AAO Review 2006

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(No Transcript)
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RAVE ProgressReport
Fred Watson and the AAO team6 April 2006
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Overview

• Observing statistics
• Survey progress
• Operations status and issues
• DEST review of the AAO

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Observing statistics 05B

• Weather loss 37.9, system loss 2.3
• Total used 59.8
• Average for previous six semesters 64.8
• 6dFGS had 27 traded and 22 purchased nights
• Final 6dFGS data obtained on 2006 Jan 05/06
• 94 6dFGS fields, 245 RAVE fields, 419 hours
  exposure
• Average for previous six semesters 597 hours
  exposure
• Average fibre availability FP1 84, FP2 95
• Current availability FP1 104, FP2 111

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RAVEs progress

• 106,000 spectra obtained on 95,000 stars
• 1100 telescope pointings

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Operations status 05B
Fibre repairs

• Actions to restore fibre numbers
• Kristin Fiegerts effort rescheduled
• Another AAO tech staff member nominated for
  training
• Paul Cass trained up in bush repairs (monitor
  flat fields)
• Current status
• 10 fibres in each FP are broken behind the
  retractor and cant be repaired without
  shortening the fibre cable
• No further bush repairs possible at present,
  but 30 on each field plate will have full
  repairs over the next 4-6 months

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Operations status 05B
Fibre repairs

• There remain concerns about a major accident
• Have a spare fibre bundle (without buttons) ready
  to install?
• Install it anyway once its ready?
• Build a third field plate (still waiting for
  costings). This would also improve productivity
  by 10-20
• Introduce automated safe parking
• Allows the operator to concentrate on telescope
  guidance
• May reduce fibre breakages further

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Operations status 05B
Other issues

• Spectrograph shutter mounted independently of
  slit vane Feb 2006
• Problems with ravedr when reducing bright targets
  Will Saunders is investigating
• Better long-term support for ravedr may be
  forthcoming, since AAO is expected to have to
  de-Starlink its entire multi-fibre reduction
  suite (2dfdr, aaomegadr, ravedr)
• Optimising sky fibres

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DEST review and RAVE
Background and purpose

• The UK is expected to withdraw from the AAT
  agreement on 30 June 2010.
• The AAO and all facilities will then transfer to
  Australian ownership and control.
• However the UK is steeply ramping down funding
  for the AAT starting 2006-7.
• The Minister for Education, Science and Training
  commissioned this review to evaluate the
  performance of the AAO and to advise the Govt on
  future organisational and funding options.

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DEST review and RAVE
Information on the review

• See the DEST website http//www.dest.gov.au/
  (Can access via AAOs website www.aao.gov.au)
• Main reference is Issues Paper
• Terms of reference background
• Review panel, timetable deadlines
• Issues to be addressed by review
• Performance data (in appendices)
• All submissions (including AAOs) are also now
  there

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DEST review and RAVE
Review panel

• Dr Ian Chessell (Chair), formerly Australias
  Chief Defence Scientist
• Professor John Storey, UNSW
• Professor Garth Illingworth, University of
  California and Lick Observatory.

They will visit AAO Epping and Siding Spring next
week Comments on their draft report will be
invited May-June The final report will be
presented to the Minister in June
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DEST review and RAVE
AAOs submission addresses points raised in the
Issues Paper under broad headings

• Facilities and services
• Scientific outcomes
• Instrumentation program
• Education and outreach
• Management and governance
• Enhancing performance
• AAO after 2010

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Future UKST options

• OPTION 1 UKST 6dF paying users
• RAVE expected to continue for 5 years
• Other potential customers in the wings (e.g.
  further galactic spectroscopy, KBO survey)
• Risky unless some refurbishment
• Third field-plate 250k (RAVE funding)
• Infrastructure upgrade 769k (could come from
  DEST)
• Need to cover eventual shutdown cost

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Future UKST options
OPTION 1 UKST 6dF paying users

• Shutdown costs relatively limited
• Paying off 4 part-time observers 300k
• Mothballing telescope and instrument 100k
• Need to preserve some in-house expertise in
  Schmidt operations and wide-field survey
  astronomy if shutdown is not anticipated to be
  permanent

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Future UKST options

• OPTION 2 UKST UKidna paying users
• UKidna would increase RAVE data collection rate
  by a factor of 30-40
• 2250 fibres
• Minimal field reconfiguration time (5 mins)
• Rapid field acquisition (5 mins)
• Uses proven Echidna spine technology

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Future UKST options
OPTION 2 UKST UKidna paying users

• Survey target would be up to 30 million stars
• Estimated costs (funded externally)
• Telescope modifications 0.3M
• UKidna positioner 2.5M
• Spectrograph and software 1.5M
• Total 4.3M
• Recurrent costs equivalent to 11 cents/star
  compared with current 3.86 /star