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SSDC Scientific News

Jul 11, 2024The MATISSE tool updates towards planetary geology

A new paper, with first author Veronica Camplone (SSDC/INAF-OAR/UniPv), has been recently published in the journal Astronomy & Computing. This article details a significant update to the ASI-SSDC scientific web tool dedicated to the analysis of planetary exploration data, MATISSE (Multi-purpose Advanced Tool for Instruments for the Solar System Exploration).

MATISSE, launched in 2013, allows for the search and visualization of data, projected even on the three-dimensional shape of the studied objects, using a common web browser without the need for additional software installation. This tool is constantly evolving thanks to new collaborations between SSDC and various research groups, both Italian and international. Currently, MATISSE provides access to data related to Mercury, Venus, Mars, Ceres, Vesta, and Didymos, enabling researchers to conduct comparative analyses and deepen their understanding of the processes characterizing the different explored worlds.

The article outlines the recent addition of an advanced functionality to the tool, which allows for data searches based not only on geographical or temporal information but also on higher-level semantic information contained in geological maps.

Specifically, the article describes how the ability to search by selecting data on Mercury acquired by the MDIS camera aboard NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft has allowed a focus on craters with central pits using only Matisse, without the need to cross-reference data from various sources. The enhanced functionalities of MATISSE now enable the integration of geological maps and the analysis of specific data based on selected parameters, such as target, mission, instrument, geological units, and area of interest.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach, the work focused on the central pit craters of Mercury, particularly in the Hokusai, Victoria, and Derain quadrangles. Using MATISSE for this application allowed for the analysis of these morphologies, confirming a tendency for their location on volcanic terrains. The integrated research approach adopted in this study has proven to be a significant advantage in geological analysis, accelerating the process of data collection and interpretation.

In conclusion, this study shows how the continuous evolution of scientific tools dedicated to data management, and management based on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles, like MATISSE, has the potential to open new perspectives in understanding geological processes on a planetary scale.

Feb 29, 2024New AGILE Public Data up to January 15, 2024

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to January 15, 2024. The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to January 15, 2024, i.e. from Observation Block (OB) 4900, start of Cycle-1 up to the last complete OB 43100 of the Cycle-17.

We recall that AGILE's scientific observations ended on January 18, 2024, and the satellite re-entered into the atmosphere on February 14, 2024 as a consequence of natural decay of its low Earth orbit.

AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.
The AGILE public scientific software package AGILE_SW_6.0, adapted from the AGILE Science Tools (TAGNAME = BUILD25), is available here.
For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations.
An open-source Python package named Agilepy, built on top of the command-line version of the AGILE/GRID Science Tools, has been developed at INAF/OAS Bologna to analyse AGILE/GRID data. Since version 1.5.0, Agilepy has implemented an automated download of public AGILE GRID data using an SSDC REST Api. The most recent Agilepy version is v1.6.4.

Feb 14, 2024The AGILE satellite ceased operations and re-entered today into the atmosphere

New GCN issued: GCN #35726 (M. Tavani et al.).

New ATel issued: ATel #16450 (M. Tavani et al.).

Jan 18, 2024AGILE satellite ceased scientific observations

After 17 years of productive operations, the AGILE satellite ceased scientific observations on January 18, 2024.
Further communication and press release will follow.

Jan 11, 2024AGILE detection of gamma-ray rebrightening of the blazar PKS 1424-418

New ATel issued: ATel #16400 (A. Bulgarelli et al.).

Dec 15, 2023GRB 231215A: AGILE detection

New GCN issued: GCN #35361 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

Dec 06, 2023GRB 231205B: AGILE detection

New GCN issued: GCN #35295 (C. Casentini et al.).

Dec 01, 2023GRB 231129C: AGILE detection

New GCN issued: GCN #35244 (G. Panebianco et al.).

Nov 17, 2023GRB231117A: AGILE/MCAL analysis

New GCN issued: GCN #35085 (C. Casentini et al.).

Nov 17, 2023GRB 231117A: AGILE detection of a bright short burst

New GCN issued: GCN #35075 (P.W. Cattaneo et al.).

Nov 16, 2023GRB 231115A: AGILE/MCAL upper limits

New GCN issued: GCN #35061 (C. Pittori et al.).

Nov 14, 2023LIGO/Virgo S231113bw: upper limits from AGILE/MCAL

New GCN issued: GCN #35024 (L. Foffano et al.).

Nov 06, 2023LICIACube data publicly availble at SSDC

The data from the ASI LICIACube mission, which performed a flyby of the Didymos-Dimorphos binary asteroid system on 27th September 2022, soon after the first planetary defense test performed by the NASA DART mission, are now publicly available from both the LICIACube SOC, hosted by SSDC, and the SSDC webtool MATISSE.
In particular, on the SOC it is be possible to find all the data acquired by the two LICIACube cameras, LEIA and LUKE, in both raw and calibrated form: it is possible to either download the FITS files or the PDS4 granules (FITS observation + XML labels).
Also the NAIF SPICE kernels for the mission are available for the download by the SOC, so that accurate mission trajectories, attitudes and pointing can be computed.
On the other hand, by means of MATISSE it is possible to search for LUKE images acquired over Didymos interactively projected over the 3D shape model of the target, to be viewed in common web-browsers or to be downloaded and analysed offline.

Oct 16, 2023New AGILE Public Data up to September 30, 2023

We are pleased to announce the publication of new AGILE gamma-ray data up to September 30, 2023.The new public AGILE archive now contains all data from December 1, 2007 up to September 30, 2023, i.e. from the start of Cycle-1, Observation Block (OB) 4900, up to up to OB 42400 of the on-going Cycle-16. AGILE-GRID event files (EVT) and spacecraft auxiliary (LOG) files are available from the SSDC Multimission Archive (MMIA) webpage for the AGILE Mission.

The AGILE public scientific software package AGILE_SW_6.0, adapted from the AGILE Science Tools (TAGNAME = BUILD25), is available here.

For an easy on-line AGILE data analysis, the interested user may also query the entire public AGILE level 3 (LV3) archive through the AGILE-LV3 data analysis tool. The AGILE-LV3 tool is meant to be easily comprehensible, and it does not require any install-on-premises software or calibrations.

An open-source Python package named Agilepy, built on top of the command-line version of the AGILE/GRID Science Tools, has been developed at INAF/OAS Bologna to analyse AGILE/GRID data. Since version 1.5.0, Agilepy has implemented an automated download of public AGILE GRID data using an SSDC REST Api. The most recent Agilepy version is v1.6.4.

Sep 01, 2023The Swift X-ray Observations Campaign of the Repeating FRB20220912A

New ATel issued: ATel #16221 (F. Verrecchia et al.).

Aug 13, 2023GRB 230812B: AGILE/MCAL detection

New GCN issued: GCN #34402 (C. Casentini et al.).

Jul 27, 2023GRB 230723A: AGILE/MCAL detection

New GCN issued: GCN #34237 (G. Panebianco et al.).