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Message from the Director General SUMMARY of a REPORT to the ESO STAFF

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Message from the Director General SUMMARY of a REPORT to the ESO STAFF No. 76 - June 1994 Message from the Director General SUMMARY OF A REPORT TO THE ESO STAFF 1. Audit This will not be easy and will require a schedule, if a solution to this critical certain effort from all involved. The team which was charged by the problem is not found soon. The recent visit by the ESO delegation to Chile dur­ ESO Council to provide an audit report about ESO and in particular the VLT ing which meetings were held with the 2. Chile project, has now finished its work with a Foreign Minister and also the President of the Republic of Chile, reassured us final discussion at the ESO Headquar­ The situation of ESO in Chile has been that the Chilean Government fully ters on April 28, 1994. The report has the subject of ;llany recent discussions adheres to the conditions laid down in been published and was discussed by and, as is known and has been made the Chile-ESO Treaty, including ESO's Council in its recent meeting. public through recent press releases, immunities and privileges. I am glad to tell you that ESO came ESO appears to be under a concerted In view of the crucial importance of through this exercise "with flying col­ attack from some groups in that coun­ the Paranal issue for the VLT project and ours" and that our earlier statements try. While ESO has meticulously ad­ since we have at this moment commit­ concerning the work done at ESO were hered to its legal obligations in Chile, it is ted approximately half of the total VLT largely confirmed by the Audit Team. In true that the wishes of the Chilean as­ budget, it is obvious that we must now particular, it was agreed that the request tronomers as well as the ESO Chilean do our utmost to "find a home" for the for an increased VLT budget was staff were not always sufficiently taken world's largest optical telescope. reasonable and the need to add a into account. However, the Supplemen­ number of staff positions was also tary Agreement which is now in the final supported. stages of negotiation, takes care of this. 3.0PC The Audit Team proposed specific We are hopeful that it will become pos­ measures to the Council including in­ sible to conclude the signing and ratifi­ The Observing Programmes Committee creases in budget and staff and also cation procedure, so that this Agree­ met for the first time under the new improvements of various aspects of the ment can enter into force and our Chi­ evaluation system at the end of May. work breakdown structure, the manage­ lean colleagues can then profit from the The new process means that more sci­ ment system, as well as the plans for new regulations. In fact, ESO has done entists will be involved in the peer re­ operations. A very important conclusion everything it can reasonably do and the view and this will undoubtedly result in a was that ESO will be able to manage the issues surrounding the ownership of Pa­ better and more equitable assessment VLT project under these assumptions. It ranal is not ESO's problem, but a prob­ of the observing proposals. Things went should be noted that this means that it lem of the Chilean Government. We are extremely well and a very good job was has been possible to obtain support for confident that the Chilean Government done by Jacques Breysacher and his a number of new positions since early will take the necessary actions in due people despite the fact that a record last year. It is now our task to fill these time, but it is unfortunate that we may number of applications was received for positions with the best possible staff. run into problems with the VLT this round, close to 600. 1 4. STC 5. Scientific Visiting Committee become much clearer after the termina­ tion of the current comparative study of The Scientific Technical Committee also This Committee has now delivered its employment conditions (including met recently and evaluated the scientific report about the science carried out at salaries) at ESO and other national and technical aspects of the ESO operations La Silla and at the Headquarters. It is the private organizations. at La Silla. The STC again underlined intention to continue to rely upon its that science must be the driver of all services as an Advisory Body for these ESO activities and expressed the opin­ questions. Certain problems were re­ 6. Budget ion that there are currently too many marked on, in particular that more atten­ I am happy to report that Finance Com­ tasks for the astronomical/technical tion should be given to the involvement mittee and Council approved the budget staff at La Silla. Reductions will be of ESO scientists in the development of for 1994 as well as the forecast for necessary, probably by the closure of new instrumental facilities, communica­ 1995-1997. They also approved vari­ some of the telescopes, or by transfer­ tions between the scientists inside and ous management tools in connection ring the operational responsibility to na­ outside ESO and also the personnel pol­ with the cash flow, etc. which will facili­ tional groups. icy of the Organization of which certain tate the financial administration during The STC strongly supported the aspects, for instance salaries, are in the the next years of heavy VLT expen­ view that the VLTI must be re-intro­ state of an undesirable lack of definition. ditures. duced in the VLT as soon as possible It is obvious that we must attempt to since it is a unique feature of this tele­ define better what we are really trying to 7. Conclusions scope. The STC endorsed the new, do in the personnel area, but also that smaller interferometry programme we must do everything possible to at­ In conclusion, I am glad to state that I do which was presented by ESO. It costs tract and keep the staff with the best not see any real show-stoppers for ESO 30 % less and also further reduces the qualifications. For this reason, special and its VLT project at this moment. We annual cost, since it will be stretched measures may become necessary dur­ will surely be able to carry through suc­ over twice the period earlier envisaged. ing the period until the personnel policy cessfully this great project but it is also In this connection, the interest of our has become better defined. The issue of true that we must improve ourselves in Australian colleagues in VLT interfer­ a system based on merit is still open, terms of management techniques and ometry and the possibility of using in but it is particularly important that the internal communication. There may still addition to the MPG/CNRS and ESO staff gets a feeling of fairness in the be some "cultural" problems within contributions the entry fee by Australia judgement of their performance. It will ESO, but I think that good will and en­ for this purpose, if and when it be­ be my task to try to convince the Fi­ thusiasm for the common cause will comes a full member of ESO, is indeed nance Committee and Council of what make it possible to overcome these very exciting. our "fair market value" really is. This will difficulties. R. GIACCONI TELESCOPES AND INSTRUMENTATION Work Starts on the VLT M2 Units D. ENARD, ESO The development and construction of as the adapters. This secondary mirror the case for the NTI as well as for most the 4 VLT secondary mirror units is go­ has a diameter of about 1.2 metre for modern telescopes. ing to be carried out by Matra Marconi the nominal aperture of F/15 at the Nas­ In addition, the VLT secondary mirrors Systems together with REOSC, SFIM myth focus. Because the VLT is largely can be controlled in tilt around a point and MAN. The kick-off meeting was optimized for the IR, the secondary close to the vertex to correct for fast held on April 20 and 21 and the design mirror also defines the pupil which is guiding errors. This mode is called field work is already proceeding. slightly undersized with respect to the stabilization and was introduced at a One of the basic features of the VLT is beam defined by the primary mirror out­ very early stage of the project and was that there is only one secondary mirror er diameter. This approach sets how­ driven by the important wind loads to to serve the different observing modes. ever a number of tough requirements on which the structure would have been The switch from Cassegrain to the Nas­ the M2 unit since aile the requirements subjected with the retractable enclosure myth and coude foci is achieved by which traditionally are distributed on originally foreseen. The later decision to moving the tertiary mirror into different several mirror units of different sizes are revert to a conventional enclosure ­ positions rather than - as is traditional ­ concentrated into one single unit. essentially in order to better protect the by exchanging the secondary mirror As part of the active optics scheme, primary mirror from wind loads - did not unit. There are important operational the secondary mirror must be able to remove that need. As a matter of fact, and cost-saving advantages in this ap­ maintain the telescope geometry with numerical and wind tunnel simulations proach. It gives a unique opportunity to respect to the primary mirror. To this have shown that the enclosure did not change at any time of observing mode, effect, the secondary mirror can be po­ contribute much to reduce the dynamic reduces maintenance and significantly sitioned in three coordinates to correct part of the wind loads and that, consid­ simplifies the operation software as well for focusing and centring as it is already ering the strong winds at Cerro Paranal, 2 a fast guiding would be necessary if the very ambitious image quality goals were COVER to be attained.
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