Overview

All of the JMS tools require a modern web browser, such as Internet Explorer 4.0+, Netscape 4.0+, Opera, Safari, etc. Both JavaScript and cookies should be enabled. Some of the tools, such as the ABmag calculator, are implemented as applets, which require that the browser be Java-enabled as well.

A history of releases associated with the JMS tools will be reported in this page. Users need to be aware that some changes will require web pages to be reloaded.

JMS Software Release History

The JWST Mission Simulator (JMS) is the successor to the original NGST Mission Simulator (NMS).

NMS Software Release History

NMS was the predecessor to the JMS system.

Name Comments
Release_3.6_01-MAR-2003 The changes with this release are:
  • The MET now supports timing link sets, added to the associated revision v2.6 of the NMS Design Reference Mission (DRM) in order to meet the scientific requirements for relative time intervals between observations of science targets. (see 46430 below)
  • Previously, the MET greedy scheduling algorithm would schedule visits at their "best times" over all remaining scheduling windows on the calendar. This could result in very loosely packed calendars. For example, considering the telescope's orbital period (roughly one year), ten identical visits (each of one hour's duration, with one target visibility window per orbit) would schedule a year apart from each other. Each visit would schedule at the optimal time, one per orbit. This would result in a ten-year mission duration, with only 10 hours of visit time. When the full DRM was scheduled, 999 out of 1,000 visits scheduled over the full mission duration of 10 years, with numerous large gaps between visits. The scheduling algorithm has been modified, however, allowing the user to specify an absolute tolerance (in seconds) and a relative tolerance (in percent), used as follows. Each visit is now scheduled at the earliest available time in which the visit duration is within either tolerance (absolute or relative) of the optimal visit duration over the entire mission timeline. The new scheduler now succeeds in scheduling all visits of the NMS DRM within a 5.3-year mission, whereas the previous version could only schedule 999 of 1000 visits using a 10-year mission. The new schedule enforces timing links involving 40% of the visits, whereas the previous result had no timing links. The new schedule was obtained using the modified-greedy algorithm and a 5%/10-second limit on the increase of visit duration at the scheduled time. The total visit duration of the NMS v3.6/DRM v2.6 is thereby increased by 2.9% over the NMS v3.5/DRM v2.5 result. (see 47278 below)
  • Release Notes for DRM v2.6: This new version of NMS Design Reference Mission (DRM) is version 2.6. It is based upon the NMS DRM specifications originally developed by the Ad Hoc Science Working Group (ASWG), which themselves represent the configured science progam descriptions written by the ASWG (as controlled by the JWST Configuration Change Board). Two kinds of changes have been made in order to convert NMS DRM v2.5 to v2.6.
    • First, a few very long visits were broken into a number of scientifically equivalent visits (i.e., the S/N of the new set is equal to the S/N of the original single visit.) This was done because the duration of the original visits exceeded the target visibility window, or because the single, long-duration visit was difficult to schedule in competition with other visits.
    • Second, timing links between visits were added in order to represent the scientific requirements of the programs. For example, a group of observations may need to be performed with particular intervals of time between them. These linkages affect about 40% of the visits in the DRM. These timing links are enforced during scheduling by the revised scheduler in the associated release of NMS v3.6. In the DRM data file these timing links are represented by a new kind of record that identifies the timing link set, identifies a pair of affected visits, the kind of timing link (within, without, before, or after), the value of the time interval, and the scheduling tolerance on that time interval. Each record describes the link between a pair of visits, but an unlimited number of such records may comprise a timing link set.
    • These two kinds of changes to the DRM do not affect the quality of the science data to be obtained, but do improve the fidelity of the NMS-determined science schedule. The changes to the DRM may be characterized as follows:
      • Four visits in program P022 ("The Ages and Chemistry of the Oldest Stellar Halo Populations") were split into a several shorter-duration visits.
      • Timing links were specified for visits in the seven programs:
        • P002 The Age of the Oldest Stars from the Faint End Slope of the White Dwarf Luminosity Function in Globular Clusters
        • P006 Microlensing in the Virgo Cluster and the Role of Baryonic Dark Matter in the Universe
        • P007 A Survey of the Trans-Neptunian Region
        • P014 Formation and Evolution of Galaxies I: The Deep Imaging Survey(s)
        • P018 Observing the IR Transients of Gamma-Ray Bursts and Their Host Galaxies
        • P021 A Complete Initial Mass Function for Old Stellar Populations
        • P022 The Ages and Chemistry of the Oldest Stellar Halo Populations.
      • The specific changes to the NMS DRM described in the following. A 10%-tolerance was generally adopted on each of the timing specifications, although not specified in the ASWG proposals. A broader discussion of the scientific requirements for the timing links may be found in the memorandum, "An investigation of 0-length slews," by L. Petro (June 5, 2002.)
        • The long duration visits P022V0009 and P022V0010 were split into 9 visits with associated 9 timing links, in order to reduce the 90-day duration required by the original visits. Also, P022V0013 & P022V0014 were split in the same manner, in order to avoid the 40-day duration required by the single visits. The S/N of each new visit was reduced from that of the single-visit by the square root of the number of the new visits. (See item 8 below for links implemented to protect colors from target variations.)
        • In P002, each set of 3 visits is to complete within 35 days.
        • In P006, each of the 30 visits are to be separated by 1 +/- 0.1 day.
        • In P007, the 3 visits in each set are are to be separated by 3.5 +/- 0.3 day.
        • In P014, two pairs of visits are each to have separations of 49 +/- 2 day.
        • In P018, the 3-visit sets are to have the visits in a sequence with separation 4 +/- 0.2 day and 16 +/- 1.0 day. Also, the 4-visit sets are to have the visits in a sequence with separation 4 +/- 0.2 day, 16 +/- 1.0 day, and 20 +/- 4.0 day. Also, the visits are assigned to 3 one-year intervals (Cycles in HST parlance.)
        • In P021, each of the thirteeen pairs of visits are to complete within 20 days.
        • In P022, each of six pairs of visits are to complete within 15 days. These pairs are 2-color exposures at 0.65 and 0.8 microns. Also, each of eighteen pairs of visits are to complete within 20 days. These pairs are 2-color exposures at 0.65 and 0.8 microns.
  • When running the MET via the web interface, the report file now includes the visit target coordinates, the slew data between scheduled visits, and compiled slew-related statistics over the entire calendar.
  • When running the MET repeatedly with the same input data (deck data), but using different scheduling-related parameters, the same exposure times were being calculated over and over again for each met run. Because the exposure time calculations are the dominant (> 90%) source of MET run duration, a new capability was added to the command line version of met. That is, one can preserve an exposure time data file between MET runs, and reuse this exposure time data file for other met runs, as long as one is sure that the exposure times are the same for those MET runs. This can shrink some MET run times from 1.5 hours (using 15 cpu's, in parallel) to about 10 minutes (with 1 cpu). (see 47428 below)
  • If any timing linked visit fails to schedule, than all visits in the same timing link set should be left as unscheduled. Previously, "partial timing link set scheduling" was permitted. (see 47078 below)
  • When scheduling a given timing linked visit, all visits in the timing link set are now scheduled contiguously, instead of alternating between visits in various different timing link sets. (see 47006 below)
  • During the implementation of timing link sets (46430), numerous time-related "roundoff errors" and window "edge effects" were encountered that resulted in repetitive modifications to the software. It was realized that constructing and using visit schedulability windows, specified in "mission time steps", was at the root of this problem. As a result, the entire MET scheduling algorithm was modified to use true time windows (in units of seconds), thereby eliminating all of the previously described problems. This greatly streamlines the timing link set scheduling algorithm, already implemented. (see 46672 below)
  • The MET has been modified, to restrict the scheduling of any visit to begin at or later than the time epoch specified for that visit in the drm. Previously, visits could schedule anywhere on the mission timeline, so long as the visit's target was visible. (see 47275 below)
  • Visibility window data is now displayed for visits that have been scheduled by the MET. This visibility window data is displayed as a number ranging from 0.0 to 1.0, computed as the ratio of mission time when the observation's target is visible (not in sun avoidance) to the total mission time. (see 47277 below)
  • After the addition of the finite-element stray light model (40734 in NMS 3.0), it was realized that new deck-derived parameters used in the stray light calculations were not being written to the report file. All of these parameters are now included in the report.
  • When calculating exposure times with both the ETC and MET, observations with "identical data" are pre-identified as duplicates, and the exposure time and self-emission data are then calculated for only one of the duplicates. In this case "identical data" means that all data pertinent to the exposure time calculation are the same between the two observations. (see 45969 below)
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 47278 - MET should use user-specified tolerance in ranking best scheduling places
    2. 47428 - NMS should support ability to read a previously created self-emission file
    3. 47275 - MET should not schedule a visit before its DRM-specified time epoch
    4. 47277 - MET should display visibility window data in output report
    5. 47078 - MET should not schedule any time-linked visits if any members fail to schedule
    6. 47006 - MET should schedule all su's in a given timing linkset together
    7. 46672 - MET should use time windows, not only time steps, for scheduling
    8. 46430 - MET should support timing linksets
    9. 46284 - NMS is not writing all deck parameters to report file
    10. 45969 - NMS should recognize duplicate pointing observations
- The changes with this release are:
  • The Java servlet has been migrated from Apache 1.3.12/JServ 1.1 to Apache 1.3.26/Tomcat 3.3.1. There are no changes to the NMS executable itself.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 46068 - Upgrade NMS servlet from Apache JServ 1.1 to Jakarta Tomcat 3.3
Release_3.5_07-JUN-2002 The changes with this release are:
  • In both ISIM data files, the major slew rate has been changed from 15 degrees/hour to 90 degrees/hour. This major slew rate is now used by the met in some cases (see OPR 45867 below).
  • Code maintenance of the nms has been affected, and will continue to be performed through the next release, to implement, where possible, the C++ STL, as well as the elimination of anachronistic homegrown libraries whose functionality is now part of the C++ standard.
  • The wavelength dependent PSF data are now written in three separate reports in the output file -- emissivity, reflectivity, and sharpness. Previously, all three types of PSF data were written in the same table, and the table could contain incorrect/invalid data.
  • When running the met with the report type of SCHED_POS, the report file now contains data for slews between scheduled visits (slew angle in degrees and slew duration in hours). In addition, near the start of the report file, slew statistics over the entire mission timeline are compiled, including total slew angle, total slew duration, and mean slew angle and duration. For the mean slew angle and duration, two means are computed. The first includes all slews (including zero-length slews). The second includes only non-zero-length slews.
  • The URL for the main NGST web site has been updated.
  • The NMS Sensitivity tool web page has been adjusted to behave correctly when validating user input.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 45890 - nms major slew rate is incorrect
    2. 45782 - NMS should use C++ STL wherever possible
    3. 45877 - nms PSF data being incorrectly written to report file
    4. 45867 - met should compile slew statistics for final report
    5. 45967 - Configure nms files for Build 3.5
    6. 45740 - Update NMS web pages to reference new NGST site
Release_3.4_05-APR-2002 The changes with this release are:
  • The Sensitivity Tool can now be easily run over a range of wavelengths by specifying a min/max wavelength, number of wavelength steps, and stepping mode (linear or logarithmic), used for computing sensitivities over all observations in the DRM.
  • In addition to specifying target coordinates in RA/DEC (Equatorial Coordinates), coordinates may also be specified in Ecliptic Longitude/Latitude and Galactic Longitude/Latitude. For the Backgrounds Tool, coordinates may also be specified in Heliocentric Ecliptic Longitude/Latitude. Output reports will accordingly display the target coordinates as they were originally specified.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 45268 - nms sensitivity tool should be runnable over many wavelengths and configs
    2. 44263 - NMS should accept non-equatorial target coordinates
    3. 45551 - Configure NMS files for NMS Release 3.4
Release_3.3_14-FEB-2002 The changes with this release are:
  • A new reporting option was added to NMS, which calculates the "backgrounds" (primary/secondary mirror self-emission, as well as sunshield scatter, zodiacal light, and starlight scatter from the primary/secondary mirrors) as a function of target position, wavelength, time, and science instrument configuration parameters. The on-axis zodiacal light is also calculated. The backgrounds can be calculated in units of incident sky intensity (Megajanskies/steradian) or detector signal (counts/pixel/second).
  • Both the "Goals" and the "Requirements" ISIM Files have been modified, to eliminate all references to the TIR-ACCUM and TIR-SPEC Instrument Configurations.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 44191 - nms backgrounds report should be able to display backgrounds in "sky units"
    2. 45208 - Remove TIR-SPEC/TIR-ACCUM from NMS ISIM Decks
Release_3.2c_05-FEB-2002 The changes with this release are:
  • The ISIM requirements file was modified as follows: The quantum efficiency functions that represented expected wavelength dependent performance of InSb and Si:As detectors have been replaced. For the NIR detector the new quantum efficiency is piece wise constant at 0.7 and 0.8, with a break at 1.0 microns. For the MIR detector the quantum efficiency is constant at 0.5 between 5 and 27 microns. The number of pixels per MUX/readout amplifier for the mid-IR has been reduced from 1.6E6 to 3E5.
  • The ISIM goals file was modified as follows: The quantum efficiency functions that represented expected wavelength dependent performance of InSb and Si:As detectors have been replaced. For the NIR detector the new quantum efficiency is piecewise constant at 0.90 and 0.95, with a break at 1.0 microns. For the MIR detector the quantum efficiency is constant at 0.6 between 5 and 30 microns. The number of pixels per MUX/readout amplifier for the mid-IR has been reduced from 1.6E6 to 3E5. The number of significant figures for the NIR and MIR read noise have been increased.
  • The DRM file was modified as follows: Observations at 28 microns have been modified in order to be consistent with the 5-to-27 micron detector requirement. Two observations at 28.2 microns have been removed from the DRM. Ten multi-color survey images have been modified to use a 27 micron filter.
  • The mailto: list on each web page was replaced with a link to a main Contacts Page (contacts.html) listing the NMS staff members.
  • The MET page was also modified to pre-select the scoring mode option DIFFERENCE as the default, rather than RATIO.
  • The menu section atop each page was adjusted to use a common external file containing Javascript code. A link was added, on the documents page, to the NMS Peer Review document (27 Apr 2001), provided by Larry Petro.
  • Decreased the step-size used in iteratively determining NGST nominal roll to decrease the impact of "edge effects" when calculating scattered light intensities.
  • NMS now validates LINEAR and SPLINE wave data records, specified in the Architecture and ISIM Data Files. Previously, all data was assumed to be specified to use cubic spline interpolation, even if the user desired to use linear interpolation.
  • NMS now handles observations with wavelengths that are exactly equal to the minimum or maximum wavelength specified in any ARCH/ISIM wave_data records which are relevant for those observations. Previously, the observational wavelengths had to fall strictly inside the wave_data wavelength ranges.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 44426 - Replace "Chris Sontag" with "John Boia" in software & documentation
    2. 44894 - Create new web page interface for backgrounds report
    3. 44900 - Assorted minor web page changes
    4. 44839 - NMS should use finer angle step size when calculating nominal roll
    5. 45143 - Configure NMS 3.2c files
    6. 45137 - NMS must properly validate LINEAR versus SPLINE wave data records
Release_3.2b_10-AUG-2001 The changes with this release are:
  • The ASWG DRM has been revised to remove observations that require capabilities that are not part of the anticipated performance of the science instruments, as recommended by the Project Scientist. Those capabilities are high dispersion (R > 1,500) NIR and MIR spectroscopy and high-dynamic range coronagraphy. The affected programs are numbers 15, 16, 20, 23, and 30.
  • A memory overwrite error has been fixed, when running nms in -multicpu mode.
  • A minor change was made to the PSF data in the Architecture Deck, at a wavelength of 0.7 microns.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 44350 - Configure NMS DRM File, Version 2.4
    2. 44318 - NMS -multicpu memory overwrite error when creating unix scripts
    3. 44409 - Update NMS Architecture Deck Sharpness Value at 0.7 microns
Release_3.2a_14-JUN-2001 The changes with this release are:
  • Values of some detector characteristics in the "ISIM Requirements" and "ISIM Goals" data files are corrected with this release. The previous release, v3.2, was intended to make the Requirement and Goal values consistent with NGST Document #641, but certain values were inadvertently unchanged. The changes with the present release are: NIR and MIR detector dark current in the "ISIM Requirements" file; and in the "ISIM Goals" file the NIR and MIR dark current and well depth.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 44044 - New Isim Deck files needed for NMS 3.2a
Release_3.2_10-MAY-2001 The changes with this release are:
  • Updates have been made to the NMS Spacecraft/Telescope input file, in order to make the NGST specifications consistent with the Level 1 and Level 2 requirements. The principal changes result from changing the mirror diameter from 8 m to 6 m. Other dimensions of the OTA and observatory are scaled from the former 8-m Yardstick design to be consistent with the new diameter of the primary mirror . Furthermore, the temperature of the primary and secondary mirror is changed to 45 K, and the f/ratio of the intermediate focus is changed to f/19.11.
  • Updates have been made to the ISIM input file to be consistent with NGST document #641, "Technology Development Specifications for NGST Detectors." That document contains both requirements and goals. Therefore, instead of having a single ISIM input file, there are now two configured ISIM files, the "Requirements" Deck, and the "Goals" file. Changes are made, effective with this release, to the values of the pixel length, pixel dark current, pixel read noise, pixel read time, pixel well depth, and detector quantum efficiency for both the NIR and MIR detectors. The number of pixels for the NIR MOS has been adjusted in order to match the pixel scale of the ESA design study.
  • The network-distributed implementation of NMS (multi-cpu processing) has been enhanced to allow for greater processing efficiency. Now, faster nodes in the network will perform more processing than slower nodes. Previously, slow nodes received as much work as fast nodes, and the whole process spent a lot of time waiting for slow nodes to complete their share of the processing load.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 43831 - New NMS Deck Files For NMS 3.2
    2. 43171 - NMS Speedup when using multi-node stray light model
Release_3.1_20-APR-2001 The changes with this release are:
  • When running in batch mode, for select users, NMS now runs in a mode in which the exposure time calculations (for -etc and -met) are distributed, in parallel, across a group of workstations (as opposed to running serially on one workstation). This significantly speeds up processing when using the "new" stray light model.
  • In -met mode, NMS was recalculating background light intensities a second time, for all scheduled observations, at the time points when these observations scheduled. When processing with the "new" light model, this ended up grossly increasing the total NMS execution time. Because these data are calculated for all observations for all mission time points before the schedule is built, NMS is now storing this data away, instead of recalculating it after the scheduling of observations. This greatly decreases NMS execution time when using the "new" light model.
  • Code modifications were made to NMS to make it compatible with the KAI C++ compiler being used to compile SPSS code, for standardization purposes. Use of the Makefile included with this build presupposes that the user has the KAI C++ compiler.
  • For observations which were not the first observation in a given visit, NMS -met was erroneously calculating exposure times for all observations at all time points, regardless of whether the observation's target was in sun avoidance. This is no longer being done, greatly decreasing the total NMS execution time.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 43171 - NMS Speedup when using multi-node stray light model
    2. 43563 - NMS code should compile on KAI C++ compiler
    3. 43632 - NMS -met should not compute exposure times for targets in sun avoidance
Release_3.0_15-NOV-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • The coordinates for specifying the sunshield blockage nodes (used in calculating the scattered light and self emission (OPR 30734)) were modified to be specifiable in the reference frame of the sunshield, in units of meters.
  • Redundant quantities have been removed from the Architecture Deck. These include the primary mirror focal length, and the primary and secondary mirror x, y, and z locations.
  • The NMS deck validation software now allows for values of 0.0 for both the micro_rms and dust_fraction in the Architecture Deck. This case can be used to evaluate the case where the only backgrounds being considered are the on-axis zodiacal light and the mirror self-emission.
  • When running the NMS with the simplified sunshield model (as opposed to the multi-node model) and applying the size_scale factor, the scale factor was incorrectly being applied to both the sunshield area and the fractional area of the sunshield visible to the primary and secondary mirror. As of this release, the scale factor is being applied to only the sunshield area.
  • When running the MET, DIFFERENCE scoring mode is now the default for the scheduling of observations, as opposed to the previous default, RATIO mode.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 43226 - Delete ota/secondary_location_x,y,z values from architecture deck
    2. 40734 - Support multinode shield and primary mirror model
    3. 42743 - Web updates needed to support multinode modeling opr 40734
    4. 42869 - NMS should allow for micro_rms and dust_fraction = 0.0
    5. 43083 - NMS should not apply size scale factor twice to sunshield area
    6. 43091 - MET should use DIFFERENCE scoring mode as the default, not RATIO
Release_2.9a_24-OCT-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • Batch request results will no longer be sent by email. Instead, the user will be required to register and login to allow NMS batch requests. After login, the user can view a "Status" page to monitor the status of batch requests. Within the "Status" page, the user is given the option to ABORT ongoing jobs, or VIEW results of completed requests. In addition, a web page is provided to allow the user to update password and other personal infoamation.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 42405 - Provide improved batch processing monitoring and control
Release_2.9_26-JUN-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • Configured the latest DRM, version 2.3. Sample reports were generated using this latest DRM. Note that this version includes roughly 3500 visits, requiring the NMS web version to be run in batch mode.
  • Provided a batch mode option to each of the NMS tools, whereby results are sent by email to the user's address. This allows a user to submit jobs that require more than the default 40 minute cpu limit imposed on non-batch (continuous connection) requests. This new option is included in the "Processing and Reporting Options" section of the NMS tool pages.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 41969 - Provide a batch capability to the NMS web interface
    2. 41971 - Configure DRM version 2.3
Release_2.8_17-APR-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • To reduce system memory requirements, the individual overhead values for all obsets for all time points are no longer stored when running the NMS met tool. Instead, only the total visit duration and the total overhead time is stored for each visit for all time points. This reduces the memory requirements for large drm runs by nearly 50%. The same total and config-specific overheads data are still stored, but only at the specific time point at which the visit actually scheduled.
  • All references to readout_noise_per_read has been changed to readout_noise_per_frame in the ISIM deck.
  • If primary and/or secondary mirror heating is turned off in the NMS Spacecraft/Telescope input file (architecture deck), error messages are issued and program execution terminates.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 41393 - NMS -met should not store unnecessary amounts of overheads data
    2. 41405 - ISIM Deck should reference readout_noise_per_frame, not per read
    3. 41326 - NMS should report errors if PM/SM mirror heating turned off
Release_2.7_03-APR-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • Merged the "nms" and "drm" executables into one executable (nms). The exposure time calculator is now run as "nms -etc", the signal/noise calculator as "nms -snr", the sensitivity calculator as "nms -flux", and the scheduler as "nms -met". This is a transparent change to NMS web users.
  • When running nms in all modes but "met" mode, a line in the output file formerly indicated that values would be displayed for 1 NGST orbit. However, depending on the total timeline specified on the command line, it might be more or less than 1 NGST orbit. The actual value is now computed written to the report file (in units of number of NGST orbits).
  • The nms command will now display (without errors) scheduling information for report_type = SCHED_POS, when running nms in "met mode" (nms -met). This change affects only the cases when the NMS MET tool is run in command line mode.
  • The NMS has been modified to allow the user to specify a new qualifier, "scoring_mode", with values of "RATIO" or "DIFFERENCE", with the default value being "RATIO". With "ratio" mode, candidate scores are computed as longest duration/shortest duration. Scheduling is then performed on high score candidates first. With "difference" mode, candidate scores are computed as (longest duration - shortest duration). Scheduling is then performed on high score candidates first. Previously, all scoring was computed through the ratio of shortest duration/longest duration, and low score candidates were scheduled first. This feature has also been made available on the MET tool web page.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 40972 - nms unable to display scheduling report data for report type of SCHED_POS
    2. 40643 - further nms code cleanup
    3. 41148 - nms -met should allow for alternate candidate scoring methods
    4. 41166 - Support for parameter variation in the NMS MET web interface
Release_2.6_01-FEB-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • The multiplex value for the MIR-SPEC SI Config in the ISIM Deck File (isim_dck_master.txt) has been changed from 0 to 1. This fixes the problem with the ETC-calculated value of N_Ex for Program 16, Line 5 of the DRM Deck. Because the DRM schedule has been affected by this change, new sample reports have been generated, and previous results have been placed in the archive page.
  • Documented a solution to a known problem of Windows Internet Explorer that prevented requests which needed more than five minutes to process to complete without terminating the client-server connection. The solution was posted in the news page.
  • Code/documentation cleanup/enhancements have been implemented.
  • MET used to check all time steps for visibility, even those running well beyond the mission timeline. The software has now been made more efficient, to stop checking time steps which are immediately beyond the end of the mission timeline, thus not proceeding to potentially very high time step numbers that are orders of magnitude beyond the mission duration.
  • For observations with very large exposure times, the ratio of the exposure time to the splitting time, which defines the number of frames required for the observation, could be very large. In some cases, this ratio could be so large that it would overflow the integer variable in which it was being stored. A check is now done within the exposure time calculation software, to not permit such unrealistically large numbers of frames to be computed and stored.
  • The field descriptions for read noise in the NMS ISIM deck have been updated to state that the noise is per frame, not per exposure.
  • When running the exposure time, S/N, or sensitivity calculator (the "nms" executable), the deck validation algorithm is now able to perform validations pertinent to the specified run mode (exposure time, S/N, etc.). For example, in S/N mode, the signal-to-noise field in the DRM observation record actually contains the exposure time. In sensitivity mode, the ABMAG field in the DRM record actually contains the exposure time. The deck validation now properly decides how to validate these particular fields depending on the run mode.
  • For both the "nms" and "drm" command, default values for the three deck file names (ARCH, ISIM, DRM) are no longer supplied on the command line. This causes program termination with CLI errors if the -arch, -isim, or -drm qualifiers are not specified.
  • If any NMS input files (ARCH deck, ISIM deck, DRM deck, or ephemeris file) cannot be found or opened, messages indicating this are now written to the screen to help the user diagnose the problem.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 40148 - NMS ISIM deck should have multiplex=1.0 for MIR-SPEC Config
    2. 39353 - Enhance NGST code documentation
    3. 40415 - MET add_candidate should not waste time stepping past end of mission
    4. 40416 - compute_exp_time should not compute negative nframe values
    5. 40421 - Update Read Noise Descriptions in ISIM Deck
    6. 40492 - Deck data validation should handle different ETC run modes
    7. 40518 - NMS CLI qualifiers should not have -default along with -required
    8. 40519 - NMS File Path/Open error messages must be displayed
Release_2.5a_10-JAN-2000 The changes with this release are:
  • Created a tool to calculate absolute magnitudes, given an observation wavelength and other parameters. The tool was implemented as a Java 1.1 applet. Users should ensure that their browser supports this version. Mac users can view the tool using the 4.0+ version of Internet Explorer. Reference OPR: 40325
  • A minor change in an MET report column header was made.
  • Configured a password restricted area for future download support. Reference OPR: 40324
Release_2.5_25-DEC-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Fixed a problem with the MET that was causing an unnecessary increase in run time. This change also includes general code documentation work. This release does not change the output results of the NMS programs if compared to the previous release.
Release_2.4_15-OCT-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Added News, Documentation, and Archive pages to the NMS.
  • A Mars epehemeris file (mars.trh) was added to the default input files area.
  • The drm and nms executables now report the deck file versions and dates near the beginning of the report file.
  • A bug was fixed in calculating total overhead times for an observation. Previously, the coarse_track overhead (which is a visit-level overhead) was being included in the obset-level overhead calculation. The algorithm has been modified to only include the coarse_track as a visit-level overhead. This tends to produce very slight increases in observing efficiency.
  • The MET executable now reports more data on overhead times, as a function of instrument configuration, in the output report. Specifically, the total overhead times for a given config are displayed, as well as the percentages of total overhead time being spent in each of the currently six non-visit-level overheads. Also, because some visits span several instrument configs, the total overhead time for a given config does not include the visit level overheads (major_slew, major_slew_settle, coarse_track). The overhead time breakdown is also done over the entire drm (compiling data over all configs).
  • Wavelength dependent data scale factors are now displayed in the report.
  • The MET report now includes a list of visits whose targets are never visible during the mission timeline. The number of such visits is also included in the total number of visits that failed to schedule.
  • When mirror heating is turned on (with separate flags for the primary and secondary mirrors), the maximum of the constant mirror temperature (specified in a deck file) and the calculated mirror temperature is now used, instead of merely using the constant value, as was previously done.
  • The DELETE of the file pointer in the calendar_builder destructor function has been removed, fixing the memory corruption bug when running the drm executable.
  • For reference, the following problem reports were implemented in this release:
    1. 39779 - MET must handle multiple-config visits when compiling config-specific statistics
    2. 39804 - MET should display data on visits that are never visible
    3. 39805 - When heating mirror, NMS should use max of calculated T and constant T
    4. 39881 - DRM program improperly deletes a file pointer
    5. 39902 - Provide News and Documentation pages to the NMS
Release_2.3_22-SEP-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • The ISIM, Architecture, and DRM deck files have been updated to contain new release numbers and dates, corresponding to the latest changes to these files. Also, the architecture deck file (arch_dck_master.txt) has been modified to have psf emission_per_surf values of 0.45 at 0.5 microns and 0.35 at 0.65 microns. No significant effects on the ETC or MET results are expected from this update.
  • Fixed a benign warning message that erroneously reported some visits to be unschedulable.
  • The MET program now schedules visits. Previously, each DRM entry was treated as a separate visit, and visit_id's were calculated sequentially within the program for each DRM entry. Now, visit_id's are specified in the DRM file, with the naming convention "V0001", "V0002", etc. A given visit_id is relevant only to its host program_id ("P001", "P002", etc.). The scheduler will now group DRM lines which share the same program_id and visit_id into a single visit. In addition, new DRM validations are performed, to ensure uniqueness among program_id and line_number combinations in the DRM file. At this time, the splitting (see below) of multiple Obssets visits are not supported.
  • The NMS deck reader code now parses files with carriage-returns at line terminations (from Windows platforms). The following file formats will now be parsed:
    1. Files where each line ends with a newline "\n" character.
    2. Files where each line ends with a carriage-return "\r" character.
    3. Files where each line ends with a carriage-return, then a newline character.
    Previously, only case 1 was handled.
  • The data validation software was expanded to check the following:
    1. architecture view data.
    2. architecture overhead data.
    3. architecture data rate data.
    4. architecture psf data.
    5. ensures that each drm line's wavelength falls within the wavelength range of the psf emissivity_per_surface, reflectivity_per_surface, and psf_sharpness data.
  • In the command line version of the MET tool, The fov scale factor is now applied to the detector configuration's multiplex value, to properly adjust the multiplex in tandem with variations in the field of view.
  • For reference, the following problem reports are implemented in this release:
    1. 39483 - NGST MET should schedule visits
    2. 39720 - NMS should parse files with line-feeds at line terminations
    3. 39723 - NMS should apply fov scale factor to multiplex
    4. 39732 - Bring NGST deck files "up to date"
    5. 39713 - Generalize the servlet environment setup process
    6. 39748 - NMS 2.3 Server-side java updates
Release_2.2a_08-SEP-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Fixed a bug in which the interpolator code was not correctly returning adjusted wavelength values based on input scaling parameters.
  • Fixed a problem with the command line FOV scaling feature of the MET.
Release_2.2_03-SEP-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • The processing of user input data is now served by a Java servlet application. This replaces the CGI/Java script processor. Users may notice a slight improvement in response time as some overhead in request processing has been reduced as a result of this change.
  • Updated the file output format in the command line -report=sched_par_var option (not yet available via the GUI) to include card names of changed parameters. Also readded a column that was originally in the -report=sched_scaled output file.
  • Updated sun shield parameters and PSF emissivities per surface values in the architecture deck.
  • Updated the architecture deck to remove the interpolated "brdf" values. "BRDF's" are now computed.
  • Updated the ISIM deck to fix "Wave" records with bad endpoint values.
  • Changed the internal interpolator function to use clamped cubic splines with continous second derivatives. This provides smother curves but can provide end point problems.
  • Updated "PSF" computations to use interpolated values rather than nearest table values.
  • Fixed a bug when scaling "Wave" records in the parameter variation file.
  • Fixed C++ String code problems found by a code analyzer.
  • For command line users only: The '-comment=' qualifier currently requires a space between the equals sign and the double quote that starts the comment string. This is a temporary problem that is expected to be fixed in a later release.
Release_2.1_19-AUG-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • New input file reader code for the NMS tools which reads the newly formatted deck files. NOTE that earlier input file comments marked by the symbol '#' to the end of line is no longer supported. Instead, comments will be defined between the open '[' and closed ']' bracket symbols. Nested comments are not supported at this time. Please update your input files accordingly.
  • The command line program equivalent of the MET tool now handles parameter variations, which can be specified in a file that is read in by the program via the -par_var qualifier. The parameter variations data is then output to the report file. A new report type, SCHED_PAR_VAR, has been added, to print out summary calendar information for each parameter variations run (similar to the SCHED_SCALED report type for scaled parameters). This feature is not currently available via the NMS Web interface.
  • References to the older versions of the DRM (original ASWG and the summer96 DRM files) have been removed from the individual tool pages. Access to these files will be provided through an archive page in a later release. The output from earlier runs that used these files have also been removed from the Sample Reports page.
  • A small bug fix in the NMS, to properly report N_Ex in the output report. Previously, N_Ex was based solely upon the number of moscaic elements being observed. Now, N_Ex is the product of the number of mosaic elements and the number of "masks" (required for spectroscopy).
Release_2.0a1_28-JUL-1999 This quick fix release corrects a problem where the input density and num_req fields in the observation data - survey mode input form section was not being correctly processed. Note that the release IDs in the outputs will still be specified as 2.0a.
Release_2.0a_28-JUL-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Updated the URL for the NMS tools. Links to the previous address will be obsolete and should be updated. Users accessing the old links will be notified of this change.
Release_2.0_28-JUL-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Configured the updated ASWG DRM file drm_dck_aswg_master.txt.
  • An updated architecture file arch_dck_master.txt, that includes modified PSF data, which results in decreasing exposure times at some wavelengths.
  • Minor output report format changes to move several quantities to the top of the reports.
  • DRM wavelengths are now checked to lie WITHIN the wavelength ranges of their DETECTORs and CONFIGs, so that drm wavelength specifications that lie on the endpoints of the detector/config wavelength range are illegal.
  • ISIM deck validation now includes a check that there are at least FOUR wave cards (for interpolation purposes) of any one card type.
  • If the deck reader encounters an error reading a deck file, the entire deck file entry PREVIOUS to the offending entry is output to the screen, enabling the user to find and fix the problem much more easily.
  • All OTA and SHIELD quantities in the architecture deck are now being validated.
  • MET (drm executable) bug fix that prevents core dumps when processing with scale factors (this is a command line feature that is not currently available from the MET web page).
Release_1.9A_13-JUL-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Removed the display of a dignostic message that was being displayed when the client's browser does not specify an input file "Content-Type".
  • Some visits were being scheduled even when total visit duration limits were being exceeded. This problem has been fixed.
Release_1.9_09-JUL-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • The Server-side PERL CGI script has been replaced by a Java based CGI script. This change provides for more flexible form data processing, and provides a framework for planned client & server-side upgrades.
  • The MET program command line option report=-sched_full was was eliminated. This change will be transparent to the user.
  • Two new MET program options, -report=sched_full_time and -report=sched_full_visit, were added. The -report=sched_full_time option functions displays the final schedule of visits in ascending start_time order (as before). The report generated by the -report=sched_full_time is similar, except that the final schedule is displayed in order of ascending visit ID, not start time.
  • By default, the MET generator will display scheduling results in ascending visit ID order. A checkbox has been added in the Processing and Reporting Options section of the MET page to display the results in start time order.
  • Algorithmically, exposure time calculations have been changed to perform an iterative solution, eliminating the need to approximate the total number of reads. This actually simplifies the form of the exposure time equation. Because the exposure time calculation is exact (and the approximation eliminated), the S/N equation has gotten much simpler, as has the sensitivity equation. Small differences can be seen in the exposure times calculated by MET, as well as in exposure times, S/N values, and sensitivities calculated by NMS.
  • For the MET, the efficiencies now displayed by CONFIG are calculated as: total exposure time for that config / total MET time for that Config.
  • Also for the MET, a TOTAL efficiency is calculated and displayed under the CONFIG specific data, which is the total exposure time over all configs divided by the total MET time over all configs.
  • Some of the preliminary header data displayed in the nms output has been moved later in the nms report. The same has been done with the drm output, including the candidates that failed to schedule. The deck data is still displayed last for both programs.
  • The MET splitting feature described in the previous release will no longer be the default. A checkbox has been added to the Processing and Reporting Options section to allow this feature to be appied.
  • If an error in reading one of the input file records is detected, the previous "records's worth" of data will now be printed out to the screen. If there is no previous card (i.e. there was an error reading the FIRST line in the file), then this is also indicated onscreen. These changes affect all of the NMS tools.
  • Sample reports were regenerated as the layout of the report files were changed.
  • The following ephemeris files were added to the default input files area on the server. The files can be used to model various orbits in the NMS. The orbit file used by the NMS is that specified in the Orbit record in the Telescope/Spacecraft input file. Descriptions of the files will be added to the help file in a later release.
    1. n_1x1_0inc_0.trh
    2. n_1x1_10inc_0.trh
    3. n_1x1_20inc_0.trh
    4. n_1x1_30inc_0.trh
    5. n_1x1_30inc_45.trh
    6. n_1x1_30inc_90.trh
    7. n_1x1_30inc_135.trh
    8. n_1x1_30inc_180.trh
    9. n_1x1_30inc_225.trh
    10. n_1x1_30inc_270.tr
    11. n_1x1_30inc_315.trh
    12. n_1x2_0.trh
    13. n_1x3_0.trh
    14. n_1x3_45.trh
    15. n_1x3_90.trh
    16. n_1x3_135.trh
    17. n_1x3_180.trh
    18. n_1x3_225.trh
    19. n_1x3_270.trh
    20. n_1x3_315.trh
    21. n_1x4_0.trh
    22. n_1x5_0.trh
Release 1.8 - 23-JUN-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Multiplexing has been included in the exposure time algorithm. This can affect the total exposure time, as well as the overhead times.
  • Calculation and display of configuration-specific efficiencies with the MET. For all visits scheduled, the total exposure time for a given Config is divided by the total MET time to provide "efficiency", a measure of the percentage of visit time actually spent doing science exposures. The total exposure time for each Config is also displayed.
  • Calculation and display of visit-specific efficiencies with the MET. For each visit scheduled, the exposure time for that visit is divided by the visit time, as a measure of the percentage of visit time actually spent doing science exposures. The total exposure time for each visit is also displayed.
  • Inclusion of new ISIM file fields at the Config level. These new fields are:
    1. Readout time per pixel (microseconds)
    2. Number of pixels per MUX
    3. Number of Fowler samples per readout (number of non-destructive reads)
  • Inclusion of new ISIM deck fields at the Overhd level. These new fields are:
    1. Average minor slew time (minutes)
    2. Minor slew settling time (minutes)
    3. Spectral element setup time (minutes)
  • The MET calculator was updated to use a existing feature to restrict the duration of an observation set to 20 days, IF possible. This "splitting" process breaks up long duration observation sets specified in 'ObsSet' records in the DRM file into two or more new ObsSet records, while preserving the total number of required targets field in the origical ObsSet. Observation sets that can no longer be split (because their number of required targets=1 or number of exposures=1) are allowed to have durations greater than the 20 day maximum. Splitting breaks up unusually longer Observation Sets, or "visits", allowing them to be scheduled in gaps as small as 20 days. As before, visits that do not require splitting are still internally assigned IDs using the format VNNN, where NNN is the visit number. Visits that are subsequently split due to the 20 day maximum duration constraint are identified by the string VNNN-MMMM where MMMM is the MMMM-th visit number resulting from the break-up of VNNNN.
  • Note: The MET Calculator was updated in an earlier release to mark Observation sets with maximum durations greater than 200 days to be unschedulable and therefore not eligible as candidates for splitting. This prevents extremely long duration observation sets from being split into large number of schedulable visits. Without such a constraint, splitting of such abnormally long observations could saturate the calendar and also severely impact the execution time of the scheduler.
  • In the display of input data in the reports, the "Wave" record names displayed for each Config are now limited to 20 characters and are left-justified.
  • Added a new hidden text field that is used to indicate the requested tool name to the server. This change is not visible to the user.
  • Sample reports were regenerated based on the input data display updates.
Release 1.7 - 11-JUN-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • The input data is now printed at the end of the NMS reports, no longer near the beginning.
  • A bug in the Sensitivity Calculator was corrected.
  • In the ISIM file, the mean qe, transmission, and emissivity values were eliminated from the Detector records. as well as the mean transmission value in the Config records. The minimum and maximum wavelength values previously specified in both the Detector and Config records were also eliminated.
  • Added "Wave" records in the ISIM file for mean qe, transmission, and emissivity data in the isim deck. (See the Wave records mean_insb_qe, mean_insb_trans, mean_insb_emiss, mean_sias_qe, mean_sias_trans, mean_sias_emiss, mean_trans_NIR-ACCUM, mean_trans_NIR-SPEC, mean_trans_OPT-ACCUM, mean_trans_MIR-ACCUM, and mean_trans_MIR-SPEC). Note that these values are not referenced by any of the Config or Detector data, and are included for informational purposes only. Use of mean data values currently require four Wavelength records per data type. This requirement will be reduced to two Wavelength records in a future release. Please also note another temporary requirement that groups of Wave records (those with the same data type ID) need to occur in increasing Wavelength order within the ISIM file.
  • Internally, the NMS tools were updated to perform more rigorous validity checks to ensure that an Observation's wavelength specification lies within the Wavelength-dependent data ranges.
  • The help file was updated to include descriptions of the above changes as well as correct and/or clarify earlier comments.
  • Sample reports were regenerated based on the input data display updates.
Release 1.6 - 04-JUN-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • Reformatting of the nms output data, including number of exposures, number of frames, and number of background pixels for each entry. The output format for several quantities have been simplified, namely a slight reduction in precision, or the conversion of scientific notation format to non-scientific notation.
  • The wavelength-dependent data are now stored within the ISIM data file, via the "Wave" records.
  • The -verbose option on drm and nms now print the wavelength dependent data to the report file.
  • The help file was updated to include a description of the ISIM file "Wave" records.
Release 1.5 - 26-MAY-1999 The changes with this release are:
  • The software now performs exposure sub-splitting due to detector well-depth. This affects the readout overhead calculation, the visit's total data volume, as well as minor changes to the exposure time, S/N, and sensitivity calculations
  • Streamlining of the exposure time calculator output report, where some quantities are no longer displayed with scientific notation (spectral resolution and wavelength).
  • The sample NMS reports were regenerated.
  • Help file updates:
    1. Size of MIR-SPEC detector changed to 1024 x 1024 (was 1024 x 2024).
    2. 2 x 2 arcmin FOV removed from MIR-SPEC (only applies to MIR-ACCUM)
    3. Wavelength range of InSb changed to 0.5 - 5.2 (was 5.0).
    4. Wavelength range of Si:As changed to 2 - 28 ( was 1 - 24).
    5. Well depth added to list of detector characteristics on ISIM file, Detect card.
Release 1.4a - 11-MAY-1999 This is an expedited release that involves a change in the output of the exposure time, s/n, and sensitivity calculators.
  • The exposure time and s/n calculators previously displayed two quantities, a min_flux and a targ_brt field, which were identical. The min_flux column has been removed.
  • The sensitivity calculator previously displayed an incorrect value of targ_brt. This column has been removed from the sensitivity report.
  • The ETC sample reports were regenerated.
  • Updated the help file to include spectral range in the ObsSet record description.
Release 1.4 - 07-MAY-1999 Change summary:
  • The Exposure Time, S/N, and Sensitivity calculators compute the desired parameters at 100(default) equal time points along an NGST orbit. Reporting options to allow the user to view groupings of minimum, median, or maximum values are now available. In addition, an option to display the actual calculated values at each time step was added.
  • Input file updates:
    1. The yardstick ISIM file (version 1.1.2) isim_dck_master.txt contains updated 'Config' and 'Detect' records based on the new/modified wavelength dependent files described below.
    2. Five new wavelength dependent transmission files for use in the ISIM file Config records were created and specified.
    3. Two new wavelength dependent quantum efficiency files for the ISIM file Detect records were created and specified.
    4. The yardstick architecture file (version 1.1.4) contains updated 'PSF' records as well as an updated 'OTA' record to specify heated primary and secondary mirrors.
  • The RA and DEC columns in the exposure time, S/N, and sensitivity calculator reports were shifted to the far right of the output table.
  • Sample reports were regenerated.
  • Links to all NMS pages were added at the top of each page.
  • The MET Calculator was also updated to mark Observation sets with maximum durations greater than 200 days to be unschedulable, in order to reduce execution times.
Release 1.3 - 29-APR-1999 Change summary:
  • Removed version numbers from the Default Yardstick filenames. The version numbers are specified within the "File" record of each file.
  • The original ASWG DRM file (version 1.0.2) was added back to the