SOFIA Housekeeping and Engineering Data

This list last updated: Sep 2023

Table of Contents

Overview
Database Structure
Data Handling Tools

Overview

The SOFIA housekeeping and engineering database consists of hundreds of parameters tracked throughout each flight, including telescope, aircraft, and instrument data. It also includes images from the on-axis focal plane imager guide camera as well as the two off-axis wide-field guide cameras. While some data are already converted to ASCII format, complex queries and guide camera images will require the use of the supplied Data Handling Tools (DHT). Users of the database or tools should start with the quick start guide, which provides a summary of the data, tools, their uses, and examples.

Database Structure

The housekeeping and engineering database tree is organized into 5 directories:

• ancillary: Contains logs and other assorted files from SOFIA operations before 2013.
• archive: Contains housekeeping data from SOFIA operations before 2013. These data are more difficult to extract using the supplied tools and may be unreliable as the system was still in development.
• fltdata: Contains housekeeping, engineering, and imager data in an unprocessed state. The data handling tools are necessary to extract these data into a usable state, but these data are available at the maximum sample rate.
• products: Contains processed engineering and housekeeping data, as well as metrics and logs. For all but the earliest SOFIA flights, this directory contains processed housekeeping and engineering data in ASCII format in the "hk" subdirectories. Use of the data handling tools can make queries easier.
• tools: Contains data handling tools and documentation for the database. These tools can be used to convert imager data to FITS format and create custom queries of housekeeping parameters.
  • tools/DHT: Latest releases of the data handling tools and patched versions. See the README more more information on the contents.
  • tools/doc: Reference documentation on the tools and housekeeping data, as well as flight summaries.
  • tools/test_data: Test data used for the data handling tools development.

Data Handling Tools

The Data Handling Tools support handling of SOFIA housekeeping and engineering data. The tools are required to extract any guide camera images, and are useful to extract selected housekeeping parameters. To use the tools, start by reviewing the quick start guide to install and perform common tasks. The 4 most likely tools used are:

• sample.py: Extract selecting housekeeping data from .out files. The program can combine multiple parameters in the same file at user-supplied sample intervals.
• taipsExtractor: A Java program that extracts SOFIA guide imager data from .ark format to FITS, with minimal header information.
• timeconv.py: Converts time strings to ISO 8601 (human readable) or seconds since provided time.
• xt.py: Extracts housekeeping data from ark files at the full sample rate. Only necessary for high-rate data or SOFIA data obtained prior to 2013.