[48.08] GRB Operations with Swift

AAS 202nd Meeting, May 2003
Session 48 Gamma-Ray Bursts in the Swift Era
Topical Oral, Wednesday, May 28, 2003, 2:30-4:00 and 4:15-6:00pm, 205/206

[Previous] | [Session 48] | [Next]

[48.08] GRB Operations with Swift

J.A. Nousek (Penn State)

Swift is a multi-wavelength observatory designed for the autonomous detection and immediate follow-up of gamma-ray bursts and their afterglows. The hallmark of Swift will be the speed and flexibility of its operational response to discovery driven science.

We will describe how the Swift operations center intends to support rapid response through a continuously on-call distributed staff of scientists and engineers. Central to this idea is the post of Burst Advocate. Uniquely assigned to a single burst, the Burst Advocate will be the single point of contact between the Swift operations team and the scientific community.

Intended as a service position, the Burst Advocate will provide immediate updates on Swift response to bursts, serve as a forum for special Swift observing requests, and feed urgent questions about Swift instrument behavior to the relevant experts. The Burst Advocate will also serve as a liaison to improve follow-up coordination between Swift and other ground or space based observatories.

We are open to community input to improve this process, and will be happy to receive suggestions from the audience.

[Previous] | [Session 48] | [Next]