image most of the GeMS field-of-view several
hundred times per second with very little additional noise. The current system had mechanisms which moved small probes where
each of the three guide stars were located
in the image. This led to reliability problems
with the mechanisms and throughput issues
related to the probe design.
The new ANU-designed system will be able
to image the entire field, allowing the control software to measure the jitter of stars
in the field without any moving parts. The
NGS2 subsystem will be delivered by 2016.
It is expected to remarkably increase the
amount of sky available for GeMS observations, improve image quality, and increase
the robustness of the GeMS system.
See update in January 2015 section (p. 45).
July 2014
Base-facility Operations
By 2016, Gemini intends to operate both
telescopes from their prospective base facilities — Gemini South from La Serena, Chile,
and Gemini North from Hilo, Hawai‘i. The
plan is to achieve this goal in stages.
The first significant milestone is to remotely
open the dome at Gemini South in order to
permit it to equilibrate ahead of the night
observing staff’s arrival (Figure 1). According
to Gemini’s Associate Director of Operations
Andy Adamson, this “quick win” provides
much insight into the ultimate requirements
for base operation.
The remote system includes comprehensiv P