ISPI: The CTIO Infrared Side-Port Imager

News Flash!! ISPI to Rescue University of Florida's FLAMINGOS Infrared Imager

CTIO announces the shared-risk use of its new wide field near infrared imager for semester 2002A. The Infrared Side Port Imager, ISPI (eye-spy), is a facility infrared imager to be deployed at the CTIO Blanco 4-m telescope. ISPI is currently in the final stages of design and has begun fabrication.

ISPI is expected to see first light in approximately April 2002 with shared risk science observing starting shortly thereafter. This is about 3 months later than originally anticipated. The reason for the delay is that one of the ISPI lenses has been transfered to the University of Florida's FLAMINGOS instrument to replace a similar lens, which was broken during the transport of FLAMINGOS to Gemini South. The transfer of the ISPI lens will enable science opportunities for the US community in the near term at Gemini South and also KPNO and the MMT. It is hoped that this will make up for the delay in bringing ISPI to the Blanco 4m. In exchange for the lens, ISPI will obtain use of the 2K x 2K "engineering grade array currently in FLAMINGOS when that instrument receives its science grade array. This array has four working quadrants, compared to only three in the present engineering array in ISPI. Since ISPI is fairly far down the vendor queue for delivery of a final science sensor, we expect this interim upgrade will enhance ISPI's science capabilities for a meaningful period.

ISPI will be permanently mounted on the Blanco Cassegrain side-port serving a broad range of science programs through the following capabilities:

ISPI will provide state-of-the-art wide field imaging in the southern skies for US astronomers while high angular resolution imaging and spectroscopy are shifted to the SOAR telescope (science operations to begin in late 2003A) and the International Gemini Project southern 8m telescope, Gemini South. ISPI is one component of a fixed instrument complement for future Blanco operations; the others are Prime Focus MOSAIC for optical imaging, and Hydra for multi-object optical spectroscopy. This fixed complement will lower operations costs on the Blanco as CTIO meets its commitments for SOAR commissioning and Gemini operations support.

While ISPI's basic capabilities derive from its science mission, the project also faces realities of cost and schedule, space envelope at the 4-m Cass focus, and the future mix of instruments available to the US community on the Blanco, SOAR, and Gemini South telescopes. The result is a conservative design which employs existing elements wherever possible, for example, the optical design is taken from the Flamingos instrument developed at the University of Florida and NOAO. ISPI uses a single large array with an SDSU II four channel controller , and has no spatial filtering (occulting masks) or spectroscopic capability.

For more information on ISPI, please visit our web pages: http://www.ctio.noao.edu/instruments/ir_instruments/ispi/


If you have questions about ISPI you may send email to rprobst@noao.edu, nvdbliek@noao.edu, or rblum@noao.edu.
13 August 2001 [nvdb]