The Gemini observing databases will be offline for several hours on Wednesday June 4 while we perform quarterly software updates. During this time Observing Tool access and file transfers will be unavailable and web report forms will be offline. The new 2014B Observing Tool will be available on Thursday June 5 and will be required to access the observing databases. Please check this site for further announcements.
The Gemini observing databases will be offline for about an hour for operating system maintanence during the morning of April 16 at each site. During this period you will not be able to sync or access file attachments with the Observing Tool (OT). OTs will reconnect with the ODBs as soon as they are back online.
An updated to the 2014A Observing Tool (2014A.1.2.10) has been released and is available from the downloads site. This is an optional but recommended update. This version fixes several bugs and improves performance and stability, especially when working with large programs and multiple science program editors. Be sure to sync local changes or save programs to XML before updating. You will have to reenter authentication keys.
The Gemini observing databases will be offline for ~1 hour on Tuesday March 4 while we perform quarterly software updates. During this time Observing Tool access and file transfers will be unavailable, and web report forms will be offline. An updated 2014A Observing Tool will be available on Wednesday March 5. This will be an optional update, recommended for users who have large programs or who work with multiple programs simultaneously. Please check this site for further announcements.
Gemini is now accepting proposals for observing time in Semester 2014B. The submission deadline varies with partner and ranges from MONDAY MARCH 31, 2014 to TUESDAY APRIL 1, 2014. A new version of the Phase I Tool (PIT) has been released to support proposal submissions.
The Gemini South laser suffered a fault towards the end of the last GeMS run in February. The laser power has been lost to a level that prohibits useful science. Unfortunately, despite all the efforts of the laser team, we were not able to recover the laser during the run. The problem has been identified and a plan is under development to recover, which involves replacement of key hardware parts and realignment of the system. Internal and external specialists will collaborate to complete this work and return the laser to the level required to do science.
The call for Early Science programs using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is now open, with full information posted at http://www.gemini.edu/sciops/instruments/gpi/gpi-early-science/call-proposals. Proposals for shared-risk observations are due February 28, for execution in April.
The Gemini North Observing Database will be offline for ~1 hour for hardware maintenance starting at ~10am HST on January 9. During this time Observing Tool synchronizations and file transfers will be unavailable. Please check this site for further announcements.
UPDATE @ 12:00 HST Jan 9: Work is ongoing due to a failure of a critical component. We do not yet have an estimated completion time.
UPDATE @ 14:30 HST Jan 9: Spare parts are being delivered and we expect the database to be back online by 17:00 HST.