[mmaimcal] FYI: 30 July 07 BIWEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE ALMA PROJECT at NRAO

[Al Wootten]

Folks,

Comments, changes, contributions?

Clear skies,
Al
                BIWEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE ALMA PROJECT at NRAO
                         30 July - 13 August 2007

******************************** THIS FORTNIGHT*************************
The first of two ALMA transporters -- unique vehicles designed to move 
high-tech radio-telescope antennas in the harsh, high-altitude environment 
of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array -- has been completed 
and passed its initial operational tests. The 130-ton machine moves on 
28 wheels and will be able to transport a 115-ton antenna and set it down 
on a concrete pad within millimeters of a prescribed position.  The first 
vehicle will arrive at the Operations Support Facility in late 2007.  
See http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2007/almatransporter/ for details.
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The FAST (Five-hundred meter Astronomical Spherical Telescope) project 
was approved for funding by the National Development and Reform Commission 
(NDRC) of China on 10th of July.  The telescope, to be sited in 
Southwest China, is scheduled for completion around 2012.
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Past issues of this Calendar may be viewed at
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html
See also the JAO ALMA Calendar overview at:
http://www.alma.cl/alma_project
***********************************************************************
General Happenings
Photos of activity may be found at:
http://www.alma.nrao.edu/almanews/almagallery/index.html
Sky:  The Perseids should peak about midnight EDT on 12/13 August.  
The new moon will not interfere with viewing this year.

SCO (Santiago Central Office):  Preparations for ALMA Annual External 
Review.  ALMA Board meets in SCO in late October, AMAC in early November, 
Production Review second week of November.

AOS (Array Ops Site, 16570ft altitude):   Excellent sky transparency 
closed out the period with PWV well below 1mm PWV.

OSF (Ops Support Facility, 9600ft altitude):  There are 488 people 
working at the ALMA site.  Work continues on the AEM antenna lay down 
facilities, where five antenna pads will shortly be contracted.

ATF:   Preproduction backends were installed on the antennas, PSI 
emerging successfully from the shutdown/upgrade period.   Testing and 
integration of the 2 antenna correlator at ATF continues.

AOC: Ralph Marson and Justin Dressel have been awarded STAR awards.

NTC (NRAO Technology Center):   Measurement series for a second Band 3 
(3mm) cartridge was started.  B3 CDR has been shifted by one day and is 
now 27-28 Sep 2007 at HIA. Measurement of beam patterns for the horn-lens 
continues. The cryostat was warmed and a different Band 3 cartridge, 
SN03, was inserted in place of SN02; a new measurement series on the 
Band 3 horn-lens pointing was started.  A fifth B3 cartridge was accepted.  
The date for the B6 (1mm) CDR has been shifted by two weeks and is now 
1-2 Oct 2007, in Charlottesville.  Front end managers met in 
Charlottesville.  In Europe, the Band 9 Cartridge production contract has 
been completed and is being signed. The second FE assembly (SN01) is 
nearly complete and some functionality has been tested.

NAASC: The ANASAC will meet at the NAASC on 17 August.  A period of 
CASA testing will commence 20 August.  
A calendar of NAASC events may be found at:
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/naasc/calendar/calendar.php
The workshop 'Transformational Science with ALMA: Through Disks to 
Stars and Planets' was held 22-24 June 2007
is under way:  See http://www.cv.nrao.edu/naasc/disk07/ for presentations.
***************************************************************************
DAILY CALENDAR (Times EDT/EST ) see
https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/AlmaCalendar
  Sun  29 Jul -
  Mon  30 Jul - 3:30PM: PSI/ATF telecon
  Tue  31 Jul -
10:30 AM-11:30 AM: JAO IPT Telecon
  Wed  1 Aug - Holiday US
  Thu  2 Aug -
  Fri  3 Aug -
  Sat  4 Aug -
  Sun  5 Aug -
  Mon  6 Aug -
  Tue  7 Aug -
10:30 AM-11:30 AM: JAO IPT Telecon
  Wed  8 Aug -
  Thu  9 Aug -
  Fri  10 Aug -
  Sat  11 Aug -
  Sun  12 Aug - Perseid meteor shower peaks late tonight, early tomorrow.
7:03 pm  New Moon
  Mon  13 Aug - 
****************************** UPCOMING EVENTS *************************
  Aug 1                           ASAC telecon
  Aug 17                          ANASAC f2f             Cville
  Sep 3                           ALMA/Eu Community Day  ESO
  Sep 10-12                       Ann. ALMA External Rev Santiago
  Sep 13                          ALMA Board Telecon
  Sep 27-28                       B3 CDR                 Victoria
  Oct 1-2                         B6 CDR                 Cville
  Oct 28-31                       ALMA Board Meeting  Santiago&San Pedro
******************************* TECHNICAL NEWS *************************
*****************************ALSO OF INTEREST***************************
Proposals for observations using CARMA during the period 1 January to 30
June 2008 are due on 13 September 2007. Detailed information, including 
capabilities to be offered this semester, sensitivities, and proposal 
submission instructions, may be found at the CARMA website, 
http://www.mmarray.org.
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Associated Universities, Inc. and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory 
are pleased to announce that the 42nd annual Karl G. Jansky Lecture will be 
given by Professor Karl M. Menten of the Max-Planck-Institut fur 
Radioastronomie in Bonn, Germany.  Professor Menten is particularly 
interested in the dense, hot regions around forming and recently formed 
high-mass stars.
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Professor Ewine van Dishoeck, a renowned astronomer and chemist at the 
Leiden University, has been selected as the Petrie Lecturer of the 
Canadian Astronomical Society (CASCA) for 2007.Her main research interest 
is the study the interstellar medium. More precisely, she works on 
interstellar molecules, trying to understand their physical and chemical 
evolution during star formation and planet formation.  Professor van 
Dishoeck is a member of the ALMA Board.
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Please send information for upcoming calendars by Friday evening of the
preceding biweekly period to Jennifer Neighbours or Al Wootten via e-mail
(jneighbo at nrao.edu or awootten at nrao.edu).

The calendar will be issued between late Friday and sometime on Monday 
by e-mail to all NRAO scientific staff members and anyone else interested.
A specific mailing list, alma-info, has been created for anyone wishing
to receive it.
Past issues are available at
http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html