1. (Quasi-)Remote Observing Pros ● Travel Cost ● Transit Time ● Scheduling Flexibility ● Increase faculty & students participation Cons ● Telescope Separation anxiety ● Increase involvement of observatory staff ● Data transfer

2. (Quasi-)Remote Observing Requirements ● Instrument/Science-Program independent ● Communication – Real time instrument control – Field acquisition ● Real time, local access to “science critical” data ● No decrease in observing efficiency

3. A Test Case (How not to let an earth quake get in your way of science) ● 9 slit positions ● Diffuse object, no point sources ● Variable, unknown exposure times – emission lines with 3 dex range in intensity

4. Observing with MagE

5. Remote Instrument Computer Desktop Automated Local Data Display Automated Data Transfer IRAF

6. Observing with MIKE

7. Conclusions ● Remote participation with Skype-desktop sharing - limited but extremely useful – Skype proved very stable ● Remote desktop control using Mac screen sharing - demonstrated to work in real time ● VNC – Basis for Mac screen sharing, but requires additional software at LCO ● Local access to “science critical” in real time demonstrated WITH OUT loss of efficency