GeminiFocus July 2017 | Page 17

Figure 1. Gemini staff contributions On the Horizon OCTOCAM, Gemini’s next new facility instrument, nears its Conceptual Design Review, while the GHOST team plans its upcoming test phase. GeMS’ new laser passes past-shipping Acceptance Testing and nears installation, and ‘Alopeke, a new high- resolution speckle instrument, will soon be permanently mounted on the Gemini North telescope for visitor mode operations. OCTOCAM Project Formally Begins The OCTOCAM team continue to work toward the project’s first major assessment point, the Conceptual Design Review (CoDR). The team, including members from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (IAA), Fractal, George Washington University (GWU), and Gemini, met in Granada, Spain, on April 19th to formally kick off the project to bring the next new facility instrument to Gemini. The OCTOCAM team in Granada, Spain. From left to right: Antonio de Ugarte Postigo, Principal Investigator (IAA); Ruben Diaz, Instrument Program Scientist (Gemini); Cathy Blough, Contracts Specialist (Gemini); Morten Andersen, Project Scientist (Gemini); Stephen Goodsell, Gemini Technical Representative; Alexander van der Horst, Project Scientist (GWU); Manual Maldonado Medina, Mechanical (Fractal); Christina Thöne, Deputy Project Manager (IAA); Ronnie Killough, Control Software (SwRI); Susan Pope, Systems Engineer (SwRI); Pete Roming, Project Manager (SwRI); Scot Kleinman, Gemini Associate Director, Development; and Jeff Radwick, Systems Engineer (Gemini). Photo credit: Stephen Goodsell A month later, SwRI successfully led a virtual informal Systems Require- ments Review. Its main aim was to re- view the top-level requirements, the status of each needed trade study, and how the current design complied with the top-level requirements. Since the review, the OCTOCAM team has been progressing the design, evolving the science team, and writing project plans in preparation for the CoDR to be held in Hilo, Hawai’i, on August 2–3. — Stephen Goodsell July 2017 GeminiFocus 15