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Meet your Support Astronomer
Each night's Support Astronomer (SA) is listed on the master observing schedule. On the afternoon of
your first night of observing, meet with your assigned SA at 1400 HST (on weekdays) or 1600 HST (on weekends or
holidays) in the Keck I or Keck II remote observing room.
The first afternoon is usually spent in receiving an instrument tutorial
from the SA, setting up the instrument, and taking any calibration exposures
required. Because of the myriad daily activities on the summit, many of which involve the instruments or telescopes (many development and maintenance projects are ongoing), the
instrument is not always available for the observer's use during the day.
These daily summit activities are choreographed in minute detail at the
weekly scheduling meeting that takes place every Monday morning at WMKO HQ in Waimea.
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Check if the instrument is ready for use.
The daily instrumentation activities are listed on the Summit
Instrument Activities Schedule, which includes a notification when
the control of the instrument can be relinquished to the night's observer.
Every effort is made to release the instrument to the observer by 2 PM
on weekdays and 4 PM on weekends and holidays, and to make the telescope
available by 4:30 PM. Please see the Availablities Policy Statement for more details. Observers requiring access
to either the instrument or the telescope at other than the default times
must notify Bob Goodrich,
the Observing Support Manager, at least two weeks in advance of their run so their
request can be judged against the many other demands for daytime access
to the instruments and telescopes.
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Check into your VSQ room. Check-in time is
5:30pm. Your room may be ready early - check the status card on the room door.
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In case of problems with the instrument during the
night, contact your Support Astronomer. If you have
problems with
the instrument and your Support Astronomer is still in the HQ building, page her or him using the
phone system: pick up the receiver on any telephone extension, press
the "Page HQ" button, state your message, and hang up.
If your Support Astronomer is not
around, please call him or her at once. All the contact phone numbers
for the Support Astronomers are posted on the wall directly over
the observer's workstations in the Remote Operations rooms. For best
results, try your Support Astronomer's office number first. If there
is no answer, next try the cellular phone number or home number.
