Thursday, 24 September 2009
In September 2009 our French collaborators successfully installed the robotic observatory control system on the Zadko Telescope.
In what is a major milestone achievement, the Telescope and imaging system have been used in “automatic mode” for the first time: astronomers across the world can now request observation time via a web page.
The Zadko Telescope is directly connected to NASA satellites via the internet for rapid imaging of gamma ray bursts and other transient phenomena. This system is currently been tested in preparation for “full robotisation”, which is planned for late December 2009.
The team members from France who participated in this major milestone were:
* Michel Boer (Director of Observatoire de Haute Provence)
* Alain Klotz (astronomer from Toulouse)
* Myrtille Laas-Bourez (astronomer Observatoire de Haute Provence)
* Pierre Thierry (astronomer from Toulouse).
To enable full robotisation, a portable control room will be installed adjacent to the Zadko observatory dome. This will house all sensitive electronic equipment in an environmentally controlled space.
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