The Gemini Near-Infrared Spectrograph team faces a year of concerted design effort. A significant part of the effort is the production of a wide-field corrector, including atmospheric dispersion compensation. Delivery and integration of the system at CTIO is planned for FY 1998. We will discuss with the Users Committee in December the desirability of producing a clone to the CCD Mosaic Imager as soon as possible, to optimize the wide-field imaging in both hemispheres. We also expect progress on the upgrade to the GoldCam spectrograph optics for the Kitt Peak 2.1-m.
Several projects are in the design or exploration phases.
They include an adaptive optics system for the WIYN telescope , a high-throughput optical spectrograph based on new grating technology, and a collaborative effort with the Ohio State University to produce a new infrared capability for Kitt Peak. The Instrument Projects Group and their colleagues at CTIO obviously do not get to rest on their laurels. We anticipate that the addition of the CCD Mosaic, Phoenix, and upgraded COB to the complement of NOAO facility instruments will have significant positive impact on user science.