Fabrication of NIRI is nearly complete. Nearly all optical elements are complete, the vacuum vessel passed its vacuum test, and most mechanisms have been machined and assembled. The instrument completed a cold test, achieving its design working temperature of about 70ºK with some mechanisms installed. Klaus Hodapp (instrument PI, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii), plans to continue installing mechanisms into the dewar, with a goal of performing final alignment in early 1999. NIRI will be the commissioning instrument for Gemini North.
Charles Telesco (PI) and his team held the Preliminary Design Review in mid-September and passed this critical milestone. The Gemini Science Committee endorsed the team's request to investigate adding a limited spectroscopic capability to the baseline 8-26 µm imager, which has a single plate scale of 0.09"/ mm. The contract with the University of Florida calls for delivery to Cerro Pachon in early 2001.
After ten hybridization attempts by Boeing SBRC , the result is two good science grade arrays. The program was placed on hold temporarily to increase the odds of obtaining better devices. NOAO shipped the NIRI IR controller in August, and the controller for the Gemini Hilo Base Facility in September. The GNIRS controller will be delivered later this year.
EEV in the UK delivered two engineering grade arrays to be used for initial testing of the SDSU-2 controller and integration of the Dewar of the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS). NOAO has produced an image from this combination, and is proceeding with final software integration.
Todd Boroson, Mark Trueblood