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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. *************************************************************************** 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