1. Pg 1 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting SOAR Priorities Jay Elias

2. Pg 2 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting Staffing Overview Engineering staff turnover – –Lost/losing electronics engineers: in process of hiring replacement(s) at more junior level – this has impacted SOAR especially –May well lose mechanical engineer, on top of previous departure, need to replace also –Loss of site manager has impacted project management, replacement under consideration –Likely outcome is postponement of M1 coating Need to ensure safe handling Removes pressure from optics group to commit by June Must, however, coordinate with Gemini We will know for sure in the next few weeks

3. Pg 3 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting Project Priorities (Board List) Completion of TCS upgrade (482) –Project as defined nearing completion – need to define “Phase II” as new project (scope will be less) Goodman Red Camera (N/A) –Negligible ETS resources involved, also nearing completion, not an ACTR project Goodman acquisition camera (488) –Done Re-definition of tip-tilt guider work – see later slides Delivery of Brazilian instruments –SIFS re-commissioning under way, so far minimal impact on ETS –STELES delivery may occur surprisingly soon Must finish blue dewar “soon” [468] Need ETS support for acceptance evaluation/procedure review/???

4. Pg 4 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting Project Priorities (Board List) M1 Aluminization (494) –Scheduled for late CY 2016 – likely now to reschedule –Complex effort, requires careful planning (last done 2009) –Desire to make modifications (additions) to Gemini chamber to produce better coating (no Ag contamination) – work now underway, we should finish. –Planning is not resource-intensive but we need to complete initial phase to hand over to new engineer (if that’s what happens) –All-out effort once we start removing the primary mirror

5. Pg 5 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects (Board List) Charged by Board to perform a critical failure analysis of the facility –Intended to guide additional procurement of spares –Intended to identify upgrade projects aimed at reliability –Need to set up a technical working group to define methodology and start work Some approaches to CFA may be excessive for our needs/schedule/budget Focus on telescope/dome etc – UNC will address for Goodman and other instruments not considered “critical” at present (unless demand changes) Expected to result in additional project work –Hang-up is at the Director level, will probably remain on hold….

6. Pg 6 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects (Board List) M1 active optics speed up (493) –Mike Warner is a key person; some support from Omar Estay; likely to hand off to new hire with supervision –Much of the electronic work can be done by SOAR day crew –Goal is to speed up M1 adjustments during slews by factor of 3+ –ACTR Project 493 - Goodman blue camera modernization –Red camera electronics very different from old blue camera electronics –Best course of action now seems to be upgrade of interfaces to permit Windows 7, newer LabView, same dewar –Need red camera to work before we even consider this –ETS scope likely too small to define as project

7. Pg 7 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects TripleSpec aka ARCoIRIS –Likely to be approved at NSF/SOAR Board level –Need to address technical aspects ASAP; goal is late FY17 re- commissioning –Need a project scientist also –Should get a project number

8. Pg 8 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects Guider/WFS Project(s) –Upgrade to TT guider has been on the SOAR project list for years (not necessarily on the ACTR list, though) –Tentative proposal – Add focus mechanism Replace input lens with somewhat larger lens Allows for addition of a 2x2 Shack Hartmann element (prism, similar design used at Gemini) Should provide permanent TTFA correction –Minimal loss of sensitivity (acceptable) –Some loss of patrol field –Implement at both foci, TBD which comes first See Andrei’s document in DocDB, it should be a project now as we would like to move ahead on this!

9. Pg 9 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects Guider/WFS Project(s) continued –Upgrades to CWFS “pending” OK with existing hardware until it fails – then it’s critical Should not wait for critical failure analysis to complete Marco Bonati is working on this, need mechanical optics support Doesn’t appear as a project – does it need to? Shutter work (452/489) –Main concern currently is the shutter electronics, continuing evaluation with operations staff –Not ready for a proposal/project –Mechanical aspects lowered in priority, though continuing maintenance is required (close SOAR “shutter” mechanical projects)

10. Pg 10 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects Seismic upgrades –Several additions to telescope: Better azimuth encoder mount Seismic shut-off switch Additional 3-axis sensors for continuing telemetry –Also not an official project but work is happening Dome safety –Improve access to outside/top of dome –Largely purchased hardware but not entirely –This is a long-standing issue that should be addressed; can treat it as “operations” but we need to move ahead Pachon DIMM upgrade –Bring Pachon DIMM up to level of CTIO DIMM –Simplify support (agreement in principle w/ Gemini on all this) –New project number or include within existing upgrade project?

11. Pg 11 21 April 2016 ACTR Meeting New Projects Instrument Projects –HRCam upgrade See proposal from Andrei If we don’t need a project number, fine Not clear where ME comes from, lower priority than many other things –Robo SOAR Requires some support from ETS NOT approved instrument for SOAR; NO source of funding yet for NOAO installation work Action premature (but you have been warned…)