Gemini Observatory’s Facility Instrument Program
Gemini Preprint #90
Douglas A. Simons, Robert Nolan, Manuel Lazo, Wendy Mays, Ian Richardson, Luis Solis
Gemini Observatory 670 N. A’ohoku Place Hilo, HI 96720Gemini Observatory’s Facility Instrument Program
Douglas A. Simons, Robert Nolan, Manuel Lazo, Wendy Mays, Ian Richardson, Luis Solis
Gemini Observatory, Northern Operations Center, 670 A’ohoku Place, Hilo HI 96720
ABSTRACT
This is the fourth in a series of SPIE papers that chronicle the accomplishments, challenges, and evolution of Gemini’s instrumentation program. For the first time we are pleased to report not just about progress made on instruments being fabricated, but results with completed instruments, now steadily producing world-class scientific results at the Gemini Observatory. With the steady arrival of new facility class instruments, we anticipate phasing out our reliance on visitor instruments, which have enabled our early scientific capabilities at both Gemini-N and Gemini-S. Currently two facility class instruments are operational and six more are due in roughly a year, hence commissioning all of these instruments in Hawaii and Chile will doubtless be an enormous task for the staff at Gemini in the near future.
