Observation constraints of the hard X-ray modulation telescope HXMT

The hard X-ray modulation telescope HXMT is a low orbit X-ray space telescope whose main science goals are to accomplish a hard X-ray all sky survey and to study timing and spectral characteristics of X-ray sources. HXMT has three kinds of science instruments: the high energy X-ray detector (HE), the medium energy X-ray detector (ME) and the low energy X-ray detector (LE). The observation schedule of HXMT is a key to achieving the science goal of HXMT, and the analysis of the observation constraints is one of the first tasks in making the observation schedule. This paper analyzes how the observation constraints influence the sky visibility and the visible time distribution of X-ray sources and discusses the schedule strategy with regard to the observation constraints.