E S O . C o n s id e rin g a ll o f th e s e to g e th e r m a k e s m e fe e l c o n fid e n t a b o u t th e fu tu re o f th is o r g a n iz a tio n
I h e re s u m m a riz e th e m o s t im p o rta n t is s u e s .Itis o b v io u s th a t w ith E S O 's m a n y s im u lta n e o u s
ta k in g s , w e a re s tro n g e rinc e rta in a re a s th a nino th e rs . W h ile w e h a v e d o n e q u ite w e llins o m e , w e m u s t try to im p ro v e o u r p e rfo rm a n c eino th e rs .
e v a lu - a te its s c ie n tific a n d te c h n o lo g ic a l p e rfo r- m a n c e . Im m e d ia te ly a fte r I c a m e to E S O , I th e re fo re
C e n te r fo r A s tro - p h y s ic s , U S A ),R .K u d ritz k i (U n iv e rs ita ts - S te rn w a rte
of ESO. W ith o u t g o in g in to its m a n y d e ta ile d o b - s e rv a tio n s
re p o rt a b o u t th e m o re p ro g ra m m a tic s id e , e a rlie r re le a s e d b y th e
s h o u ld p r o v id e fa c ilitie s w h ic h w ill e n a b le E u ro - p e a n a s tro n o m e rstoc a rry o u t o u ts ta n d - in g s c ie n c e th a t c a n b e tte r b e d o n ein
T h e V is itin g C o m m itte e a ls o d is c u s s e s m a n y a s p e c ts o f th e V L T p ro je c t.Itiso f th e o p in io n , a n d I fu lly c o n c u r, th a t a b e t\ue000 te r a n d
in te n d to p u r s u e th is g o a l w ith g r e a t z e a l.Ita ls o s tre s s e s th a t th e n u m b e r o f in s tru m e n ts c u rre n tly b e in g c o n s tru c te disin s u ffic ie n t toe x p lo it th e V L T a d e q u a te ly .
isg e n \ue000 e r a lly im p r e s s e d b y th e q u a lity a n d m a n \ue000 a g e m e n t o f th e o b s e rv a to ry ,itdoes com \ue000 m ento nc e rta in s h o rtc o m in g s a n d m a k e s a n u m b e r o f s u g g e s tio n s fo r c h a n g e s .
C o m m itte e h a s b e e n e x tr e m e ly u s e fu l a n d th is ty p e o f s u rv e y o f E S O
y e a rs . I m o re o v e r in \ue000 te n d to s ta yinc o n ta c t w ith th e m e m b e r s o f th e V is itin g C o m m itte e a n dtoa s k fo r th e ir a d v ic eo nim p o rta n t m a tte rs , fo r in \ue000 s ta n c einc o n n e c tio n w ith
a p p o in tm e n ts o f n e w s ta ffins e n io r p o s itio n s .Itis v e r y o b v io u s
best as\ue000 tro n o m e rs a n d th a t w e m u s t ta k e im m e \ue000 d ia te s te p stow o rk to w a rd s b e tte r in te r\ue000 a c tio n b e tw e e n o u r g e o g r a p h ic a lly s e p a \ue000 ra te lo c a tio n s :inth e fu tu re , E S O
n e g o tia \ue000 tio n s th a t w ill e v e n tu a lly le a dtoa nIn te r\ue000 p re ta tiv e , S u p p le m e n ta r y a n d A m e n d in g A g r e e m e n t b e tw e e n th e tw o .
D e c e m b e r1 ,1 9 9 4 .It to o k a n u m b e r o f d e c is io n s o f im p o r ta n c e fo r th e o r g a n iz a \ue000 tio n a n ditss ta ff.
c o s t). I n o te th a t th is re p re s e n ts a 1 2 p e r c e n t in c r e a s einth e E S O b u d g e t a t a tim e w h e n m o s t re s e a rc h p ro g ra m m e sinth e m e m b e r c o u n trie s
u sto c a rry th is o u tin th e m o s t e ffic ie n tw ay.Itw ill n o t b e e a s y , b u t Ia m
a n d p o s itiv e in v o lv e m e n t o f a ll o f y o u ,itc a n b ed o n eina n e ffic ie n t a n d s e n s ib lew ay.
C o u n c il a ls o a p p ro v e d o u r p ro p o s a l fo r s ta ff s a la r ie s n e x t y e a r,a sw e ll a sth e c u r\ue000 re n t E S O
T h eV LT p ro je c t h a s b e e n p ro g re s s in g w e ll d u rin g th e p a s t y e a r.A sa v e r y v is ib le d e m o n s tr a tio n o f th is , m o s to fyou have p r o b a b ly s e e n
T h e c iv il e n g in e e r in g w o r k a t P a r a n a l isp ro c e e d in g a t v e ry h ig h s p e e d . T h e re a re
A V L T S y s te m G ro u p h e a d e d b yT .A n\ue000 d e rs e nisb e in g c re a te d a n d w e h a v e p ro \ue000 d u c e da ne n d -to -e n d V L T m o d e l.
o f th e fu tu re n e e d s fo r V L T in s tr u m e n ta tio n w h e n th e V ig ro u x C o m m itte e d e liv e rsitsre p o rta t th e e x tra o rd in a ry S T C M e e tin gin F e b ru \ue000 a ry
I e x p e c t th a tinc lo s e c o n fo r m ity w ith th e m a in g o a ls o f E S O , th is o r g a n iz a tio n w ill th e n o n ly b e r e s p o n s ib le fo r s o m e m a jo r in s tr u m e n ts th e re w h ic h c o u ld n o t e a s ily b eru nb y in d iv id u a l c o u n tr ie s .
O p e ra \ue000 tio n s P la n w h ic h e n s u r e s th a t E S O 'sfu \ue000 tu re fa c ilitie sin th a t c o u n tr y c a nb e o p ti\ue000 m a lly e x p lo ite dinth e n e w c e n tu ry . A p ro \ue000 v is io n a l d o c u m e n t w a s
B a a d e a n dJ . C ro c k e r.It w a s p re s e n te d a t th e re c e n t m e e tin g s o f S T C a n d C o u n \ue000 c il, b o th
e x p re s s e d a g re e m e n t toth e g e n e ra l id e a s . T h e p la n s h o w s th a t itw ill
th e v e r y b e g in n in g , th e r e w ill b e n o n e e d to m a k e e x p e n s iv e a d ju s tm e n ts a fte rw a rd s .
th e V LT .T h e p la n th e re fo re fo re s e e s th a t E S O w ill b e c o m e r e s p o n s ib le fo r th e s c i\ue000 e n tific q u a lity o f th e o b s e r v a tio n s , th a tis , b y p u ttin g
a lo t o f e m p h a s iso n c a lib r a \ue000 tio n a n d m o n ito r in g a n d im p r o v e m e n t o f in s tru m e n ta l p e rfo rm a n c e . T h is
o r ig in a lly fo re \ue000 s e e n a n d w ith a s ig n ific a n t a m o u n t o f s e r\ue000 v ic e o b s e r v in ga sth e c e n tra l fe a tu re .
I ta k e g re a t p e rs o n a l in te re s tinth e s e m a tte rs a n d lo o k fo rw a rd to le a rn th e e x \ue000 p e r ie n c e
s e n io r s c ie n tific s ta ff. A t th e s a m e tim e , th e n e w in te r n a l S c ie n tific
T h e r e h a v e b e e n a n u m b e r o f s c ie n tific m e e tin g s d u r in g th e p a s t y e a r, in c lu d in g th e
w ill w o r k h e re w h e n th e y a re n o t a tL aS illa . T h is w ill p r o b a b ly a ls o r e s u ltinb e tte r c o n ta c ts w ith th e ir C h ile a n c o lle a g u e s .
(M IS )iss till to c o m e . T h e s e c h a n g e s m u s t b e a c c o m p a n ie d b y a v e ry c a re fu l s c ru tin y o f th e w a y E S O
s p e n d s its m o n e y . A lth o u g h th e b u d g e t o f o u r o r\ue000 g a n iz a tio n m a y s e e m la rg e , w e a ls o h a v e m any
m ust set s tr ic t p r io r itie s a n d a v o id a ll u n n e c e s s a r y e x p e n s e s .
o b s e rv a to rie sinth e w o rld , if p o s s ib le th e b e s t o n e . T h is c a n b e d o n e , b u titw ill n o t b e
n e x t6 -8 y e a rs , th e V LT w ill e n te r fu ll o p e ra tio no n P a ra n a l. C o n s tru c \ue000 tio n
b o u n d a r y c o n d itio n s o f th e L a S illa o b s e r \ue000 v a to ry w ill n o d o u b t s e e d ra s tic c h a n g e s , fo r tw o m a in re a s o n s :
1 .M a n y o f th e h ig h e s t p rio rity s c ie n tific p ro g ra m m e s w ill m o v etoth e V LT . E x p e \ue000 rie n c e s h o w s th a t n e w ta s k s fo r m e d iu m \ue000 s iz e t e le s c o p e s w ill a ls o a p p e a r .
a ll E S O o p e r \ue000 a tio n s a n d o p tim iz e th e s c ie n tific o u tp u t o f o u r re s o u rc e s .
T h e D ire c to r G e n e ra l h a s a p p o in te d a s m a ll W o r k in g G r o u ptoa d d r e s s th e title s u b je c t o f th is
o r g a n iz e th e w id e s t p o s s ib le c o n s u lta tio n w ith th e E S O
w as h e ldo nO c to b e r 2 7 . T h e W o rk in g G ro u p s e tu p
w o rk , d e fin e d its s tr a te g y fo r c o n s u ltin g th e c o m m u n ity , a n d
C le a rly ,n o c r e d ib le p la n n in g c a n s ta r t b e fo re th e s c ie n tific p la n s a n d p rio ritie s o f th e
known. Hence, th e firs t a c tio n o f th e W o rk in g G ro u pisto is s u e a c a llto th e c o m m u n ity fo r a d v ic e , d ir e c tio n
a c c o m p a n y in g q u e s tio n n a ir e (a ls o d is tr ib u te d d ire c tly b y m a il).
isno a p r io r i lim it o n th e n u m b e r, s iz eo rin s tru \ue000 m e n ta tio no fE S O te le s c o p e sto b e o p e r\ue000 a te d o nL aS illain th e fu tu re ,n o ro n th e o p e r a tio n a l c o s ts .
c u s s io n , th e W o r k in g G r o u p h a s d e fin e d a fe w m a in p r o g r a m m e c a te g o r ie s w ith in w h ic h n e e d s c a n b e a s s e s s e d :
o fp ro g ra m m e , y o u r s c ie n tific n e e d s w ill tr a n s la te in tore \ue000 q u ir e m e n ts fo rL a S illa a n dits in s tr u m e n \ue000 ta tio n . S o m e o f th e s e d e r iv e d q u e s tio n s a re
b e lo w ; p le a s e c o n s id e r th e m , b u t b y n o m e a n s fe e l lim ite d to th e s e to p \ue000 ic s :
p re s e n t in s tru m e n ts ?Ifn o t, w h a t a re th e h ig h e s t\ue000 p r io r ity fu tu re n e e d s , ta k in g in to a c c o u n t fa c ilitie s e ls e w h e r e ?
