CREATING COORDINATED PARALLEL OBSERVATIONS

Overview

This document describes how to create coordinated parallel exposures; see the training movie. To create parallel exposures in APT, you create a

Parallel container that holds these related exposures (in the same way there is a

Visit container holding all exposures in a visit). For coordinated parallels, this container holds the Prime exposure (which is by definition the first exposure in the container) and the parallel exposures coordinated with it. Note that when using the Text file for your proposal, you need to use the PAR WITH special requirement to tie the exposures together.

Creating the Prime+Parallel Container

To create the

Prime+Parallel container, you need to have the correct context set in the tree editor. Select either the

Visit container or an

exposure in the visit. In the second row of the tool-bar, click on the

New Parallel button to get the container.

Populating the container

With the container created, either copy/drag an existing exposure into it, or create a new exposure (with the context set to the container, hit the New/New Exposure button). The container will now have a key on the left, which you can open to show the exposure inside. Also note that the title of the container now has the exposure number of what it contains appended to it. The coordinated parallel exposures can now be added to the container, with the first exposure defining the prime instrument. Note that if a second exposure using the same configuration as the first exposure is added, then both exposures will be executed in sequence as prime.

Looking at the results

With the visit(s) specified, run the

Orbit Planner to examine the results; see separate documentation and movie on the Orbit Planner.

The

Orbit Planner output shows the prime COS exposures (1-2). The coordinated parallel exposures for WFC3 (3) and ACS (4) are shown beneath the timeline.

Last modified: May 15, 2013.