GBT Operations & Commissioning Meeting
AGENDA
Activities List
Last Week
=========
Observations for proposals
BB240 , GBT07C-072, GBT07C-020,
GBT05B-030, GBT07A-034, BG168 ,
GBT07C-044, GBT07C-033, GBT07C-045,
GBT07C-067, GBT07B-003, GBT07C-057,
GBT06A-015, BG170 , GBT07C-091,
GBT07C-080, GBT07A-094, GBT07A-051
Completed proposals
GBT07C-072, BG168, GBT07C-057,
GBT07C-029
Next Week
=========
Observations scheduled for **
BB240 [ P ] Geoff Bower
RIPL: Radio Interferometric PLanet Search
GBT07C-084 [ P ] Laura Kasian
GBT Timing of a Young Highly Relativistic Binary
Pulsar
GBT07C-073 [F B] Joeri van Leeuwen
A search for radio pulsars around low-mass white
dwarfs
GBT04A-040 [ P ] Steve Myers
Anomalous Microwave Emission from Spinning Dust
Grains?
GBT07C-020 [FP ] Fernando Camilo
Studying the magnetar XTE J1810-197
GBT05B-030 [ P ] Fabian Walter
The Molecular Gas Content in z~6 Quasars: Probing
the End of Cosmic Reionization
GBT07A-034 [ P ] Jim Braatz
The Megamaser Cosmology Project: A Survey for H2O
Masers in SDSS and 2MRS AGNs
GBT07C-044 [F ] Maura McLaughlin
Continued Radio Timing Observations of RRAT
Sources
GBT07B-034 [F B] Robert Ferdman
Timing Binary and Millisecond Pulsars from the
Parkes Multibeam Survey
GBT07C-045 [ B] Shea Brown
Probing Magnetic Fields on the Largest Scales
GBT07C-067 [ B] Helene Courtois
Bulk Motions of Filaments in the Local Universe
GBT07C-068 [F B] Amy Lovell
OH Observations of Short- and Long-Period Comets
GBT07B-003 [ B] Neeraj Gupta
Search for HI 21cm absorption in a complete
sample of DLAs at z>2
GBT07A-029 [ B] Dick Crutcher
A Definitive Test of Star Formation Theory
GBT07C-091 [F ] Scott Ransom
A Rare Mass Measurement of an Eccentric Binary
Millisecond Pulsar
GBT03C-028 [ P ] Fabian Walter
The Molecular Gas Content in z>6 Quasars: Probing
the End of Cosmic Reionization
BB242 [F ] Jim Braatz
The Megamaser Cosmology Project
GBT07C-082 [ B] James Aguirre
Searching for Dark Matter Annihilations in Draco
GBT07C-060 [F ] 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 12/20/2007 - 01/03/2008
=======================================
Proposal PI Bands Email [NRAO contact]
---------- ------------------ ----- --------------------
BB240 Geoff Bower X gbower@astro.berkeley.edu []
GBT07A-087 Paul Demorest 8 pdemores@nrao.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT07A-066 Jim Braatz K jbraatz@nrao.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT07C-020 Fernando Camilo S fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT05B-030 Fabian Walter B walter@mpia.de [Dana Balser]
GBT07C-043 Tom Bania X bania@bu.edu [Dana Balser]
GBT07A-089 Fernando Camilo 8 fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT07A-034 Jim Braatz K jbraatz@nrao.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT07B-034 Robert Ferdman L ferdman@phas.ubc.ca [Scott Ransom]
GBT07C-044 Maura McLaughlin 8 maura.mclaughlin@mail.wvu.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT07C-033 Jason Hessels 8 jhessels@science.uva.nl [Scott Ransom]
GBT07C-045 Shea Brown L brown@physics.umn.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT07C-067 Helene Courtois L h.courtois@ipnl.in2p3.fr [Rick Fisher]
GBT07B-025 Scott Ransom S sransom@nrao.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT07C-068 Amy Lovell L alovell@agnesscott.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT06A-015 Sandrine Bottinell B sandrine@ifa.hawaii.edu [Dana Balser]
GBT05C-047 Thomas Greve B tgreve@submm.caltech.edu [Dana Balser]
GBT05A-027 Andrew Blain B awb@astro.caltech.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT07C-016 Nissim Kanekar K nkanekar@nrao.edu [Jim Braatz]
GBT07A-029 Dick Crutcher L crutcher@uiuc.edu [Toney Minter]
GBT07B-029 Michael Kramer L mkramer@jb.man.ac.uk [Scott Ransom]
GBT05A-029 Paul VandenBout B pvandenb@nrao.edu []
GBT07C-008 Bruce Campbell S campbellb@si.edu [Frank Ghigo]
GBT07C-080 Vlad Kondratiev 8 vlad.kondratiev@mail.wvu.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT06C-008 Raghunathan Sriana 4 anand@iucaa.ernet.in [Toney Minter]
GBT03C-028 Fabian Walter B walter@mpia.de [Dana Balser]
GBT07C-060 Fernando Camilo S fernando@astro.columbia.edu [Scott Ransom]
GBT07A-051 Mike Hollis LSCXU jan.m.hollis@nasa.gov [Larry Morgan]
Scheduled hours [backup]
========================
Category/Month-> December January
Astronomy ~ 561 [396] 574 [420]
Maintenance ~ 43 [051] 8 [119]
Test & Comm ~ 93 107 [016]
Shutdown ~ 36 0
Un-assigned ~ 12 55
Proposal Checkouts #[hrs]*
=========================
Awaiting checkout - 0[0]
Active checkout - 0[0]
On Hold - 0[0]
Schedule - 115[3339]
Completed - 491[6281]
* All but completed queue applies to GBT only proposals
Current backlog of Reg & RRS proposals [hours prior to 07C*] = 1056
[2005:224(11), 2006:294(14), 2007:539(23)]
Backlog includes 155 hrs of monitoring projects
181 hrs of vlbi projects
Total time to discharge [hours] = 6094
Includes 224 hours++ of monitoring (not Large or Spec) after trimester 07C
2744 hours of Regular & RRS proposals
3048 hours of Large proposals
302 hours of VLBI proposals
* Includes projects that are on hold for trimester 07C
++ Time is counted in other break down as well. 07C
We supported 17 projects in 32 observing sessions, including 3 VLB runs. The telescope was scheduled for 10 hrs of PTCS/servo tests, 23.5 hrs of maintenance, 5 hr for Scal measurments and 4 hr for receiver checkouts.
The wind and snow dominated the lost time (24.3 hrs or 16.8%).
- Wind/Snow : 24.3 hrs
- Observer error: one observer/two instances 1.5 hrs, VLB script error 0.3 hrs
- Ka receiver: 0.5 hrs
- PF focus motion: 0.4 hrs
- Astrid : 0.04 hrs (2 instances)
- SP hund in aborting : 0.04 hrs
We had one observer who was a no-show. The prior observer was also the next observer and we allowed the prior observer to continue observing so that we did not have any lost time.
One observer reported RFI which turned out to actually be that the spectrometer was not setup properly. The same observer also attempted to point and focus very near the sun.
Zpectrometer came off the telescope on Tuesday, Ku-band went up. I understand that there was some problem with the Ku checkout.
C-band came down.
MUSTANG goes up next week.
- Nov 2 : Decision on how to proceed with traditional holography. Which receiver will we remove? When will tests start? Do we need to cut a mounting plate?
-
Nov 2-15 : C-band baseline tests, C weather, and X-band baseline tests, B weather, dynamically scheduled.
- Week of Dec 3 : C-band removed
- Week of Dec 3 : Mustang installed
- Dec 7 : Telescope at access for Mustang
- Dec 8 - week of Jan 15 : Mustang tests -- dynamically scheduled, A weather, nighttime.
- Week of Jan 21 : Mustang removed, C-band installed
- Feb 3-13: SDD software tests for Feb 13 release
GBT Telescope Operations -- Bob
- There were several feed changes/receiver changes on the telescope that we supported, that took most of the available maintenance time. The mechanics have several tasks they hope to catch up Friday. Weather has reduced productivity this week as well.
- We observed the telescope operate in the snow, and the track wipers tend to push the snow out between the track bolts, which is good.
- Ku band installed.
- C band removed.
- MUSTANG arrived.
- Problems which developed with the Lab Spectrometer following its relocation have now been resolved and the instrument is now fully functional.
RFI Group Operations -- Carla
- Normal Spacecraft Tracking
- MIT/LL is still formulating plans for installing the high frequency (1.5 to 3 GHz) feed in January 2008.
- Top priority for pointing/gain tests is installation of a better detector system, at the 43m.
- Accomplishments:
- Software:
- Time usage for project/session is now recorded
- Missing observer availability and science grade from scoring; all else done
- swap space done; working on scheduler
- RSS feed added for user notification
- Rudimentary algorithm for fixed and windowed sessions
- Eric Sessoms here this week
- Science:
- Project management
- Biweekly status meeting held
- Working with Bill we have almost completed a hand out for AAS
- Completed new public front page for DSS
- Newsletter article submitted
* Upcoming events
- Software: Next release for testing Friday Dec 14
- All: GB review Dec 13 from 9-noon; CV review Dec 14 noon-1pm
MUSTANG -- Brian
- instrument is in GB. Weather & associated EOS/access restrictions have prevented planned cold-trapping of lines, which we aim to do today.
- new helium feed through pipes being finalized in the shop today; instrument to start cooling this evening.
- Data reduction/simulation code has been updated & tested (with some remaining to do). New scan patterns are being implented in python to facilitate mapping extended sources efficiently
- DAQ computer configured for use at GB (gb network, NFS mounting, VNC sessions); RH2.6 kernel updated to handle the PCI driver. RH2.6 does not work with GPIB which needs looking into, but we have the option of running with RH2.4 on the telescope (just not for YGOR manager tests)
- Row mapping and column mapping for YGOR manager have been sorted out (for standard LUTs only--- nonstandard has been officially descoped)
- Crate messaging MR completed, work begun
- YGOR mgr FITS writer performance characterized with 3 DFBs and is fine; needs characterization with full system.
- YGOR mgr timestamping performance tested and validated. 0.15 ms jumps every 43 seconds tentatively traced to crate master clock wrapping (this is not a problem)
PTCS program -- PTCS Team Leaders
- Servo
- Test data acquired to determine optimal tanh() coefficient for friction compensation
- More testing on PLC upgrade completed
- Instrumentation
- Accelerometer 4 has been installed and checked out.
- OOF Holography
- Meeting held on OOF with Mustang
- Pointing
- Quarterly report written.
- Traditional Holography (and small-scale surface characterization)
- Signficantly better fits to the Q-band lunar scans are being obtained by using a more detailed lunar brightness model, and fitting for the baseline simultaneously with the surface model. Method still under development. Fitting the recent Ka/CCB lunar scans should be interesting.
- One fast, holography-like elevation scan (4 deg in 2 minutes) was obtained to compare motions detected by Accelerometer 1 (rxCabin) with 4 (opticalCameraMount). Not yet analyzed.
CICADA program -- John
- Scott and Paul configured and tested the 10 Gigabit/s Ethernet links. Got more than 1 GigaBYTE?/second throughput.
- Scott, Paul, and Ron are making good progress on software for GUPPi
- Jason and Randy are working on data transmission from iBOB to BEE2
- Ran into a problem with the BORPH operating system not correctly starting FPGA processes.
- Wrote effort requests and quarterly summary
- Accomplishments since last report:
- Zpectrometer Tone Calibrations and linearity tests performed.
- Zpectrometer removed from GBT
- Project Completion punch list created.
- Upcoming activities:
- Risks
- Comments:
- Thermal Analysis complete.
- Mechanical Design started.
- Mandrels for 45 twist and circular to square transistion finished.
- Summer student Katie Chynoweth completed her qualifying exam last week. She is applying to the NRAO pre-doctoral program, to work at GB.
- Glen gave a GBT Astrobiology talk to the Vanderbilt Faculty.
-- RichardPrestage - 06 Dec 2007
Revision r1.14 - 07 Dec 2007 - 14:45 GMT - GlenLangston
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