Subject: 12/9/96 UC Minutes

From: elt@astro.Princeton.EDU

Submitted: Mon, 9 Dec 1996 15:11:04 -0500 (EST)

Message number: 107 (previous: 106, next: 108 up: Index)

Report 3.5-m User Committee Meeting 12/09/96.

Present: Turner, Gillespie, Lutz, Stubbs, Walterbos, Uomoto
Absent:  Hobbs, Strauss

Report prepared by R. Walterbos

Topics:

1. ARC instrumentation and science meeting to be held at the new
Visitor Center at APO, some time this fall. Walterbos will organize
this. The meeting in Baltimore last August worked quite well in
implementing a 3-yr improvement plan. The goal of the meeting in 1997
is to discuss instrumentation and performance issues, and also
scientific research with the APO telescopes, to see how others are
using the facilities, and possibly to initiate collaborative efforts
amongst the members.

2. Update on current shutdown:

   - primary mirror is in Tucson. Will be realuminized on 12/11/96.
The goal is to have all three mirrors realuminized during this
shutdown. An immediate throughput measurement will be made after
completion of the shutdown.

   - First of 3 replacement wheels for the dome arrived and is being
installed. The goal is to replace all 3 wheels during this shutdown,
but this may move the completion date back to beyond 12/21 since the
wheels may not all arrive until the end of next week.

   - New braces are being installed on the 2ndary cage to tighten it up.

   - the guider is being worked on, to get it ready for installation of the
new camera, which is scheduled for January.

   - placement of conical baffles in Nasmyth tube to reduce reflections

   - Check noise problem in blue DIS camera and replace some cables
which should fix problem, although this is not likely to reduce
overall readnoise.

   - Some basic maintenance on various instruments is also planned.

3. Results of Board Meeting:

   Board embraced idea of 3-yr plan and funded it at a level which will let
   us go forward, given limited human resources.

4. Initiation of 3-yr plan efforts.
   
   Need implementation plan for first year. Initial meeting on Fr Dec
13, 1996, on APO site to plan this. Board mixed funds together for new
secondary and 3-yr plan, but did not micromanage spending of
funds. This is left up to the Director and users of the telescope.

5. APO publications record.

   It is becoming useful and necessary to keep track of publications
resulting from APO. User committee members will ask their
institutional members to provide this information on a regular
basis. Rene Walterbos will collate all institutional lists to keep
this data base up-to-date.

6. Status of new secondary.

   Negotations are underway for finishing the new secondary. Various
options were discussed.

7. WSMR arrangements.

   Discussed at Board meeting, and authorized by the board. The
question is how to compensate observers who loose time due to WSMR
activities. Board did not feel that users should receive make-up time
for this, but treat it as "weather" instead. Individual institutions
can arrange for makeup time if they desire. To provide make-up time by
the Director would involve a complicated tracking system for limited
number of occasions. However, lost time should not be counted against
the institutions. Lutz proposed that we discuss this again with the
users.

8. Date for next meeting: 01/06/97

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