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Magellan f/5 Planning and Status

Magellan f/5 Planning and Status. Andrew Szentgyorgyi Magellan SAC Meeting Pasadena/17 Mar 2012. Current f/5 Run. f/5 Campaign in progress (Megacam tonight) 2012A run 10 Mar - 22 April Instruments are scientifically robust Demand is high

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Magellan f/5 Planning and Status

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  1. Magellan f/5 Planning and Status Andrew Szentgyorgyi Magellan SAC Meeting Pasadena/17 Mar 2012

  2. Current f/5 Run • f/5 Campaign in progress (Megacam tonight) • 2012A run 10 Mar - 22 April • Instruments are scientifically robust • Demand is high • Scheduling for 2012B, 2013, &c subject of discussion later

  3. Status of Instrumentation • MMIRS and Megacam meet optical/efficiency/performance specifications • Mechanical systems – stable/spares on site • Electrical systems – stable/spares on site • Computers/network – stable but slight concern about spares (DOsip to comment?) • Software – stability needs improvement

  4. Support Personnel • Vincent Suc (EE) continues to support startup/shutdown • Vincent also continues to upgrade/maintain equipment between campaigns, supports upgrade campaigns • Igor Chillingarian (SW Scientist) on Cambridge staff to develop MMIRS data reduction pipeline • Igor is engaged in observing/debugging/observer support • Igor functions as startup MMIRS operations • John Roll, Maureen Conroy, Ann Matthews (SW Eng’s) maintain and upgrade software • ASz and Brian McLeod continue to support observing on site • Warren Brown now Director of Telescope Data Center • Warren supervises Cambridge staff activities archiving & validating data • Remote software maintenance from Cambridge is extremely effective

  5. Support Personnel Planning • Harvard plans to maintain status quo support level as long as it is required • Magellan instrument specialists would like to become more engaged in and knowledgable about MMIRS and Megacam science operations • Technical staff is becoming more skilled at mounting and demounting f/5 instrumentation • CfA will continue dialogue about necessity of Vincent’s support • Vincent is expected to complete PhD in 12-18 months • If Magellan & CfA feel this level of support is required, we must start a search for a successor in ~10 months

  6. Achieving Software Stability • To date, frequent upgrade, bug fixes, enhancements &c have compromised software stability • Stability is improving • Need to achieve level of stability where Magellan staff can do routine maintenance and operation • Dave Osip’s criterion – it should possible for mountain staff to mount f/5 and start operations without CfA intervention

  7. Achieving Software Stability (II) • Povilas, Dave O., Brian, John, Maureen, Ann & Ian to compile comprehensive list of software problem, desired/required upgrades and enhancement • All parties to hold a “triage meeting” to sort remaining tasks by priority: • Functionality/fixes essential to achieve commissioning • High desirable software task we will set as goals, but not requirements • Software functionality/performance elements that would be really nice, but we will probably not get to

  8. Context for Triage Process • Magellan operations assume observers are reasonably skilled and experienced • Some light support from staff is provided, but expectation is that observers will know how to take their data • We are rapidly reaching a point where the instrumentation works for observers who know what they are doing • There is room for improvement, but at this point in time, with very few exceptions, people who know what they are doing get good data

  9. Action Item List • Create triage list • Schedule software tasks • Focus on transfer of information to instrumentation specialists • Continue trnasfer of information on instrument mounting to Magellan staff • Change u’ filter in Megacam • Add final grism to MMIRS • Prepare for commissioning

  10. Commissioning f/5 Andrew Szentgyorgyi Magellan SAC Meeting Pasadena/17 Mar 2012

  11. Commissioning Plan • Performance, mechanics, electronics, computer ready for commissioning. • Software is stabilizing, but not ready for commissioning • Magellan and CfA staff will develop triage list • CfA will draft a timeline to address top-tier tasks in the next ~1 – 1 ½ months • Draft timeline will be submitted to SAC • Will require several months to complete tasks • Required commissioning documentation plan will be delivered to Consortium for commissioning in TBD months

  12. Topic for Discussion • Many (most?) software issue involve telescope interfaces • For instruments with complicated telescope interfaces and high multiplicity of operating modes, might reevaluate balance of consortium and institutional engineering time levies to commission instruments • Especially vis-á-vis AO

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