8. Guest Observer Support

In this chapter, we describe Suzaku GOF's primary functions for Guest Observer (GO) support. GOF focuses its effort on supporting professional astronomers located in the United States who submit Suzaku proposals and analyze Suzaku data. Suzaku observers in Japan and other countries and the Suzaku archives users all over the world are also within the scope of the Suzaku GOF support, though their primary contact should be the Japanese help desk at RIKEN laboratory.

In order to perform the following GO support tasks, Suzaku GOF in cooperation with other groups under OGIP will develop infrastructures such as software, documents and database systems.

8.1 On-Line Service and Help

Suzaku GOF release most updated information through WWW at the Suzaku GOF home page,

http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/suzaku/.
On-line help desk is available via the Feedback feature of the GOF web site, to which GOs can ask any questions regarding Suzaku. Recipients will be the Suzaku GOF members. Suzaku GOF shall have a rota system so that, at any given time, a single GOF scientist is responsible for all incoming questions.

There shall be extensive Suzaku on-line databases with which GOs can retrieve various Suzaku information as well as the archival data. Details on the Suzaku database and archives are explained in the next chapter.

8.2 Proposal Support

NASA releases NRAs (NASA Research Announcements) for US based astronomers to obtain Suzaku data, currently as an element of an omnibus announcement. Suzaku GOF is responsible for preparing technical information associated with such NRAs, including instrumental specs required for GOs to prepare proposals. Suzaku GOF will supply simulation tools (section 5.2) and observation planning tools (section 5.1) which are intended to be used by prospective GOs in the course of preparing proposals.

GO proposals will be submitted electronically through the multi-mission Remote Proposal Submission (RPS) system.

8.3 Observation Planning

Suzaku GOF will give expert advice to GOs how to plan their observations, such as best instrumental modes, observational constraints, pointing directions, roll angles and so on. Preliminary observational plans should be given in the proposals, and the final plans must be confirmed by GOs prior to the observations. The procedure is that GOF members contact GOs when the short term observation schedule is released, and ask GOs if there might be any changes from the observations plans in the proposals. If necessary, GOs may make small changes at this stage (e.g., slight change of the roll-angle) consulting GOF advice. Suzaku GOF conveys the final GO observation plans to ISAS, and the ISAS satellite operation team incorporates the final plans into the command stream.

8.4 Pipeline Processing and Data Distribution

Suzaku GOF receive data from ISAS and process them by adding calibration information so that the processed data are ready to be reduced to the scientific information (section 6.1). The software for processing will be mainly developed by Suzaku GOF in cooperation with the instrument teams (section 6.1). The US GOs receive the processed data from GSFC. By default, data will be encrypted and made available for download, and the encryption key will be communicated to the GOs. Under exceptional circumstances, other distribution methods (such as using a CD-ROM) may be considered.

8.5 Data Analysis Support

It is expected that GOs would obtain data analysis softwares from OGIP/Suzaku GOF through Internet, install them, and use them to analyze their data on their own computers. The analysis software will be developed and supplied by Suzaku GOF and OGIP, and should be simple to install and use (section 3.1). Extensive documents and on-line help should be provided to assist software installation and use, and a standard and thorough data analysis manual should be written by Suzaku GOF. The primary method for GOs to submit questions is via the Feedback feature of the GOF web site.

8.6 Community Oversight

A Suzaku Users Group has been established to provide advise on the Suzaku GOF services. The Suzaku Users Group will have regular meetings to discuss guest observer support issues.