The Ohio State University College of Mathematical & Physical Sciences Department of Astronomy

Attendees: Pat Osmer, Bruce Atwood, Paul Byard, Tom O'Brien, Mark Derwent, Darren DePoy, Jen Marshall, & Rick Pogge,

MODS PDR

The document for the MODS PDR, scheduled for Monday, June 11 at OSU, has been sent out. We have not yet received word from anyone. We can expect questions from the review committee in about a week, and plan to respond both via email and on the web page essentially immediately.

The LBT SAC will meet here on Tuesday and Wednesday (June 12 & 13) following the PDR.

Optics

Reports were heard on bids received from vendors.

Details on substrates for the glass from various potential vendors has been received. Because these involve potential contracts, we cannot give specifics (i.e., who said what for how much) here.

However, we have found that while we can probably get Fused Silica for the Blue Camera correctors from a couple of sources, finding BK7 for the Red Camera correctors of sufficient quality in the size we need is proving difficult. There appears to be a world-wide shortage of large optical-quality BK7, rumored to be due to a large buy up by some particularly large projects.

This may lead to a reversal of our original plan to deploy MODS1 with the red channel first, simply because of availability of BK7 glass. It was decided that should consider instead deployment of the phase 1 MODS with the blue channel first, since it appears we can get Fused Silica right away (we are still limited by the optical polishing time, not acquisition of the substrates).

Because of the upcoming PDR and SAC meetings, the next MODS team meeting will be on June 19 in the astronomy conference room.

R. Pogge, 2001 May 23