SOLARPHI/SOLAR_PHI error when running nicerl3-spect (reads columns from multiple filter files, both .mkf and .mkf.gz) - nibackgen3C50: Fixed CFITSIO filtering bug in case where many detectors are disabled - nicerl3-lc: Added more informative warning (not error) message when XSPEC plot fails (e.g. when PGPLOT's PNG driver is not available) - nicerl3-spect: Fixed bug handling UFAFILE parameter when not required by the background model; fixed erroneous display of Scorpeon file bins; added more informative warning (not error) message when XSPEC plot fails (e.g. when PGPLOT's PNG driver is not available) - niexposum: Fixed undefined subroutine (NicerUtils) - niswbkgspect / niswbkglc: Fixed bug occurring when average number of FPMs is non-integer - space weather tools: Updated the background event file default CALDB location ******************************************************************************** XSPEC ******************************************************************************** - Xspec patch 12.13.0c is included in this release. For details, please see the Xspec issues page: https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/xanadu/xspec/issues/issues.html ******************************************************************************** HEASoftPy ******************************************************************************** New version 1.2.1: - Always use system par files (i.e. $HEADAS/syspfiles) instead of local par files (~/pfiles) during installation, and in the setup for the utils.local_pfiles module (creates temporary pfiles directories e.g. for scripting), exclude ~/pfiles from the returned PFILES seting. ******************************************************************************** Configuration ******************************************************************************** - lynx (third-party linemode browser used by "fhelp"): Added the '--disable-idna' flag (disable IDNA support) to the lynx configure command: Support for IDNA (Internationalized Domain Names in Applications) is unnecessary for fhelp, and this should fix some rare macOS build problems in which having multiple iconv libraries results in undefined symbols. This issue is described further at https://stackoverflow.com/questions/57734434/libiconv-or-iconv-undefined-symbol-on-mac-osx HEASoft / FTOOLS Help Desk If FTOOLS has been useful in your research, please reference this site (https://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/ftools) and use the ASCL reference for HEASoft [ascl:1408.004] or the ASCL reference for the original FTOOLs paper [ascl:9912.002]: Blackburn, J. K. 1995, in ASP Conf. Ser., Vol. 77, Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems IV, ed. R. A. Shaw, H. E. Payne, and J. J. E. Hayes (San Francisco: ASP), 367. Web page maintained by: Bryan K. Irby HEASARC Home | Observatories | Archive | Calibration | Software | Tools | Students/Teachers/Public Last modified: Tuesday, 20-Dec-2022 11:21:28 EST The Astrophysics Science Division (ASD) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) seeks a creative, innovative individual with strong teamwork and leadership skills to serve as Director of the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC). This will be a permanent civil servant position. + Learn more. |