Subsections

• 2.6.1 Transition Phase to Post-Operations
• 2.6.2 Post-Operations Phase

2.6 Post-Operational Activities

2.6.1 Transition Phase to Post-Operations

The Transition Phase between the science and spacecraft Operations Phase and the Post-Operations Phase started already in February 1998, 2 months before helium depletion, and ended in July 1998, 3 months after helium depletion. The main tasks in the Transition Phase were:

• `Knowledge capture' from instrument experts, IDC and NDCs
• Quality control of OLP (Version 7.0) products
• Interactive Analysis S/W development work
• Explanatory Supplement inputs and documentation
• Cross-Calibration Plan
• Testing and filling of the Post-Operations Archive
• Preparation of the Post-Operations Phase

2.6.2 Post-Operations Phase

The Post-Operations Phase started on August 1, 1998 and ended on December 31, 2001, about 3.5 years after helium depletion. The goal of the ISO Post-Operations was to facilitate a widespread, effective and extensive exploitation of the ISO data. This was achieved by:

(a) during the Post-Operations Phase:

• deepening the understanding of the satellite's and instruments' behaviour
  (including calibration),
• preparing and making available improved processing algorithms and data products
  at various levels,
• supporting the astronomical community to use ISO data during this entire phase by provision not only of software and data products (interim archive) but also of expertise, information and centres to visit for detailed assistance;

(b) by the end of the Post-Operations Phase:

• providing a final archive of data, documentation and software that permit continued exploitation of the ISO legacy by the astronomical community for the coming decades.

These objectives were achieved in close collaborations between the ISO Data Centre and all national data centres (see Section 1.4).

The ISO Post-Operations Phase (including some of the first months of the Active Archive Phase) left the ISO Data Archive (IDA), including data and documentation, in a well developed reference -- `legacy' -- state. Automatically-generated data products were made available for the vast majority of observations, and comprehensive support documentation was provided. Links between ISO and other archives began to develop, as IDA asserted its ground-breaking role in the advancement of astronomical archive technology. The automatically-generated data products serve the vital need of facilitating exploration and `prospecting' for interesting data in the archive. However, before data products can be fully exploited and interpreted scientifically they usually need to be assessed using the Interactive Analysis Software packages that are available for all ISO instruments (see Section 1.4.2).