Strategies for personnel sustainable lifecycle at astronomical observatories and local industry development

Eduardo A. Bendek; Michael Leatherbee; Heather Smith; Valentina Strappa; Hans Zinnecker; Mario Perez

doi:10.1117/12.2057110

6 August 2014 Strategies for personnel sustainable lifecycle at astronomical observatories and local industry development

Eduardo A. Bendek, Michael Leatherbee, Heather Smith, Valentina Strappa, Hans Zinnecker, Mario Perez

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 9149, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems V; 91491L (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057110
Event: SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation, 2014, Montréal, Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Specialized manpower required to efficiently operate world-class observatories requires large investments in time and resources to train personnel in very specific areas of engineering. Isolation and distances to mayor cities pose a challenge to retain motivated and qualified personnel on the mountain. This paper presents strategies that we believe may be effective for retaining this specific know-how in the astronomy field; while at the same time develop a local support industry for observatory operations and astronomical instrumentation development. For this study we choose Chile as a research setting because it will host more than 60% of the world’s ground based astronomical infrastructure by the end of the decade, and because the country has an underdeveloped industry for astronomy services. We identify the astronomical infrastructure that exists in the country as well as the major research groups and industrial players. We further identify the needs of observatories that could be outsourced to the local economy. As a result, we suggest spin-off opportunities that can be started by former observatory employees and therefore retaining the knowhow of experienced people that decide to leave on-site jobs. We also identify tools to facilitate this process such as the creation of a centralized repository of local capabilities and observatory needs, as well as exchange programs within astronomical instrumentation groups. We believe that these strategies will contribute to a positive work environment at the observatories, reduce the operation and development costs, and develop a new industry for the host country.

Citation Download Citation

Eduardo A. Bendek, Michael Leatherbee, Heather Smith, Valentina Strappa, Hans Zinnecker, and Mario Perez "Strategies for personnel sustainable lifecycle at astronomical observatories and local industry development", Proc. SPIE 9149, Observatory Operations: Strategies, Processes, and Systems V, 91491L (6 August 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2057110

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
13 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Observatories

Astronomy

Astronomical instrumentation

Mining

Satellites

Aerospace engineering

Telescopes

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years