Preparing for the DKIST Operations Commissioning Phase: Science Operations Specialists' perspective

Abstract

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is located on the island of Maui, Hawai'i. The DKIST is a 4-meter clear-aperture solar telescope nearing the end of its construction phase in 2021. Following construction there will be a one year Operations Commissioning Phase (OCP). The OCP allows for early observing opportunities, while at the same time, fine-tuning systems and procedures, in preparation for DKIST steadystate operations in 2022. During the OCP, the DKIST Science Operations Specialists (SOSs, a.k.a. Telescope Operators) will execute validated solar observing programs as instructed by Resident Scientists while coordinating with maintenance and engineering activities. DKIST maintenance and engineering tasks are performed by the technical operations staff sharing time during daylight with science operations, which is an entirely different scenario than for nighttime ground-based observatories. Presented here is a summary of the year leading up to the OCP from the perspective of the DKIST SOS group. We present the training planned for the current SOS group and how this folds into the DKIST’s still ongoing Integration, Testing and Commissioning phase. We are developing an efficient training program to reduce the overall training time. We also discuss the tools which assist the current SOS group in writing and generating shift schedules, procedures, checklists, and workflows.