RE: MIKE is started

["Michael Gutzwiller" <deepsky@fuse.net>]

Just got back from vacation and the screws are already being put on!  I
actually spent 10 days straight without touching a keyboard and feel quite
refreshed now.  (Things were _very_ hectic before vacation started.)  I did
manage to think about where the effort needs to go to get the Mark IV
software started.

Personal Goals for TASS:

* My primary goal for the Mark IV is to measure transits of "hot Jupiters"
in front of as many stars as possible.

* A secondary goal is the discovery of as many new variable stars as
possible.


These goals are complementary to each other and generally (though not
completely) supportive of the TASS goal of a large survey.  To meet these
goals I need to generate photometric data of the highest quality.  Measuring
the transits of "hot Jupiters" requires photometric measurements at the
0.005 level.

I plan to implement these goals through enhancements to the ip library used
in the Mark III programs.  I will try to keep the ip library as generic as
possible so Glenn can port it over to the Linux operating system.  As always
the user interface may be system specific.  I may also add some enhancements
to use the "3D Now" or "streaming SIMD" floating point instructions to speed
up some of the tedious calculations.

Mike G.


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tass@listserv.wwa.com [mailto:owner-tass@listserv.wwa.com]On
Behalf Of Tom Droege
Sent: Thursday, August 17, 2000 6:15 PM
To: tass@listserv.wwa.com
Subject: MIKE is started


The first pieces of MIKE are up on the assembly table and the first screws
have been put into MIKE.

Speaking of putting screws into Mike, how about it Mike, how is the
software progressing.  ;^)  Seems to me that it would be helpful if you and
Glenn got together and shared tasks.

Meanwhile all the bits of ARNE are packed in the trunk of the Camray.  It
is one big shipping container.  I ended up just dumping a couple of bags of
plastic peanuts into the trunk to cushion everything.  I hope that NOFS
does not get too excited if a few of them escape in the unloading
process.  We will bring a bag to capture them.

I will now be nervous until I get to NOFS, unload everything, and find that
I have enough parts to build a Mark IV.  Mostly except for metal parts, I
have brought enough stuff for two Mark IVs.  A spare for almost everything.

Tom Droege