Contributions by Gemini staff
Figure 1.
Science operations
specialist Erich
Wenderoth (left), and
systems engineer
Andrew Serio (right),
open the dome of the
Gemini South telescope
remotely from the La
Serena Base Facility,
without the assistance
of an operator at Cerro
Pachón. This milestone
is part of the Base
Facility Operations (BFO)
project targeted to allow
full, remote operations,
by the 1st half of 2016.
On the Horizon
A new feature in GeminiFocus, On the Horizon provides quarterly
updates on future, long-term developments at Gemini that should
benefit our user community.
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 comprehensive coverage of the dome
and telescope with operable video
cameras. This will enable staff to
perform a thorough safety check
of the dome and telescope before committing to opening the
shutter. Weather conditions will
be continually logged and the system will not allow the dome to be
opened unless a series of preset
criteria are met.
16
GeminiFocus
July 2014