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--- uc:uc20250304_march_4_2025 [2025/03/04 18:10]
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+++ uc:uc20250304_march_4_2025 [2025/03/04 18:51] (current)
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-Attending: Nancy Chanover (NMSU), Bill Ketzeback (APO), Ben Williams (UW), Aleksandr Mosenkov (BYU), Michael Hayden (OU), Anne Verbiscer (UVa), Moire Prescott (NMSU), Zach Berta-Thompson (CU), Joanne Hughes (Seattle U), Misty Bentz (GSU), Eric Bellm (UW), Gordon,  Kevin Schlaufman (JHU),
+Attending: Nancy Chanover (NMSU), Bill Ketzeback (APO), Ben Williams (UW), Aleksandr Mosenkov (BYU), Michael Hayden (OU), Anne Verbiscer (UVa), Moire Prescott (NMSU), Zach Berta-Thompson (CU), Joanne Hughes (Seattle U), Misty Bentz (GSU), Eric Bellm (UW), Gordon MacDonald (APO), Kevin Schlaufman (JHU)
-    Russet McMillan (APO),
 === User feedback and comments from institutional representatives ===
   * BYU - nothing to report
-  * Colorado - trainees having a great time
+  * Colorado - CU trainees are at APO right now and having a great time
   * Georgia State - nothing to report
-  * JHU - no report
+  * JHU - nothing to report
   * NAPG - no report
-  * NMSU - nothing to report - curious about ARCSAT camera
+  * NMSU - Moire had some questions about the ARCSAT camera - these were addressed in the Q1 ARCSAT schedule report (see below)
-  * Oklahoma - meeting with OU Astro group & VPR to discuss SoonerCam
+  * Oklahoma - there was a meeting with the OU Astro group and their VPR to discuss SoonerCam - this was discussed in the instrumentation initiatives report (see below)
   * Seattle - nothing to report
   * UVa - nothing to report
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 === Additional site, telescope and instrument discussion ===
-One onsite user of 3.5m in Feb. First of 2 groups from CU arrived Sun evening, had first night of training last night.
+We had one on-site 3.5m user in February. The first of two groups of students from CU arrived on Sunday evening and they had their first night of training last night. Hopefully the weather will improve for them soon.
-We are continuing to have troubles with ARCTIC vacuum system. Warmed camera up yesterday. Today should be getting replacement ion pumps - wrong model sent to us. Prepared once they come in to change them out and pump/cool before next scheduled use. Off the schedule of rnext 1.5 weeks. Also hope to service the diffuser rotation mechanism.
+We continue to have troubles with the ARCTIC vacuum system. We warmed the camera up yesterday; today we should receive the replacement ion pumps (after the wrong model was sent to us originally). Once they arrive we are prepared to change them out and pump/cool the instrument before the next scheduled use in 1.5 weeks. We also hope to service the diffuser rotation mechanism during this down time.
-Agile is back at repair facility; frustration with trying to get camera working. Performs there but not here. Have longer term plan for replacement of Agile w/different camera.
+Agile is back at the repair facility after lots of frustration with trying to get the camera working. It seems to perform fine while there but not at APO. We have a longer term plan for the replacement of Agile with a different camera (see below).
-Other instruments performing nominally. Mask wheels had multiple failures during commanded moves - get stuck when moved often. Can be moved by hand - happens once or twice a night? Does it always fail visibly? Shows up in TUI as non-completed command.
+Other instruments are performing nominally. The KOSMOS mask/filter wheel had multiple failures during commanded moves; it gets stuck when moved often. When this happens it can be moved by hand and then it doesn't happen again for a while. Users will know when the failure takes place because it will show up as a non-completed command in TUI.
-APOLLO operational.
+APOLLO is operational. We are trying to range to the new retroreflectors that were just placed on the Moon by the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost 1 lander. Lots of hard work from the APOLLO team at APO and GSFC has gone into preparing for this landing!
-New TUI available.
+There is a new version of TUI available.
-ARCES flats - reduction software is choking on super-flats. Flats taken throughout the beginning of an observation may be shifted versitcall on chip compared to later flats. When orders are combined the signal is smeared out. Not clear if the grating itself has moved - probably not a thermal effect.
+A user recently reported an issue with ARCES flats: their reduction software is choking on super-flats. Flats taken during the beginning of an observation may be shifted vertically on the chip compared to flats taken later during an observing session. The result is that when constructing a super flat from these multiple sets of flats, when the orders are combined the signal gets smeared out. It is not clear if the grating itself has moved or this is due to something else (e.g. a thermal effect?). Users are encourage to examine their flats, avoid using super-flats, and let us know if they see a similar issue so that we can try to diagnose the problem.
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 === 2025 Q1 3.5m scheduling ===
-UPDATE: Almost full now - a couple of short slots still available but have received requests for them already. But will not assign them until next week (Mar 19 and 22) - still taking requests if there is something time critical.
+The Q1 schedule is almost full now. There are a couple of short slots still available (on Mar 19 and 22) but we have received requests for them already. We will not assign them until next week so we are still taking requests for those slots if there is something compelling or time critical.
-We have some unassigned time in Q1 (mostly B halves) - most urgently Feb 08B, but there are a few others in February and March as well. We have received some requests for this time already but if there are any urgent requests or high priority (e.g. students) programs please let us know ASAP, otherwise we will allocate time (at least the slots in the first few weeks of February) to the people who already made requests. This time is listed as OPEN on the Q1 schedule. Users should look at the schedule and follow the usual channels for requesting this time (i.e. email Russet, Amanda, Ben, Nancy and their institutional scheduler when submitting requests, and provide a proposal cover page if you don't already have a program scheduled for the current quarter).
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 === 2025 Q2 3.5m scheduling ===
-Got everyone's requests for Q2. Amanda working to put together - complicated (short slots, conflicts). Should be going out next week. This quarter - got requests for training without a lot of notice.
+We received everyone's requests for Q2. Amanda working to put together the schedule, which is a particularly challenging one due to multiple requests for short slots and some conflicts. It should be going out to the users next week. One concerning issue is that this quarter we received several requests for training without a lot of notice. We will try to accommodate these requests but our ability to do so decreases when we don't have a lot of advanced notice.
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 === 2025 Q1 0.5 scheduling ===
-One open week, but request came in this morning (last week of March). After 3.5m schedule goes out next week will send out Q2 ARCSAT request.
+There is one open week remaining on the schedule, but a request was received this morning so it may actually be completely scheduled now. After the Q2 3.5m schedule goes out next week Ben will send out the Q2 ARCSAT call for proposals.
-Update on camera - Bill changed from FLareCam to other spare we had. Hasn't completed resolved library support error problems but has significantly reduced the frequency of them. Set for Moire to use. Q: pixel scale, FOV, same? Yes.
+Update on ARCSAT camera: Bill changed from FlareCam to another spare we had. This has not completed resolved the library support error problems but has significantly reduced the frequency of them. It has the same pixel scale and FOV as FlareCam.
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 === IT Security ===
-UPDATE: No new announcements. Lots of work is going on behind the scenes.
+No new announcements, but lots of work is going on behind the scenes. We will remove this item from the monthly agenda and add it back in when we have something new to report.
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 === Status of new instrument initiatives ===
-We still have heard no news from NSF regarding the pre-proposal that was submitted for ASPEN. The UW Telescope Engineering Group has been working on their response to the Ocotillo Critical Design Review report. Preliminary discussions are ongoing about the possibility of replacing Agile with a more modern and capable high-speed imaging camera. We will keep this group posted as things develop.
+We still have heard no news from NSF regarding the pre-proposal that was submitted for ASPEN. The UW Telescope Engineering Group has been working on their response to the Ocotillo Critical Design Review report. It will include a revised timeline, which Nancy will share with the Users Committee once the CDR Review Panel has had a chance to react. Preliminary discussions are ongoing about the possibility of replacing Agile with a more modern and capable high-speed imaging camera. There are several elements to the instrument (camera, focal reducer, computer/control software) that will require people power. This will be done on a non-interference basis with the Ocotillo development. We are preparing a white paper that describes the instrument and will share that with this group as things develop.
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 === DIS Decommissioning Plans ===
-UPDATE: Nancy has drafted an instrument decommissioning document that she and Bill are working on. The hope is to have this general document finalized before the end of the month so that it can be applied to DIS. The first order of business will be to issue a formal notification to all stakeholders about our plans to decommission DIS.
+The general instrument decommissioning plan document is nearly complete. Once it is, it will be applied to DIS and shared with the ARC Board of Governors.
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 Open action items from previous meetings:
-  * Nancy: get Mt. Cuba Foundation proposal for new KOSMOS grisms submitted. STATUS: OPEN. The proposal is done; Nancy needs to distribute it to the users who requested the grisms to ensure that their science cases are adequately described. She plans to submit it before the next Users Committee meeting.
+  * Nancy: get Mt. Cuba Foundation proposal for new KOSMOS grisms submitted. STATUS: OPEN. The proposal is done; Nancy needs to confirm with NMSU's Office of Grants and Contracts whether they need to be involved in the submission since it's a small proposal. She plans to submit it before the next Users Committee meeting.
   * Nancy: Ensure that a short description of the impact of satellites be posted on the APO website somewhere and updated every 6 months or so. Nancy received examples of this issue from Anne Verbiscer and will get something added to the current (and new) web site. STATUS: OPEN.
   * UC reps: remind your users to review the Q1 schedule and request OPEN/DD time if they can make a good case for it. STATUS: OPEN.
-Open action items from this meeting:
+New action items from this meeting:
-  * None.
+  * UC reps: notify your users that there is a new version of TUI that they should download and use.
+  * UC reps: ask your ARCES users to look at their flat fields and let the APO staff know if they see issues with changes in flats over the course of an observation.
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