October 2016
October 2016
Gen 4 # 3 Instrument Development
Gemini Observatory received four very good Gen 4 # 3 proposals before the Request for Proposals ( RfP ) deadline at the end of August . We then sent the proposals to an expert evaluation committee for assessment . Within two weeks , we received excellent feedback against the predetermined evaluation criteria . We held an evaluation committee meeting at AURA ’ s Center for Administration in Tucson , Arizona , on September 23rd , and the committee created a number of highly-valued recommendations in their report .
In addition , upon receiving the proposals , Gemini extracted information and sent a short report for review by a subcommittee of the Gemini Board of Directors . As stated in the RfP , final selection is based on a number of components , some outside the remit of the evaluation committee , and these are the areas that the Board subcommittee is assessing . The Board subcommittee responded promptly , helping us to maintain our schedule in the early stages of the project .
In October , Gemini will make a number of physical and virtual site visits to seek clarification from proposers before making a final recommendation to the Gemini Board by the end of the month . We expect a selection decision to be made at the Board meeting in November . We hope to be able to start the Gen 4 # 3 first design stage in the first quarter of 2017 , although there is some risk in this date , pending the nature of the contract negotiations and approval processes .
GHOST Progressing Through Build Phase
The Gemini High-resolution Optical SpecTrograph ( GHOST ) project continues to progress through the build phase . When completed ,
January 2017 | 2016 Year in Review this instrument will bring long-desired capabilities at a high level of performance to Gemini South . At the June 2016 conference of the international society for optics and photonics ( SPIE ), held in Edinburgh , Scotland , several GHOST project team members reported on the project ’ s status .
Andy Sheinis , Head of Instrumentation at the Australian Astronomical Observatory ( AAO ), which leads the multi-institution team building GHOST , described the technical advances incorporated into the instrument . GHOST is designed to deliver R = 50,000 and R = 75,000 spectroscopy for up to two objects simultaneously . GHOST uses a fiber-based image slicer to allow for a much smaller spectrograph than that described by the resolution-slit – width product ; it will also have a sensitivity in the wavelength range between 363-950 nanometers ( nm ) that equals or exceeds that of similar instruments on other world-class facilities . Figure 9 shows the chart that Andy presented at the SPIE conference , which compares the GHOST predicted performance ( dashed red line ) against other current instruments in the field today . Andy also described the unique scientific role GHOST will have in an international context , from exoplanets to the distant Universe .
Also presenting at SPIE from the GHOST project team were Software Project Man-
GeminiFocus
Figure 9 . GHOST expected performance comparison against other current instruments in the field today .
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