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The NOAO WIYN Observing Program (1Dec94) (from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 40, 1 December 1994) In anticipation of the start of WIYN shared risk science operations in March 1995, KPNO solicited proposals for observations with the WIYN telescope as part of the normal KPNO observing proposal process in September. The WIYN telescope will be scheduled in a queue observing mode, unlike the other telescopes on Kitt Peak. We believe that the efficiency of the telescopes can be improved by scheduling in this way. As part of the development of an operations strategy for the Gemini telescopes, Todd Boroson has written a program that simulates queue scheduling and compares it to classical scheduling. This model has been applied to simulate the WIYN Telescope on Kitt Peak. The simulations suggest the following: o about 20% more exposures get taken in queue mode than in classical mode. o 60% of the approved proposals get completed in queue mode, as opposed to about 10% in classical mode. o 60% of the approved proposals get at least some data in queue mode, as opposed to 90% in classical mode. o the gain in queue mode is almost entirely in the imaging queues, particularly in the "good seeing" queue (for which only 16% of the exposures are done in classical mode, while 100% are done in queue mode). This is a result of the fact that this kind of observation requires conditions that occur only occasionally. o among the exposures that are obtained in classical mode, there is no discrimination with grade, while for queue, essentially all the of the most highly ranked proposals (to a grade of 2.25) get done, with a tail down to grade 3. We received 26 proposals for observing programs on WIYN, as follows: Dark time: Imager: 8 proposals MOS/Hydra: 11 proposals Bright time: Imager: 0 proposals MOS/Hydra: 7 proposals These proposals will be reviewed by the KPNO TAC in early November and ranked according to scientific merit. Technical reviews will be conducted by KPNO staff once the commissioning of the WIYN facility instruments is underway. In addition, 19 short program (ó 2 hrs) proposals were received. These proposals will be reviewed internally. The total number of nights requested is approximately 60 dark nights and 25 bright nights. NOAO expects to be allocated roughly 25 dark nights and 25 bright nights between 1 March and 1 September 1995. Once these reviews are completed, a preliminary queue schedule based primarily on scientific merit of all technically feasible programs will be prepared. The principal investigators of these programs will be requested to provide additional information necessary to complete the proposed observations (e.g., Hydra configurations). Proposers whose programs were judged to be technically infeasible will be notified individually, and their programs will not be scheduled. More detailed information about the WIYN queue observing program will be included in the next NOAO Newsletter. Caty Pilachowski, Dave Silva
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