Subject: Preliminary New 3Q1997 3.5m Schedule

From: elt@astro.Princeton.EDU

Submitted: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 14:27:22 -0400 (EDT)

Message number: 149 (previous: 148, next: 150 up: Index)

As announced in the previous message, it will be necessary to
slip the planned shutdown of the 3.5m by 3 weeks.  This means the
first night of engineering shutdown will be August 18 (rather than
July 28) and the first night of resumed science operations will be
September 27 (rather than September 6).

The primary reasons are delays in obtaining critical parts from
various commercial suppliers and in scheduling personel working
on the various engineering tasks.  To stick to the announced
schedule would mean closing the telescope without gain during weeks
when it could be used and almost certainly not completing important
engineering and maintenance tasks before returning the telescope to
science operations.  Neither is acceptable, despite the very considerable
inconvenience and possible confusion this change of plans will entail.


As a first cut at producing a new schedule, programs scheduled for 
September 6 - 26, inclusive, will be rescheduled into the period
July 28 - August 17, inclusive, in the following manner:

Programs scheduled for 9/22-26 -> 7/28-8/1, respectively.
Programs scheduled for 9/6-21 -> 8/2-17, respectively.

In other words, the programs assigned to, say, September 24 will be
rescheduled on July 30 and those previously assigned to September 16
will be rescheduled on August 12, for example.  This mapping very
roughly preserves moon phase and, of course, gives displaced programs
from September compensatory time in July-August.  Please let me
know if this scheme is unclear in any way.


Of course, I am well aware that the reassigned time will not be suitable
for many programs for a variety of reasons.  These cases will no doubt
require substantial effort to sort out so that the newly available
July-August telescope time is used effectively.  I propose the following
three step process:
1) If possible, the affected PI and collaborators should modify their
   science programs in whatever way necessary to make effective use
   of the new time slot.  If this requires a different instrument from
   that previously scheduled or a switch, one way or the other, between
   remote and on-site observing modes, please inform both Gretchen and
   me by email.
2) In cases where the original PI and collaborators can no longer use
   their assigned time, please try to arrange internal institutional
   re-assignments of the time to new programs or perhaps swaps for time
   assigned to other institutions.  All such arrangements MUST be
   coordinated through the relevant institutional scheduler(s) who will
   inform Gretchen and me.
3) If no use can be found for the reassigned time by the observers and
   institution concerned, please declare the time OPEN by an email to
   Gretchen and me with a copy to apo35-general@astro (so that other
   potential users may ask for it).  This should be done as early as
   possible and no later than 14 days prior to the night(s) in question.


Our goal will be to have a final schedule for each night during the newly
available July 28 - August 17 interval settled 10 days, or at worst 7 days,
in advance if at all possible.  It would, of course, be helpful to accomplish
this goal earlier when possible.  Thus, these matters will require
immediate attention from those affected.

Finally, I ask your understanding of the situation and apologize for
the inconvenience.  As will be described in a following message, we will
deal with major engineering shutdowns differently in the future.  The new
system is intended, among other things, to avoid exercises of this sort.

Ed Turner
 
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