Abstract

The GBT Dynamic Scheduling System: The Observers' Perspective

James Braatz (NRAO)

J. Braatz, D. Balser, C. Bignell, M. Clark, J. Harnett, M. McCarty, P. Marganian, K. O'Neil, A. Shelton (NRAO)

To make the most efficient use of telescope time, the NRAO is implementing a Dynamic Scheduling System (DSS) for the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT). The DSS aims to match observing projects to the existing weather and other observing conditions, without sacrificing observers' interactive control of their experiments. To meet this goal, the DSS schedules not observing scripts but rather blocks of time during which an observer can attend to the observation and control the telescope, often from a remote location. The DSS generates a new schedule every day, for the 24-hour period beginning one day hence. Observers therefore must be prepared to run observations with 24 to 48 hours notice. Being available and ready to observe on short notice requires observers to adopt a mindset and set of practices unlike their experiences with other telescopes. While these may be an inconvenience for some, the benefits are substantial, the primary one being astronomers are almost assured of observing in appropriate weather and getting high quality data. While observers should expect to be "on the ready" at all times, the DSS does give them the opportunity to black out time ranges to avoid for scheduling. In addition to the scheduling algorithms, the DSS team has developed a set of software tools to help observers manage their projects, to notify observers of scheduling news, and to help observers anticipate when their projects will get scheduled. In this contribution we will report observers' experiences from the first tests of the GBT DSS, which took place from June 1 to September 30, 2008.

Mode of presentation: poster