MMTO Access & Safety Policies

Access to the MMT During Daytime Hours

1. The MMT is not scheduled for observing during the daytime hours. During the day, the telescope is available to MMTO staff and observers for servicing, engineering, and experimentation. On rare occasions the MMTO staff may require the use of the telescope from dawn until as late as 11:00 a.m. for special engineering tests. The previous and following nights' observers will be notified of such requirements when they arise.
2. Because of the multiple use of the telescope chamber in daytime, there are occasionally conflicting demands. These are usually best resolved by consultation between the parties involved, and we continue to prefer that such conflicts be resolved in this informal way. This memo defines priorities to the use of the telescope chamber.
3. The following priorities hold for every day of the week, including weekends:
   • The previous night's observer has priority access to the telescope and the instrument computer until 2-1/2 hours after sunrise or 9:00 a.m. (whichever occurs first) for flatfielding and other calibration tasks.
   • The MMTO staff has priority access to the MMT from that time until 3:00 p.m., except on the days when a new instrument is to be installed and checked out. For facility instruments, the Instrument Specialist and MMTO staff have priority access to the telescope and computer systems. Principal investigators have similar access for mounting and checking non-facility instruments. PI instruments should be removed from the telescope by 10:00 a.m. following the last scheduled night of observing.
   • After 3:00 p.m. the next night's observer has priority access to the MMT, its chamber, and instrument computers. Priority access does not mean sole access. If access to the MMT is needed outside priority hours, arrangements must be made with the observers and staff. If priority access is claimed, give reasonable notice to the persons who may want to use the MMT, the chamber, or instrument computer otherwise.
4. Specific instructions from the observer for the day crew should both (a) be logged by the telescope operator at the end of the night; and (b) be written on a note clearly and conspicuously displayed at the observer's console.
5. Tour groups will generally be allowed to enter the telescope chamber and control room during the March-through-November tour season. Special and unusual circumstances, however, may preclude tour access at the discretion of the MMTO staff.
6. We welcome suggestions from the MMT users for additional improvements of MMT operations.

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MMT Astronomer Safety Policy

1. Please do not attempt hardware changes yourself ... ask the telescope operator or other MMT staff for assistance.
2. The MMT telescope operator carries the responsibility for equipment and personal safety while operating the facility and he/she is authorized to terminate observations for such reasons as equipment failure, weather, general unsafe conditions, etc.
3. In case of emergency, please carry out all operator instructions without delay.