Contributions by Gemini staff
On the Horizon
The selection process for Gen4#3 is ongoing. GHOST team
members present progress reports at SPIE. Gemini is pursuing
Ramam fiber laser amplification technology for both its
telescopes. And plans are also underway to invite the
community to participate in the 2016 Request for Proposals
(RfP) for Instrument Upgrades.
Gen 4#3 Instrument Development
Gemini Observatory received four very good Gen 4#3 proposals before the Request for Proposals (RfP) deadline at the end of August. We then sent the proposals to an expert evaluation committee for assessment. Within two weeks, we received excellent feedback against
the predetermined evaluation criteria. We held an evaluation committee meeting at AURA’s
Center for Administration in Tucson, Arizona, on September 23rd, and the committee created a number of highly-valued recommendations in their report.
In addition, upon receiving the proposals, Gemini extracted information and sent a short
report for review by a subcommittee of the Gemini Board of Directors. As stated in the RfP,
final selection is based on a number of components, some outside the remit of the evaluation committee, and these are the areas that the Board subcommittee is assessing. The
Board subcommittee responded promptly, helping us to maintain our schedule in the early
stages of the project.
In October, Gemini will make a number of physical and virtual site visits to seek clarification
from proposers before making a final recommendation to the Gemini Board by the end of
the month. We expect a selection decision to be made at the Board meeting in November.
We hope to be able to start the Gen 4#3 first design stage in the first quarter of 2017, although there is some risk in this date, pending the nature of the contract negotiations and
approval processes.
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GeminiFocus
October 2016