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Queue Scheduling Pilot Program (1Mar93) (from KPNO, NOAO Newsletter No. 33, 1 March 1993) Anyone who has acquired observations with HST or ROSAT has been subjected to queue scheduling a procedure whereby approved proposals are scheduled according to various constraints. These constraints fold together environmental conditions, efficiencies of pointing the telescope and configuring the instruments, and scientific priority. While such an approach has not traditionally been used at ground based observatories, there are reasons to consider adopting it for some programs. The most valuable aspect of queue scheduling is the removal of risk due to bad weather or instrument malfunction for the highest ranked programs. Rather than being allotted a specific run of three nights, regardless of the weather, the highest ranked proposal is executed in the first nights during which conditions are suitable. In addition, queue scheduling improves the overall efficiency of telescope operations. This is done by combining programs with similar types of observations so that calibration data and setup time can be shared and by fitting in observations for programs which do not need superb conditions when the weather is less than perfect. Finally, it allows the execution of observational programs which are unsuitable for conventionally scheduled telescopes, such as monitoring projects or programs which cannot efficiently fill the night with targets. Queue scheduling should be distinguished from past programs of service observing, wherein small amounts of data were taken during a portion of an observing night. In queue scheduling, the scientific merit of the proposal figures prominently in the scheduling, and there need be no constraint on the size of the program. It is becoming clear that new methods of observing such as queue scheduling will be employed in the future in order to improve observing efficiency, especially on new facilities such as the WIYN telescope. It is also clear that many new problems will have to be solved in order to implement an effective queue scheduling program. In order to gain some initial experience in this area, we are instituting a small pilot program during summer shutdown in 1993. Because of major control system work planned for the 4-m telescope during the summer of 1993, most of the smaller telescopes will be available for this experiment. We are planning to run this pilot program for a period of two weeks on the 0.9-m/CCD direct with the T2KA chip, the 2.1-m/GoldCam, and the Coude Feed/camera 5/grating A/T2KB. (Please see the appropriate instrument manuals for the capabilities of these instruments.) Observations will be made by the KPNO scientific or support staff according to an observing prescription designed to produce uniformly good data. Requests for queue-scheduled observations with the above-mentioned telescope and instrument combinations should be submitted by 30 April 1993. Rather than the usual observing proposal form, we will accept proposals by e-mail only. In order to receive an electronic proposal form (good for this summer shutdown 1993 pilot program ONLY), send a request to queue-request@noao.edu. Proposals for each telescope will be ranked by an in-house TAC on the basis of scientific merit and the degree to which they lend themselves to queue scheduling, and scheduled as other constraints permit during the period between about 20 July 1993 and 20 August 1993. Within one month of the deadline (i.e., by 31 May 1993) all proposers will be notified whether their proposal is likely to get time, might possibly get time, or is not likely to get time. To receive the general information packet, send e-mail to queue-info@noao.edu. David De Young, Todd Boroson
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