Hi, Folks.
Here’s a more detailed title & abstract. Looking forward to seeing you there:
Speaker: Leo Singer (GSFC)
Title: Scheduling the Unexpected: Toward a Multi-Messenger, Multi-Mission Observing Toolkit for Ground and Space Telescopes
Follow-up of gravitational-wave sources is high reward but also high cost because telescopes must rapidly tile over large swaths of the sky to fully cover the LIGO/Virgo localization region before sunrise. Since observing time is very limited, it pays to plan observations as carefully as possible. I will show how to use the powerful mathematical language of mixed integer programming to model and solve astronomical scheduling problems on the ground (for Zwicky Transient Facility) and in space (for Dorado). Unlike other approaches, this framework makes it possible in many cases to find the global optimum. Moreover, it allows us to move beyond hand-crafting an observing strategy, and instead focus on describing the science requirements. I will present a vision for a multi-messenger, multi-mission observation planning toolkit taking the form of an Astropy affiliated Python package. Such a toolkit would bring a common language and process to observers, facilitating exchange and coordination of schedules and plans across ground and space facilities, and plug into existing community infrastructure including SciMMA and Treasure Map.