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Planning for Early WIYN Science Operations (1Dec93) (from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 36, 1 December 1993) With the imminent completion of the WIYN telescope, we have begun planning for science observations. We expect the telescope and its two facility instruments, the Imager and Multi-Object Spectrograph (aka Hydra), to be ready for initial science operations shortly after 1 January 1995. NOAO will received 40% of the observing time on the WIYN telescope. We plan to operate WIYN in a shared-risk, queue mode, as explained below, for six to nine months before normal operations commence 1 September 1995. Following the shared-risk period, we will continue to operate WIYN in a queue scheduled mode, but will be able to accommodate some on-site observers with dedicated nights as well. What are shared-risk, queued observations? NOAO will provide trained observers at the telescope to run the instruments and take observations. "Shared-risk" means that we will do our best to complete approved programs and to provide science grade data but cannot guarantee that those goals will be accomplished. WIYN is a very complex machine: we hope it will not have "teething" problems but want to allow latitude during the early operations phase to respond to any problems that do arise. Queued observations give us maximum flexibility during the final WIYN shakedown, minimize WIYN user inconvenience during the earliest stages of WIYN science operations (users won't lose time to equipment failure), and maximize the likelihood that the most scientifically meritorious programs will acquire data even in the face of WIYN startup problems. As well as achieving our technical goal of a well-operating facility during the shared-risk phase, we will also use this period to develop and test new operations procedures for WIYN, from science proposal submission through scientific and technical evaluation to time allocation and construction of the actual observing queue. As part of that process, we must learn what WIYN observations are appropriate for queue observing and which are not. For example, most current KPNO optical imaging programs could be queue scheduled; however, is the same true for Hydra programs? We hope also to implement several observing procedures which optimize WIYN observing efficiency and scientific output during "queue mode" observations. Effective flexible observing protocols, which facilitate selecting observing programs in real-time that are well-matched to current observing conditions (e.g. seeing quality, transparency, photometricity), are needed. We have been experimenting with such protocols at other telescopes as described elsewhere in this Newsletter. However, for WIYN, we also need to develop procedures for interweaving Imager and MOS observations depending on observing conditions. In addition, a real-time "hitchhiker" (or "eavesdropping") scheme to allow remote investigators to interact with on-site WIYN observers will be tested and implemented. The ability to evaluate data quality efficiently in real-time and then use that information to adjust the observing program must be made available. A scheme for timely dissemination of completed queue observations must be developed. All these tasks can and will be simulated prior to actual science operations; however, to understand what works and what doesn't work requires taking actual science data. By accepting proposals for a shared risk period, we will obtain the program pool needed to fine-tune WIYN science operations with the understanding that these programs will be completed on a "best effort" basis. The advantage for proposers is they may get early data from a potentially excellent facility. NOAO anticipates that 30 September 1994 (i.e. the usual fall NOAO observing proposal deadline) will be the deadline for accepting the first WIYN shared risk science program proposals. During the shared risk period, we may attempt to schedule WIYN quarterly. If we do, we would accept further WIYN proposals on 31 December 1994 and 31 March 1995. Proposals will be ranked based on scientific merit by external peer review. Approved programs would then be scheduled by an internal NOAO committee which will have some liberty to construct the queue to meet our technical objectives. Further details about proposal submission, "first light" Imager and MOS capabilities, time allocation and scheduling procedures, and observing procedures will be presented in the next Newsletter. Any comments or questions about WIYN science operations can be send to me (dsilva@noao.edu). Dave Silva
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