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Activities of the US Gemini Project Office (1Dec93)
(from US Gemini Project, NOAO Newsletter No. 36, 1 December 1993)

The US Gemini Science Advisory Committee held its most recent meeting
on 19-20 October in Tucson. Four new members have been added to the US
SAC: Jay Gallagher (U. of Wisconsin), John Huchra (SAO/Harvard U.),
Gerry Neugebauer (California Inst. of Tech.), and Charles Telesco
(NASA/MSFC). The SAC was given an overview by the Gemini Project
Scientist on the current status of the Project and the preparations for
the primary mirror system Preliminary Design Review. The US SAC was
pleased to see that the Project continues to address critical
mirror-related issues. A second major topic at this meeting was a
discussion of the desired performance capabilities for the first-light
complement of Gemini instruments and US priorities for procurement. To
meet the conflicting demands of a very short timescale for preparation
of an instrument procurement plan by the Gemini Project and a desire
for competitive opportunities for US institutions to provide
instruments to Gemini, a "strawman" plan for the US was developed. It
is based on the responses to the request for letters of intent, and
will be described in more detail in a letter which will soon be
distributed by the US Gemini Project Office (USGPO). You may obtain a
copy of this letter by contacting the USGPO at usgpo@noao.edu.

The US delegation participated in the Gemini Science Committee (GSC)
meeting in Tucson on 27-28 October, preceded by a national Project
Scientists' meeting on 26 October. The GSC is the primary scientific
advisory group in the Project, and is chaired by the Project Scientist,
Matt Mountain. GSC meetings provide a forum for the presentation of
national perspectives on Gemini as well as for the development of
scientific specifications for the Project. The US members are Alan
Dressler, Chas Beichman, Jay Gallagher, Bob Gehrz (Steve Ridgway filled
in for Gehrz at this meeting), Fred Gillett and Richard Green. This
meeting saw an enlarged GSC, with participation by scientists from
Argentina, Brazil and Chile. To maintain representation roughly
proportional to contribution, the number of US members was expanded
from four to six. Major topics of discussion included the scientific
performance of the primary mirror system design, the telescope image
quality specification, the telescope interface to the instruments,
advances in adaptive optics, capabilities of first-light instruments,
and the software control system design.

The initial set of instrumental capabilities is derived from seven
small international working groups which the project assembled to
develop recommendations on adaptive optics, acquisition and guiding, IR
imaging, IR spectroscopy, optical imaging, optical multi- object
spectroscopy, and optical high-resolution spectroscopy.  The Working
Groups had completed their reports, which served as the basis for the
GSC discussion. From this input, the Gemini Project and the national
Project Scientists will develop a procurement plan for the approval of
the Gemini Board at their May meeting.

Matt Mountain has convened a Science Working Group for the Primary
Mirror PDR. Its task is to assess whether the primary mirror system
will satisfactorily meet the scientific performance requirements,
assuming that the thermal and mechanical systems will perform as
specified. The members are Jeremy Allington- Smith (U. of Oxford),
Jacques Beckers (NSO), Fred Gillett, Richard Green, Paul Hickson (U.
of British Columbia), Robert Laing (Royal Greenwich Obs.), Matt
Mountain (Chair), Jerry Nelson (Keck Obs.), and Paul Schechter
(Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.). In addition, Jay Gallagher and Bob
Gehrz were invited participants. The group's first meeting was held in
Tucson on 10-11 September.  The major performance questions center on
response to wind buffeting and ambient temperature changes. The working
group gave the Project recommendations on investigating the power as a
function of frequency in the wind spectrum, and in modeling the
closed-loop thermal control system to predict mirror front surface
temperature for actual recorded weather data on Mauna Kea. The Science
Working Group is scheduled to meet again on 18-19 November to complete
its assessment prior to the Primary Mirror System PDR.

Jay Gallagher, who is working out of Madison as the interim Associate
US Gemini Project Scientist, is leading an effort to present colloquia
or seminars describing the Gemini Project to the US astronomical
community.  Presentations and discussions by the USGPO and NOAO staff
are planned with more than a dozen astronomical departments the Fall.
We value the informal discussions about the Project as well as the
opportunity to make a more formal presentation. If you would like a
USGPO associate to visit and talk about Gemini, please contact us.

Jay Gallagher, Fred Gillett, Richard Green

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