NIRI is well into the fabrication phase, with most of the optical elements complete and machining in progress on the vacuum vessel. Work continues for cleaning up some mechanism design, but the main effort is in preparing final fabrication drawings and in making parts. Klaus Hodapp (Hawaii), the instrument PI, plans to perform a vacuum test of the main vessel in the spring of 1998 and to begin installing mechanisms and wiring for further tests in the summer. NIRI is planned to be the commissioning instrument for the Gemini North telescope, which is on schedule for first light in late 1998.
The GNIRS team successfully passed its Critical Design Review in November and is proceeding with fabrication, beginning with filter wheel assemblies. The review committee was confronted with several hundred pages of viewgraphs and about half of the expected 700 mechanical drawings that will comprise the final documentation package. A few design items not covered at the CDR will be closed out at an interim review scheduled for spring 1998. The Gemini project is considering adding an Integral Field Unit (image slicer) to GNIRS, and has undertaken a study of the feasibility of adding such a capability to the instrument soon after commissioning. PI Jay Elias and Project Engineer Dan Vukobratovich plan to ship GNIRS to Hilo on schedule in December 1999.
Building on the NOAO/US Navy ALADDIN program to produce 1024 × 1024 InSb 1-5 um array detectors, Gemini has commissioned NOAO tomanage a foundry run of devices in the hopes of obtaining two or three good detectors for use in its near IR instruments. Results to date are encouraging, with one four-quadrant device in good working order and the supplier, SBRC, making improvements in its process with each run. NOAO is in final system integration with the first near IR controller for the 1024 × 1024 devices, scheduling for delivery to the NIRI program in a few weeks.
NOAO has completed negotiations with the supplier of the 8-26 um imager. The contract is in the approval and signature cycle and is expected to be in place in early 1998.
An order was placed with EEV in the UK for the Gemini science CCDs, and regular communications with the EEV project engineer indicate delivery in mid-1998. NOAO has received an SDSU-2 controller to permit software development and integration with an engineering device to proceed.
Mark Trueblood