EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY La Silla - Science Operations Department
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Procedures

• CCDTests
• New FEROS Visiting Astronomer
• Procedural changes after the installation of the ADC.
• SciOps VLTSW upgrade tasks
• DHC/StanCal Verification Checklist
  

Service Mode vs. Visitor Mode

General Daily TIO Procedures

Daytime TIO

In the morning...

1. On wferos check FEROS OS is ONLINE.
   Startup if necessary, or if Telescope is offline, set FEROS OS to ignore telescope. Remeber to enable telscope again after startup of the telescope.
2. If necessary run CALOB OB (i.e. nighttime TIO could not start it because VA was still taking special calibrations when nighttime TIO left RITZ).
3. After completion of the CALOB OB, if it is before 12:00 midday, run daily linearity test OB (see CCDTests).
4. After 12:15 midday local time and completion of CALOB... manage the FEROS VACDs, on w2p2off:
   • Start the ferosManageCDs software if it is not already running... on the "Backup" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display select the "ferosManageCDs" menu option from the left-button desktop menu.
   • Prepare VACDs/VADVDs... enter 1 and follow the instructions...
   • Cleanup... enter c and follow the instructions... to remove completed VA programmes and/or unused calibrations (option C).
5. After completion of the CALOB and daily linearity test OBs... On wferos as user feros run sciopsDskMgr
   
   • Remove 'old' date directories in DETDATA...
     
     1. During VA runs: keep all of the data for a given VA run, the disk is 60Gb so there should be room for of the order of 60 typical FEROS VA mode nights.
     2. During SM time: keep two up to weeks of data, i.e. on the first day of each tourno, remove the data from two tournos ago.
6. On w2p2tcs as user cam
   
   • Move previous night's FibreHead Viewer images in DETDATA into date <YYYY-MM-DD> directory...
     
     1. cd /data/INSROOT/E2p2TCS/SYSTEM/DETDATA
     2. mkdir <yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>
     3. mv FFHV*.fits <yyyy>-<mm>-<dd>
     The above three steps can be copied and pasted from the file mvToDateDirProcedure in DETDATA, replacing of course <yyyy>-<mm>-<dd> with the appropriate actual numbers.
   • Remove 'old' date directories in DETDATA...
     
     1. During VA runs: keep all of the data for a given VA run, the disk is 60Gb so there should e room for of the order of 60 typical FEROS VA mode nights.
     2. During SM time: keep two up to weeks of data, i.e. on the first day of each tourno, remove the data from two tournos ago.
7. On wferos check FEROS OS is ONLINE.
   Startup if necessary, or if Telescope is offline, set FEROS OS to ignore telescope. Remeber to enable telscope again after startup of the telescope.
   

In the afternoon...

1. Perform daily telescope and instrument startups according to telescope checklists etc. This should be done asap after the daily meeting so as to allow sufficient time for both FEROS and WFI daytime calibrations, especially in winter. Please bare in mind the following guidelines:
• If CALOB is still running then please allow all bias, flat and wave templates to complete. CCDTest templates can be skipped or the CALOB OB can be aborted during dark or CCDTest templates.
• If daily linearity test OB is running, abort.
2. In the ferosDRS panel on w2p2off:
   
   • Start the ferosDRS panel if it is not already running... on the "FEROS DRS" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display select the "ferosDRS" menu option from the left-button desktop menu.
   • Stop the "Reduce Queued Images" and "MIDAS DRS" processes if they are currently running... click the "Stop All" button in the frame in the upper right of the panel.
   • Select the correct date from the date-list button in the frame in the upper right of the panel.
   • Start the "Reduce Queued Images" and "MIDAS DRS" processes if they are currently running... click the "Start All" button in the frame in the upper right of the panel. This will start the BLUE MIDAS window and a ferosDRSds9 window on the "FEROS MIDAS" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display. The MIDAS session will start a MIDAS Display Window on the "FEROS D" desktop on the w2p2off:0.1 display and the five MIDAS Graphic Windows on the "FEROS G" desktop on the w2p2off:0.1 display.
   • Ensure that the "Queue Images" Process is ONLINE. If not start it. This process should ALWAYS be running, never stop it.
     
   • The OverAll status (displayed in the upper right) should now be ONLINE.
     

Please note, it is essential that all of the steps in point 2 are carried out EACH and EVERY day.
The ferosDRS panel is "passive" if you exit from the panel or for any reason it dies, the three processes ("Queue Images", "MIDAS DRS" and "Reduce Queued Images" ) continue to work. Simply restart the panel and the current status of the processes will be detected.


3. After WFI and TCS startup, initialize the DRS.
   
   • In Bob fetch the "100 StanCal norm" OB from the FEROS Calibrations OT queue.
     
   • In Bob execute
   The initialisation takes about 45mins so should be started at least 2hrs before sunset.
   Ensure dome is DARK while taking calibrations.
4. 1hr before sunset take SolarSpectra:
   
   • Open the dome
   • Preset telescope to HA=-01:00:00 Dec=-30:00:00
   • Put telescope in SLEW mode (i.e. NOT moving)
   • In Bob fetch the "200 SolarSpectrum norm" OB the FEROS Calibrations OT queue
   • In Bob skip the acquisition
   • In Bob execute the observation template, which will acquire TWO SCIENCE exposures in the default readout mode.
   • When the OB is complete and if a "reasonable" signal level was achieved and the DRS has finshed processing them, type @@ initFFsol<cr> in the BLUE MIDAS window on the "FEROS DRS" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display. This should take less than 10mins to complete. The last thing it will do is re-reduce the solarspectra, hopefully you will have much better looking spectra.
   • If the new initialisation is NOT an improvement, then revert back to the standard initialisation, in the BLUE MIDAS window on the "FEROS DRS" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display type init/feros ThAr<NNNN><cr> (where <NNNN> is the four digit number in the fero<NNNN>.mt filename of the first ThArNe spectrum from the calibration data set).
   • If the standard initialisation is really unacceptable try simply using the standard guess session, type init/feros ThAr0196<cr> in the BLUE MIDAS window on the "FEROS DRS" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display. Test to see if better spectra are extracted by re-reducing the solarspectra, type @@ autoreduce_cat sol.cat<cr> in the BLUE MIDAS window on the "FEROS DRS" desktop on the w2p2off:0.0 display.
   • If you are certain that a non-default readout mode will be used during the night then:
     • In Bob fetch the required SolarSpectrum OB, i.e. "210 SolarSpectrum" for fast readout or "220 SolarSpectrum" for slow readout.
       
     • In Bob skip the acquisition
     • In Bob execute the observation template, which will acquire TWO SCIENCE exposures.
   • If the standard initialisation is "poor" (to be defined, but for the moment in consultation with the Support Astro), re-initialise the DRS using the FFsol Search method. In the BLUE MIDAS window do:
     
     • Type: @@ initFFsol
   • If it turns out that the FFsol Search method results in worse reductions (as judged by the re-reduction of the solar spectra), then you can revert back to the previous initialisation as follows:
     
     • Type: $ ls -altr session*.tar.gz
     • Type: @@ getsession <NNNN> <MMMM>
       
     • Type: init/feros ThAr<NNNN>
       where <NNNN> and <MMMM> are the numbers of the most recent save session i.e. session<NNNN>_<MMMM>.tar.gz (i.e. the last initialisation listed by the above ls command).
5. You and FEROS are now ready for the night...

Nighttime TIO

During the Night...

1. As soon as possible, i.e. during twilight if weather conditions permit, focus the telescope
2. Observe a spectrophotometric standard star from the OT FEROS Calibrations OT queue
3. Operate telescope "as usual" for VA and/or in SM...

At the end of the night

1. Close down telescope as usual.
2. CALOB (see Calibration Plan):
   
   • Open an xterm on wferos
   • Type: cd ~/DETDATA
   • Type: feocalCalobBuild
   Note: if it was the first night of a VA programme, append the "-v" option, i.e. feocalCalobBuild -v
   • If the VA does NOT have any special calibrations (which they are responsible for) then start the CALOB OB. If the VA does have special calibrations allow the VA to do those first. If the VA is then finsihed his/her calibrations before you leave the RITZ start the CALOB OB. If the VA is still busy when you are ready to leave the RITZ, leave a note for the daytime TIO to remind him/her to start the CALOB OB asap.

Service Mode time

1. All Calibration Plan and Service Mode OBs MUST be run by fetching them to Bob from OT. NEVER from p2pp.
2. Use the OT queue called FEROS-CalibrationPlan for all calibrations. This queue holds all Calibration Plan OBs, i.e. StanCal DRS initialistaion OBs, and spectrophotometric Standard Star OBs.
3. Service Mode programme OBs are now grouped in the USD managed SMTS.FEROS.A.TODAY, SMTS.FEROS.B.TODAY, SMTS.FEROS.C.TODAY OT queues.
4. p2pp accounts. Please observe the following policy for use of p2pp accounts
   
   • 51020: For the Calibration Plan, and ONLY the calibration Plan. Do NOT run test OBs or anything else with this ID.
   • 51021: For technical tests, e.g. "official" observations during technical nights.
     
   • 51022: Other, i.e. JUNK, tests etc.

Visitor Mode time

Before a FEROS period

• 2.20m day TIO
  
  1. TBD
     
• Support Astronomer
  
  1. Review the programmes for the coming period.
     

During a FEROS Period

For each new Visiting Astronomer

• 2.20m day TIO
  
  1. TBD
     
• Support Astronomer
  
  1. Clean the FEROS-DRS area on w2p2off.
  2. Meet with incoming VA the day before run starts to discuss programme.
  3. Make introduction to VA on the first day of the run. Demonstrate the complete FEROS ObsEnv startup incase the VA needs for whatever reason to restart it (or part of it) during the night. Stay with VA till he/she is fully familiar with system.
     

Daily

• 2.20m day TIO
  See above...
  
• 2.20m night TIO
  See above...
  
• Support Astronomer
  
  1. Check the quality of the DRS initialisation and the SolarSpectrum.
     
  2. Support VA.
  3. Trouble shoot problems during the night.
     

After a FEROS period

• 2.20m day TIO
  
  1. TBD
     
• Support Astronomer
  
  1. Support Astronomer's Report. A report should be completed by each Support Astronomer during each FEROS period. It should be sent to at least ls-feros@eso.org and ls-220@eso.org.

Send comments to <ls-feros@eso.org> Last update: by J.D.Pritchad, August 27, 2004