The operation of the Mees TAC was agreed upon at a meeting of the Mees users on February 6, 1991.
The committee will determine which applications for scheduled observing time or bumping privileges at Mees are approved, and then allocate scheduled time on the telescopes at Mees among the various approved applications. The decisions of the TAC will be documented by the Mees observing schedule and the list of approved bumping projects.
The Mees superintendent will report on the status of Mees equipment and accomplishments by the Mees staff since the prior meeting of the TAC. The committee will identify new tasks of this type that are required for future observations. The current tasks will be documented in a technical tasks list, as is presently done.
A calendar will be kept which contains preliminary information relevant to probable future requests for telescope time and Mees staff assistance. This calendar will be reviewed and updated at each meeting of the TAC. This calendar is for the use of the Mees superintendent and TAC chair in making decisions regarding the scheduling of preventative maintenance, instrument upgrades, staff leave, bumping programs, etc.
To use the congressional analogy, with regard to both time allocation and support staff task definition the committee and its chairperson act as an authorization committee, not an appropriation committee; the Mees superintendent and staff have the operational authority and responsibility to make sure that all observatory operations are carried out in a manner that human resources, telescope conditions, safety considerations, etc. permit.
The membership of the TAC will consist of the Mees superintendent, one member of the tenured faculty, one representative of each major project, and one thesis-level graduate student. The membership of the TAC, other than the Mees superintendent, will be determined at an annual meeting of Mees users, by secret ballot. The term of all elected members, including the chairperson, will be one year, and all members, including the chairperson, may serve multiple terms. The chairperson will be selected by secret vote of the TAC itself.
The committee will meet on a regular basis, initially bimonthly. The committee will meet a week or two before the period for which the Mees observing schedule is to be defined. The meetings will be open to all, and will occur in Manoa.
Anyone who wants scheduled observing time or bumping privileges is expected to be at the meeting, or be represented at the meeting. No written application is required; the decision of the TAC is made on the basis of the informal verbal application and the discussion that takes place at the meeting. The TAC does not expect to take a formal vote on an application for observing time, but rather to aid in the definition of an observing program that is agreed to be worthwhile.
Upon request by scientists who are on the approved bumping list, the schedule will be modified, by bumping the scheduled project, only if approved by the TAC chairperson. This will be done in consultation with the Mees superintendent, with formal written (fax or email) documentation of this consultation and the response is the responsibility of the TAC chairperson.
Approval of leave that affects the ability of the Mees staff to carry out the Mees observing schedule or the events on the Mees calendar, such as vacation time and off-site training time, is the responsibility of the Mees superintendent, in consultation with the TAC chairperson. Formal written (fax or email) documentation of the consultation and the response is the responsibility of the Mees superintendent.
Production of the Mees calendar, the Mees observing schedule, the list of approved bumping projects, and the technical task list are the responsibility of the TAC chairperson. The solar group secretary will keep the official version of these documents and will be responsible for posting the latest version in Manoa. The solar group secretary will also be responsible for sending each updated version of these documents to Mees by fax, where the observers have responsibilty for posting them.
With the advent of the solar web sites, the official documentation has become the Manoa web site version of the Mees calendar, the Mees observing schedule, the list of approved bumping projects, and the technical task list. These are prepared directly by the TAC chairperson, relieving the solar secretary of the responsibility of maintaining and posting them.
With the launch of Yohkoh, the need for continuous coordination of the Mees observations with the spacecraft led to the establishment of the Duty Scientist role. The various persons associated with the Mees support for Yohkoh serve as Duty Scientist for one week periods, in rotation. The Duty Scientist is responsible for insuring that the Mees observing program and choice of observing targets is best matched to the Yohkoh collaboration. The Duty Scientist communicates with both Mees and the Yohkoh SXT Chief Observer to define the best observing plan.
The transition between successive Duty Scientists each week is proceeded by a weekly meeting. The Duty Scientists and Chief Observer review the past week's operations and plans for the next week. This meeting is currently conducted in a series of telephone calls to the various parties, conducted by the TAC chairperson. The TAC chairperson is also responsible for preparing and distributing a weekly overview of operations and plans in advance of the meeting for discussion.
As Yohkoh operations have matured, the Duty Scientist has taken on an overall responsibility for coordinating with other spacecraft and ground observatories. This includes both scheduled operations and special observing campaigns. If the best observing plan for Mees will seriously alter the scheduled observations, the Duty Scientist should consult with other Mees users for advice. Similarly, requests for bumping privileges must be reviewed by the Duty Scientist to avoid compromising our coordinated observations with Yohkoh.
The calendar has become less important over time as the improvements in communications have made it easier to respond to observing campaigns on shorter lead times.
The bimonthly technical task list formulated by the TAC identifies specific work that needs to be done to maintain and upgrade the Mees operations. It is understood that the task list will always have more tasks than can be accomplished in the two month period. There is always more work to be done than resources to do it; further, availability of materials or particular individuals may prevent work on some tasks and permit work on others, so a choice of tasks gives the Mees staff the ability to be their most productive.
The tasks are prioritized in two categories:
The TAC assists scientists in formulating observing programs that are effective and practical. An observing program does not require a formal application, but should have a detailed specification of what instruments are required and what instrument setups are required. If a program uses a new instrument setup which the observers have not previously used, the scientist should expect to travel to Mees for at least the first operation of their program. Once the observers are trained in the new setups, the scientist may not have to travel to Mees for the subsequent operation of the program, but should be available in case questions arise.
The descriptions of every approved program, whether scheduled or bumping, is kept on the Manoa web site. Descriptions of the instrument setups are also kept on the Manoa web site.
The old model of telescope allocation viewed science as a competition. Individuals sought to secure the best observations for themselves. The TAC served as a judge, choosing winners and losers in the competition.
The new model of telescope allocation views science as a collaboration. Individuals seek to secure the best observations for the community as a whole. The TAC serves as an advisor, helping the individual to define the the best possible program.
Last modified: Mon Dec 15 17:10:15 HST 1997