ESO

Report from Users' committee

Country submissions to Users' committee (pdf)
Observatory report to Users' committee (pdf)
Users' committee minutes DRAFT - do not distribute

Report from Prog committee

P76 report (doc)
P76 report Tables 1,2,3 (pdf)
P76 report Table 4 (pdf)

Gemini

Phase1&2:

proposed PIT 'save as pdf' change

It is proposed that PIT have a button allowing proposals to be saved in pdf format (including the figures page). However, postscript figures attached to the proposal do not appear in the pdf output, and it is not possible to add the conversion software into the PIT.

The various options are:
a) allow users to attach postscript files, these will not appear in the saved pdf version, but would be printed separately in the version sent to the TAG
b) Not allow postscript attachments (pdf, jpeg, gif etc are all ok)
c) Connect to a central server each time Save As pdf is requested. The server will run the required software to convert the postscript into pdf.

For UKGSG b) or c) would be the easiest option, but c) requires additional connectivity. Would banning postscript attachments cause problems for anybody ?

pre-specified blocks or demand driven blocks

From 06A there will be more instruments than ports at both telescopes. Each telescope will have a pair or trio of instruments which swaps. Likely combinations are Michelle/NIFS on Gem-N and T-ReCS/NICI/GNIRS on Gemini South. An issue for future semesters is whether, for these instruments, the blocks they are available should be planned before the CfP, or driven by demand. The observatory tend towards the view that demand driven blocks may be too complicated to implement. But planned blocks require some anticipation of instrument demand. Thoughts?

Subaru time trade

Discussions are underway of a time trade of ~50 Q hours of GMOS-N for time on any Subaru instrument

Discount rate for poor weather condition time

The observatory would like feedback on the idea of a discount time charging rate for observations using poor weather conditions. Would this encourage more of these proposals ?

completion statistics

2004A update
2004B update
2005A interim

GSA update

Data is now routinely sent to PIs via the archive rather than on hard media. The almost immediate release of raw data to PIs is planned. Any feedback on using the archive to get data and thoughts on what you would like to be able to do once you have 'immediate' data access are useful

instrumentation update

bHROS was successfully commissioned at the end of July. The instrument throughput is good, ~17% for the large fibre and ~20% for the small fibre (does not include losses at fibre entrance, telescope throughput etc). Demo science was carried out in August. 3/6 nights were useable (rest lost to weather) and 2/3 demo science programs got data which should be useful.

Projected timelines for other 1st generation instruments:
Flamingos2 - delivery Pachon March 2006. Community use in mid 2006 (demo science)
NIFS - integration & testing on Mauna Kea should be happening now - mid Oct. Expect first science use towards end of 06A via demo science call.
NICI - earliest possible shipping is Nov with first light Dec/Jan.
Altair - Temporary field lens was installed to conjugate Altair with ground. Significant improvement in size of corrected field. Better quality field lens will now be installed.
GSAOI - projected delivery during Q1 2006. Will be ahead of MCAO, so will most likely be shelved until MCAO arrives.

Other instrument info:
GMOS red sensitive CCDs. These have not yet been installed. Red sensitive CCDs are available, but still not broad band (and the timeline for these to be available is unclear). The last input from this group was that red sensitive CCDs should be installed in at least one GMOS.

PhD student training

Gemini are happy for PhD students (and others) to visit the observatory to take part in Q observing runs. Would this be beneficial ?. (In particular for students who have got all of their data from archives and Q observing).