INSTRUCTIONS TO VISITING ASTRONOMERS

When approval has been given and time allocated, the Principal Investigator (P.I.) of the observing team will be notified by his or her National Gemini Office. When notified, the PI or observer should download the Visitor Support Preparation Form, the Medical Disclaimer, Safety Warning, the Liability Notice, and the Emergency Contact Form, fill them out, and return the completed forms to Lucia Medina (see contact details below) at least 4 weeks prior to your observation run. Also, the PI or observer should read this information section for important information about the observing run.

Visiting astronomers are responsible for all of their own air travel arrangements (visas, airline tickets, insurance, funds, etc.). Gemini will make hotel and car rental reservations (see important Note) to be driven in and around the city in La Serena (or Santiago, if needed). Visitors must ensure that the various preparation forms are returned before the specified deadlines. Visitors wanting to spend some vacation time in La Serena are urged to make those arrangements through their own travel agency. Visitors are responsible for payment of rental car and hotel room charges. Cerro Pachón lodging/meal charges will be collected upon departure or billed to the proper party.

By accepting observing time, the Principal Investigator agrees to be responsible for all charges incurred. Aura Observatory Support Services (AOSS) will provide an invoice in chilean pesos for the services the visitors consume while staying at Aura in Chile within five days of they leaving La Serena . You're encouraged to keep track of your meal consumptions on the invoice form you will receive upon arrival so that Lucía can have an accurate record of your daily meals on the summit and tackle them with the charges made by Aura-O. Chargable items include:

La Serena Aura motel Clp$20,434 

Cerro Pachón Lodging Clp$28,220

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and night lunch on CP at Clp$9,500

Lucía can also help you out with hotel reservations in Santiago and La Serena at various rates at: 

Payments must be made in pesos only by cash, credit card, or US dollars converted into pesos at the exchange rate of the day applied by AOSS. Gemini will not schedule observing time for any PI who has overdue charges from a previous run.

A useful reference for the US$ - Chilean peso exchange rate is given  at: http://si2.bcentral.cl/basededatoseconomicos/460cuadro_002.ASP?s0246Codigo=TC%2DOBS%2DDIA
Note that this may note be the exact rate charged by AOSS on any dollar conversions they make, which is defined by the commercial quotes they receive.

Visitors are not required to produce a high-altitude medical certificate but are required to sign a Medical Disclaimer. Please also see the Emergency Procedures for Cerro Pachon and information on Emergency Procedures for SBF.

You are strongly encouraged to arrive in La Serena in time to spend at least half a day in the office meeting with your allocated Gemini Contact Scientist. Upon your arrival, please see Lucia Medina for operations orientation. If requested, office keys will be issued, and office space in our visitor's office building 2nd foor office 219

Gemini does not provide a vehicle for observers, but will provide schedule transportation between La Serena and the summit of Cerro Pachon or it may be possible to ride up with Gemini staff pending the vehicle schedule. Visiting observers are not permitted to drive Gemini vehicles, or rental vehicles on the mountain, and must travel with Observatory staff.

It is accepted that the specific demands of instrument commissioning teams - including schedules that may not coincide with those of our staff nor of shared transport to and from the mountain - may produce a need to have independent access to a vehicle for mountain use.  In such cases, the leader of the visiting group should include a request for this to be arranged well in advance of the visit; at the time they submit the Visitor Support Preparation Form.

The provision of an independent vehicle for a visitor's stay on Cerro Pachon will be subject to the approval of the Head of Science Operations, Gemini South. If approved, unless notified otherwise, 4x4 vehicles with airbags will be hired for the team's use at a cost of Clp$44,666 per day [Apr 2008]. Road orientation/mountain driver training [of half a day to 1 day, depending on previous experience] will also be provided for those drivers of the group who may drive on the mountain. This training will need to be planned as the group's first activity on the mountain after arrival; part of the orientation/training will take place on the drive up the mountain. As an introduction to the driving conditions and requirements on Cerro Pachon, visitors should study the Cerro Pachon Safe Driving Video * shortly before their arrival in La Serena."

After your observing run is over, it is requested that an Observing Run Report be completed prior to your departure. Papers containing data from the Gemini telescopes should include relevant acknowledgements. 

Lucia Medina (lmedina@gemini.edu)
Phone: +56 (51) 205 601
FAX: +56 (51) 205 684
Rev 04/16/08