Services”, as a reliable and very cost-effective
solution. Watch for the launch!
The second innovation — the Fast Turnaround mode (view here) — is more of an expansion; the program, which we introduced
in January at Gemini North, extends now to
Gemini South. We used the first months of
2015 as a pilot study in order to debug the
process. As the machinery now runs flawlessly, it’s time to offer these monthly deadlines to our users at both telescopes. Your
proposals will be collected and evaluated
together for both facilities. As with Gemini
North, we will grant up to 20 hours of observing time on Gemini South every month.
Base Facility Operations
and More!
Just around the corner is another exciting
milestone: As this issue goes to e-press, our
Base Facility Operations project is undergoing nighttime testing at Gemini North; we
are now on track to observe from Hilo (without anyone on the summit) before the end
of the year. But no worries, we still welcome
visiting astronomers and their students to
visit the summit during the day — when
coming to observe from the comfort of our
Base Facility at night!
Speaking of infrastructure… as the Gemini
Observatory ages, we need to keep our facilities up to date. In fact, we are using this opportunity not only to prevent obsolescence
but also to go green as we implement a
number of energy saving measures. A spectacular example is the record-breaking installation of photovoltaic panels on Gemini
North on Maunakea (see story on page 28).
Photovoltaic systems are already being prepared for the Hilo Base Facility and Gemini
South on Cerro Pachón, as well.
signed as I write. The partners are committing funding contributions for the period
2016 to 2021. As readers of GeminiFocus,
you probably already know that Australia
could not commit funds over the entire period — h