COMET

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Emilios Harlaftis, National Observatory of
Athens OPTICAL AND IR Coordination Network An EU
Infrastructure Cooperation Network (FP5) with the
aim to bring together European users and
operators of astronomical infrastructures in
order to identify common approaches and improve
access to the benefit of European
astronomy. OPTICON Board The contract partners
are Research Institutes (IoA, MPfA
Heildeberg,MPfA Garching,IAP, IAC,Leiden, NOVA,
CDS), national agencies (PPARC, CNRS, CNAA) and
multi-national organizations (ESO, ESA, NOTSA).
See http//www.astro-opticon.org for the full
list. EAS has an observers status.Greece,
Belgium, Germany have been invited to join the
Management Board (Paris, September 2002)
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• OPTICAL AND IR Coordination Network
• Seven working groups
• Extremely-large telescopes (100m OWL, Euro-50)
• AVO (EU funded, FP5)
• 3D-spectroscopy (EU contract, 1/7/2002)
• Wide-field imaging (EU contract, 1/12/2001)
• Interoperability
• Technology development
• Middle-size telescopes (COMET proposal, 2002)

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COMET

• Co-operative Operation of
• Many European Telescopes
• Many small European countries, and many of the
  associated states, do not have access to state of
  the art astronomical facilities.
• At the same time several EU countries own or
  share fine astronomical facilities, but are
  having trouble affording them.
• Under FP5 an EU programme to provide access to
  telescopes in the Canaries was funded (ENO)

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Objectives

• Lasting integration of EU Astronomers.
• Create opportunities for mobility.
• Remove duplicated or obsolescent facilities to
  release funding for new initiatives.
• Rationalise use of existing facilities
• Use astronomy as an educational tool

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The next step a pan-European network.

• Create a pool of European observing time
• Establish an international management board and a
  time allocation committee
• Provide resources for operation of the telescopes
  and support of observing runs.

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The community

• Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
  
• Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of
  Sciences
• Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
  
• CNAA/INAF (Italy)
  
• CNRS (France)
• ESO (International)
• Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  
• IAC (Spain)
• Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astronomy
  (Lithuania)
• MPIA (Germany)
• National Observatory of Athens -GSRT (Greece)
• NOTSA (International)
• NWO (Netherlands)
• PPARC (UK)
• Tartu Observatory (Estonia)
• Torun (Poland)

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The Telescope Network
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The 2.3m ARISTARCHOS telescope (alt-azimuth f/8)
at the Carl Zeiss factory, Jena
The telescope building with its supporting
buildings was completed in October 2002. The
services building (generators, water and petrol
tanks) is next to the telecommunication tower
(Observatory microwave link to Athens). The stone
building towards the telescope building includes
the control room, a workshop and lodging
facilities for four people. The ancient Styx
spring is just beneath the Neraidorahi peak of
the Chelmos mountain
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The 2.3m ARISTARCHOS telescope will be supported
from a new ground-based station at the 2.3 km
Neraidorahi peak of Chelmos mountain,
Peloponese, South Greece (see arrow on map). The
closest village, 25 km away, is Kalavryta
(prefecture of Achaia). Other mountains peaks
higher than 2 km are also marked. Athens is just
off the map (right-centre).
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FP6 Schemes Available (p5)

• Transnational access (stand alone activity)
• Integrating Activities (including transnational
  access)
• Communication Network Development
• Design studies (for new Euroscale
  Infrastructures)
• Construction of new Infrastructures
  (Europeanisation of funded projects)

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What is an I3? (p8)
The objectives of an I3 are to support the
provision of infrastructure related services at
a European level. They are intended to have a
structuring effect by promoting the coherent use
and and development of related infrastructures
(p44). They are expected to mobilise a large
number of stakeholders. They have three
elements.

• Networking (mandatory)
• Trans-national access
• Joint Research Projects (R D)

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The OPTICON I3

• Networking via working groups similar to the
  present OPTICON network.

Catalyse pooling of resources Share common
protocols and good practice. Establish common
databases
Should concern essential technologies to upgrade
existing infrastructures or move to the next
generation of peripheral equipment. How the
research adds European Value Indicate which I3
members have an interest in these new
technologies.

• Joint Research Projects defined by the Key
  Technology WG

• Transnational access

Infrastructures must be world class and provide
rare or unique capabilities. Relate to each other
in a coherent way. Provide high standards of
scientific, technical support. Demonstrate that
there is widespread interest in their use. Show
how they will attract new users Demonstrate full
and open peer review Quantify the amount of
access and its impact