It’s been too long since I’ve written on the Vera Rubin Observatory, and there’s progress to be seen- dynamic progress. The glass is on the telescope, and a camera too, but it’s the ComCam (Commissioning Camera), an under-populated version of the main LSSTCam. For test purposes, ComCam is good enough to get VRO past its checkouts. As scheduled, ComCam tests should wrap up tonight.
And what a checkout. Let’s start simple: the whole telescope train will be examined for focus and quality, including all six filters. The final LSSTCam includes the u, g, r, i, z, and y filters, which will swap in and out over the course of sky surveying; ComCam only has spaces for three, so commissioning includes some manual demounting and remounting. Then, the telescope motions- two mount axes, and let’s not forget the dome- have to be tested. The point is to sweep the sky, after all; can’t do that if the optics shake themselves out of place at the LSST’s survey speed. (The word “Ferrari” has been used to describe the LSST turning performance.) Over the course of this autumn’s commissioning, telescope mount speed has gradually increased, sky area gradually grown.
Clearly I’m glossing over a lot of action, including important but behind-the-scenes stuff. The back end includes testing LSST’s data pipeline, and science procedures. This has gone all the way to identifying asteroids, including re-identifying them in two different images. Check!
Not much longer now- the big LSSTCam will be integrated late this year, for final preps and verifications. Assuming no glitches (including software staying on schedule), we should have first full-up (LSSTCam) light in late Spring or early Summer, and then start of actual science ops. Photons a’comin’!