• See http://wiki.gb.nrao.edu/bin/view/Mechanical/WebHome for shop work schedule - updated 2/08/08

• Eric Sessoms was here this week
• Software group worked on:
  • completing statistical reports for Dana to compare new software with proto version
  • New calendar view to help e.g. Carl with planning recevier changes, fixed sessions, etc; New view shows conflicts, relations amid windowed sessions, etc
  • Working on reorganizing and enhancing the editing of the project related information page
  • Upgraded antioch and nell for the new versions of python and TurboGears?/SQLAlchemy
• Project meeting cancelled due to KFPA meeting
• Current concerns
  • We need significantly more astronomy effort to pull together e.g. user's manual within the next couple months.

Routine maintenance this week.

• Items/actions completed:
  • Two iterations of sponsor tests
  • Assignment and analysis work on defects raised during last round of sponsor tests.
• Decisions made:
  • Identified the hardware work to be undertaken when the instrument is removed from telescope
• Near-term activities (next ~2 weeks):
  • Finalize GB involvement in summer work on MUSTANG
• Issues:
  • Small leak in cryogenics system has required two “top-offs” of helium. Simon wants to procure and install better hoses between the turret and the cryostat during summer maintenance

PTCS program -- John

PTCS program -- Marty

• • Second round deployment straw-man review
  • Established initial servo project documentation plan

• Servo
• Pointing
  • Obtained Matlab licenses needed to run pointing model on the ptcs workstation. Currently under test.
• OOF holography
  • Heterodyne: Processed the first 4-band maps from 2008 Ka/CCB data using the new software path under development.
  • Mustang: Obtained Bill Cotton's "obit" processing of Mustang OOF scans. Need to convert it to OOF software input format.
• Traditional holography
  • Analyzed maps from 2004-Feb-18 to confirm bookkeeping error in central row of 45 actuators.

We supported 17 projects in 32 observing sessions including a few radar runs and a VLB run. The telescope ws also scheduled for 8 hrs of maintenance and 2 hrs of servo tests. Los time was 16.4 hrs (10.4%), of which 12.7 hrs was due to the weather. Sources of lost time were:

• Freezing rain (3 instances) - 7.6 hrs
• Snow (3 instances) - 5.1 hrs
• Arecibo Transmitter (2 instances) - 1.6 hrs
• Spectral Processor (4 instances) - 0.7 hrs
• Archivist (5 instances) - 0.4 hrs
• Human (wrong receiver) - 0.3 hrs
• Astrid (3 instances) - 0.3 hrs
• Others (Mustang manager, Spectrometer, Turret lock) - 0.5 hrs

No Commissioning news to report that isn't reported elsewhere.

• Extensive tests of 43m HA-Dec interface files and defintions. We've taken some GPS data that are being analyzed.
• More pointing tests Feb 29 and March 1.
• Phil Erickson, Eric Phelps, Mike Shields (and others) and I met to discuss plans for extensive polarization mapping with the 43m in the frequency range 150 to 400 MHz.
• Normal Spacecraft tracking.

Jason and J.D. took Pete Whiteis up to the Actuator Room to familiarize him with the hardware involved with the Active Surface System. While there, they experienced a problem wherein the "Master Monitor" stopped running. To correct this problem, they simply rebooted the system; which afforded Pete an excellent opportunity to see, first-hand, a real software issue which happens fairly often.

The allied Telesyn switch in the servo room failed 3 times in the last week. The spare switch has been installed pending the arrival of permanent replacement parts.

• Operational Support:
  • Zpectrometer support
• PlanOfRecordC22008
• PatrickBrandt started work this week on GUPPI.

• No new items this week.

• Nothing to report

• Successful completion of the CDR this week with approval of the panel to proceed.
• A report is expected early next week.

Activities List

Activities List

Last Week =====

Observations for proposals BB240 , GBT08A-086, GBT08A-032, GBT05A-040, GBT08A-065, GBT07A-066, GBT08A-056, GBT08A-034, GBT08A-057, GBT08A-014, GBT06C-033, GBT07B-025, GBT07A-029, GBT07B-029, GBT08A-083, GBT07A-040, GBT07A-051, GBT07C-060

Completed proposals GBT08A-086, GBT08A-032, GBT08A-065, GBT08A-034

Next Week ===== Observations scheduled for ** BB240 [F ] Geoff Bower RIPL: Radio Interferometric PLanet Search GBT07C-084 [ B] Laura Kasian GBT Timing of a Young Highly Relativistic Binary Pulsar GBT05A-040 [ P ] Andrew Baker CO(1-0) Observations of Four Submillimeter Galaxies GBT08A-011 [ B] Maura McLaughlin? Continued Radio Timing Observations of RRAT Sources GBT08A-077 [ B] Fernando Camilo Studying the magnetar XTE J1810-197 GBT07A-087 [F B] Paul Demorest Detecting nHz Gravitational Radiation using a Pulsar Timing Array GBT07A-066 [FP ] Jim Braatz The Megamaser Cosmology Project GBT08A-057 [ B] Jennifer Donovan A Continuing Search for Wet Mergers in a Dry Sample GBT07C-033 [ B] Jason Hessels Follow-up Studies of Recent GBT Pulsar Discoveries GBT08A-058 [ B] Léo Barriault GBT OH Observations at high galactic latitudes GBT07B-034 [ B] Robert Ferdman Timing Binary and Millisecond Pulsars from the Parkes Multibeam Survey GBT08A-014 [F B] Jay Lockman On the Trail of Smith's Cloud GBT06C-033 [ P ] Andy Harris A CO(1-0) Survey of Dusty Galaxies with Elusive Redshifts GBT07C-024 [ P ] Nami Sakai Carbon-Chain Anions in Low-mass Star Forming Region, L1527 GBT08A-006 [ B] Tom Bania Solving "The 3-Helium Problem" GBT08A-018 [ P ] Nami Sakai Production Pathways of Sulfur-Bearing Carbon-Chain Molecules GBT05C-035 [ P ] Andrew Baker Very Good CO Detections of Submillimeter Galaxies With Pretty Good Redshifts GBT07A-029 [F ] Dick Crutcher A Definitive Test of Star Formation Theory GBT07C-060 [ B] Fernando Camilo GLAST timing at GBT: six key radio-faint pulsars GBT07A-040 [ P ] Larry Weintraub Detecting the Origin of Arcminute Scale CMB Anisotropy ** Scheduled as F-ixed, P-rimary, B-ackup

Contact Information for 03/13/2008 - 03/27/2008 =================================== Proposal PI Bands Email [NRAO contact]

Scheduled hours [backup] ==================== Category/Month-> February March April May Astronomy ~ 599 659 [554] 622 [480] 599 [361] Maintenance ~ 51 4 [102] 9 [102] 42 [051] Test & Comm ~ 49 52 [034] 56 [040] 43 [032] Un-assigned ~ 0 30 34 60

Proposal Checkouts #[hrs]* ===================== Awaiting checkout - 0[0] Active checkout - 0[0] On Hold - 0[0] Schedule - 114[3031] Completed - 537[6566] * All but completed queue applies to GBT only proposals

Current backlog of Reg & RRS proposals [hours prior to 08A*] = 1415 [2005:78(5), 2006:263(10), 2007:1074(45)] Backlog includes 67 hrs of monitoring projects 292 hrs of vlbi projects Total time to discharge [hours] = 4834 Includes 114 hours++ of monitoring (not Large or Spec) after trimester 08A

1. 1. 1. 1. hours of Regular & RRS proposals
         2. hours of Large proposals
         3. hours of VLBI proposals

%META:TOPICINFO{author="RonMaddalena" date="1204231091" format="1.0" version="1.1"}%

GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting

29 Feb 2008

GB137 and by video-con from CV-Conf

AGENDA

• Upcoming Activities -- Carl
• Operations
  • Scheduling Status -- Carl
  • Observing News -- Ron
  • Commissioning Plans -- Ron
  • GBT Telescope Operations -- Bob
  • Mechanical Division Operations -- Dennis
  • Microwave Electronics Operations -- Steve
  • Digital Electronics Operations -- Randy
  • RFI Group Operations -- Carla
  • Software Operations -- Amy
  • Computing and Network Operations -- Chris
  • Business Services -- Mike
  • 43m Operations -- Glen
• Project and Development Work
  • Dynamic Scheduling -- Karen
  • MUSTANG -- Brian
  • PTCS program -- John
  • CICADA program -- John
  • Ka-band Rx / Zpectrometer -- Galen
  • K-band Focal Plane Array -- Steve
  • Other Project Notes
• Any other Business

Upcoming Activities -- Carl

Operations

Scheduling Status -- Carl

Observing News -- Ron

Commissioning Plans -- Ron

GBT Telescope Operations -- Bob

Mechanical Division Operations -- Dennis

Microwave Electronics Operations -- Steve

Digital Electronics Operations -- Randy

RFI Group Operations -- Carla

Software Operations -- Amy

Computing and Network Operations -- Chris

Business Services -- Mike

43m Operations -- Glen

Project and Development Work

Dynamic Scheduling -- Karen

MUSTANG -- Brian

PTCS program -- John

CICADA program -- John

Ka-band Rx / Zpectrometer -- Galen

K-band Focal Plane Array -- Steve

Other Project Notes

Any other Business

-- RonMaddalena - 28 Feb 2008