After FLAMINGOS-2 (F2) recovered from last
year’s catastrophic failure, just as it was getting ready to go on sky, we concluded the
re-commissioning of the imaging and longslit modes in the last months. F2 is now on
the telescope for its first regular science programs in 2013B. Work continues to resolve
minor problems in the alignment of the
On-Instrument Wave Front Sensor, but first
images and spectra look very promising. A
detailed update can be found on page 22 of
this issue.
The Last Call for Proposals saw F2 jumping
into the position of third most demanded
instrument at the Observatory! Considering that GeMS/GSAOI is also very popular,
and that GPI is about to take its first images,
Gemini South will undoubtably become
more oversubscribed than ever in the next
few semesters.
New Modes of Operation
Taking Shape
While making progress in instrumentation,
we also saw some of the new operations
modes now taking shape. The Gemini Board
has agreed on guidelines for the Large and
Long programs, to which ~20 percent of
telescope time will be dedicated from 2014B
onward (see details starting on page 16). Together with the National Optical Astronomy
Observatory, Gemini is now finalizing the
implementation details and is ramping up
towards the first yearly Call for Letters of Intent in December; we anticipate a deadline
in early February, followed by a Call for Proposals.
Canadian Gemini Office. We expect to have
a solid concept by the middle of next year.
Other topics discussed at the UCG meeting
are summarized in a report that appears in
this issue on page 25.
On another front, Gemini staff and members
of the National Gemini Offices met in August
for the semesterly Operations Working Group
meeting. Participants began looking into
m