As this trip to Chile draws to an end, I’m sitting at Santiago Airport planning the other observatory related projects I’m currently working on…. Here’s a round-up of what’s planned in chronological order:
Chile Observatory Construction and Hardware Installation: The Chile Observatory equipment installation was completed in November 2007. No further hardware work is currently required which affects the operational state of the observatory.
Slooh v3 Software: To operate multiple Slooh Observatories, it is necessary to totally rewrite the patented Slooh software. This has been underway for some time and is referred to as “Slooh v3“.
The “proof of concept” for the new v3 software was achieved when the Chile AllSky camera went online in March. However, those of you involved in software programming will understand that the complexities of this task are many and varied. Mathew, the Slooh software guru also ran a test mission using the main Chile setup this week.
Canary Islands Observatory Dome Replacement: By far the biggest project this year is the Canary Islands (Teide) Observatory project - it incorporates replacing the existing domes with clamshell domes and the installation of the new Slooh Half Metre Telescope. The timescales for this project depend solely on the delivery of the replacement domes from the manufacturer in the USA (the promised delivery period has already doubled). The delivery of the new domes to the Observatory site is likely to be within the next 8-12 weeks although the manufacturer is having problems with the supply of the dome motor assemblies.
The Canary Islands Observatory will be taken out of service to install the new domes. However, it’s likely that this will not be carried out until the new v3 software is complete so that the Chile Observatory can be brought online to ensure continuity of service. Weather conditions at the Chile Observatory may not be optimum during this period however.
Canary Islands Observatory - Slooh Half Metre Telescope Installation: The dome replacement project at the Canary Islands Observatory will incorporate the installation of the new Slooh Half Metre Telescope and associated equipment. The instrument has been released from manufacture for some weeks now and is currently on its way to the dome manufacturer so it can be loaded in the same container as the new domes. The new equipment will be installed in “Dome 1″. A full overhaul of all the observatory infrastructure and Dome 2 equipment will also be carried out at this time. It is anticipated that this project will last 4-6 weeks although we do not anticipate that the observatory will be out of service for that entire duration.
Canary Islands Observatory v3 Software Integration: The final part of the Canary Islands Project is the integration of the new v3 software both at the Observatory and the main Slooh data centre in the USA.
Slooh Australia Observatory: The existing Canary Islands Observatory Dome 1 equipment will be moved to the hosted Slooh Australia Observatory when the Canary Islands Observatory projects are complete. There is no construction work to be completed at the site. However, we are not moving the equipment now as this would leave only one operational dome at the Canary Islands site. The Slooh Australia Observatory is also dependent on the v3 software readiness so there would be no gain in moving the equipment beforehand. This project will consist of hardware installation and the associated v3 software integration work both at the Observatory and the main Slooh data centre in the USA. There are other challenges associated with this installation which differ from the other Slooh Observatories. The installation is likely to take 3-4 weeks.
Canary Islands Observatory Alterations: At the Canary Islands Observatory, it may be necessary to alter the height of the telescopes in relation to the new clamshell dome walls following a programme of monitoring and testing during the first few months of operation. If this work is necessary, our aim is to take each dome out of operation separately to ensure continuity of service from the Canary Islands Observatory. The work is likely to take 7-10 days to complete for each dome.
Chile Observatory Rebuild: We originally had the rebuild of the Chile Observatory base scheduled for the “observing down season” of July. However, it’s now likely that this will conflict with the other main projects so, the current status of this project is “in abeyance”. The project will take 6-8 weeks although I anticipate that the Observatory will only be out of service for 7-10 days.
If there are substantive changes to this information, I’ll be posting updates on the Slooh Observatory Forum.
Paul
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