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General SDSS Site Operations Responsibilities
Present: Finish receipt and integration of operational systems, provide direct technical and admin support to remote and visiting Project staff during commissioning and handovers, complete recruitment and training, capture and systematize engineering and operational documentation, start survey data acquisition. Future: Conduct Survey observing and spectroscopic plug plate processing, maintain SDSS facilities and site infrastructure, ramp-down SDSS operations as Survey nears completion. Site Physical Description
Observing facilities include the SDSS 2.5-meter survey
telescope, a 0.5-meter telescope which is used to calibrate survey photometry,
a
On-site Staffing and Organization
administrative support to the site, telescopes, and instruments. Many of the support staff divide their time between the SDSS and 3.5-m projects; the SDSS observers, engineers and technicians specialize in SDSS. About 17 FTEs work on-site on SDSS, plus a few "commuters" from SDSS institutions. [org chart and staff profile to be attached] Off-site Project Resources and Interfaces
construction and commissioning, support has been ~3000 person-days/year at the site, plus remote support furnished by e-mail or telephone. This is tapering down. Operational Notes and Plans
Photometric Telescope - In operation during all survey observing, probably about 0.5 FTE at site, TBD. In steady state, it is expected that the PT will require minimal nighttime operational support. During the first year or two, the site oberving staff will need to be augmented by an observer furnished by JHU. Plug Plates - FNAL provides drilling specifications to UWashington, where the plates are fabricated and then shipped to APO. APO manages receipt, processing, storage, and inventory at site. On-site activities include plate database maintenance, plate receipt and storage, Q/A monitoring, staging, plugging and unplugging, fiber mapping, and fiber harness and cartridge use and maintenance. Data Tapes - FedEx'd to FNAL next day (except Sunday), with a backup copy kept at the site. On-line Q/A and Observer Utility Programs - Currently being developed, maintained, used - Observers enhancing and maintaining Project-provided utilities with support from developers. Standard Operations Procedures
- Check lists, staff training and process development, Q/A tools - provide
written accountability for
Monitoring, Trending - Periodic
measurement of telescope and instrument performance uniformity important
to survey data quality,
Scheduled Routine Maintenance and Safety Inspections
- Operations must be safe for site and equipment, and facilities expected
to kept
Weekend and Holiday Coverage - Observing is scheduled 365 days/year, weekend day support by "skeleton" crew, regular day staff available informally on-call nights, weekends, and holidays. Trouble Response, Three-tier approach, Problem Reporting
System - Problems at night are addressed first
by Observers, then by phone to
SDSS Observers
Training, tools - Observers participate in the development of training procedures, checklists, software utilities, and documentation associated with observing operations. Procedures - Observers are participating in the development of operating procedures in an on-going activity as part of the commissioning process. System Commissioning - Observers developing system commissioning plans with developers. These plans will be used to verify that the various sub-systems asscociated with survey operations at the site perform to specifications. Infrastructure
Telecom and network - T1 to Internet through Las
Cruces, vBNS thereafter; LAN is 100Base-T, switched. Backup T1 connection
to
Documentation - Engineering drawings, documentation
and manuals delivered to site by developers and integrated into documentation
Seeing & meteorological - Seeing monitor (DIMM)
in use. Also have system to provide site-wide monitoring and data
display/archiving of site weather including wind direction and speed, temperature,
dew point, dust, clouds. Work with local public and gov't agencies
to
Human health and safety - OSHA requirements, existing
site safety plan and designated safety officer. Periodic outside
audits
Power - 208v, 600 amp commercial service, distributed
through multiple hybrid surge suppression. Critical equipment on
UPSs, plus
Cryogenics and vacuum - LN2 furnished to levels
required by instrumentation, on-site staff transport from local vendor.
Vacuum
Utility gases, liquids - Provide dry clean compressed
air, LPG, hot/cold water, dry nitrogen, LCO2, helium, maintain underground
Tools, test equipment, components stock - acquire
and maintain hand tools, bolts and screws, electronic components and test
equipment,
Optics handling, cleaning, aluminizing - On-site staff handle, clean, and aluminize smaller mirrors. Primary mirrors recoated at KPNO. Computer systems - FNAL-furnished DAQ hardware
systems for SDSS, operational and utility computers a mixture of Sun, Macintosh,
Preventive maintenance & spares - Scheduled PM performed to check lists, critical and long lead time items spared on site. Observing metrics from Q1/2000
Miscellaneous
Attachments
Review of Observing Systems and Survey Operations Apache Point Observatory April 25-27, 2000 |