A brief history of Observatory Sciences

1998

Observatory Sciences Ltd was founded by a group of astronomers and astrophysicists from the recently disbanded Royal Greenwich Observatory. The new company’s mission aim is to become an independent developer and provider to space, astronomy and other big science clients of specialist services and solutions around hardware and software systems for the control of telescopes and other instruments.

Among the initial contracts for which Observatory Sciences is engaged is continuation of some of the projects on which company members had been engaged while at RGO. This includes work for the Gemini telescopes, and work on the PIMS network for the UK Ministry of Defence.

1999

The company is awarded a contract to carry out software development work for the UK ATC in Edinburgh, working in partnership with the Gemini Multiple Object Spectrograph (GMOS) team there; another for University College London and another by the Isaac Newton Group of telescopes on La Palma, Canary Islands. Observatory Sciences carries out a consultancy assignment, to Telescope Technologies Ltd. These ‘one-off’ specialist consultations are to become a recurring theme for the company.

2000

The PIMS work for the MoD continues — the maintenance and development of the network of sensors, and the processing and analysis of the information acquired by them. Observatory Sciences is awarded further consultancy and software development contracts by the Gemini telescopes and by the UK ATC. So is specialist training; this year the company carries out its first EPICS training course.

2001

The Gemini GMOS software is delivered to the UK ATC, as is an improved control system using up-to-date technologies for one of the Royal Observatory Greenwich’s historic telescopes. These deliveries further re-inforce the reputation which Observatory Sciences is gaining for completing projects on time and within budget.

2002

The company delivers EPICS software training courses at several different locations.

An Observatory Sciences consultant is appointed deputy chairman of the IADC’s Measurements Working Group and attends the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee as a representative of British National Space Centre, which he has done for five years, 

2003

The company delivers EPICS training courses to two synchrotron projects: Diamond Light Source in Oxfordshire, UK and the Australian Synchrotron Project in Melbourne., Australia.

Observatory Sciences is awarded a contract through competitive tender for UK ATC to create the primary mirror (M1) control software for the new VISTA 4 metre infra-red survey telescope. The system is to be implemented using the European Southern Observatory (ESO) VLT Common Software environment.

The company commences work on synchrotron systems control software with a contract working on the Diamond Light Source, with motion control specialist Micromech Systems Ltd.

2004

Observatory Sciences continues with adaptive optics control software work for the Gemini telescopes, winning contracts to develop the BTO Diagnostic Sensor System (BTODSS) for both Gemini North and South as well as the Adaptive Optics Module (AOM) for the Gemini South MCAO system.

Also, working collaboratively with the Rutherford-Appleton Laboratory, Observatory Sciences is awarded a contract by the US National Solar Observatory to design the telescope control system for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope, which will be the world's largest solar telescope.

An Observatory Sciences consultant is appointed chairman of the Measurements Working Group of the Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC).

2005

This year saw Observatory Sciences focussing its work in the areas of software for astronomical and synchrotron applications.

Observatory Sciences continued its involvement with the Gemini Observatory Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics (MCAO) Project and was contracted to deliver the control software for the MCAO Slow Focus Wavefront Sensor (SFO). The SFO is a Shack Hartmann device utilizing an Apogeee Alta U57 camera. The system computes the slowly varying focus corrections from a natural guide star that the laser guide star (LGS) cannot provide due to the varying range of the sodium layer in which the LGS is formed.

Both units of the BTODSS and and the SFO were delivered this year along with the Acceptance test version of the AOM.

Our involvement with synchrotron software, using the EPICS toolkit, increased with a new contract at the Diamond Light Source to supply ongoing software support for the project as it approaches completion.

Work continued on the Telescope Control System for the US Advanced Technology Solar Telescope: a further milestone was passed in April with a successful Preliminary Design Review of the software.

The control software for the VISTA telescope primary mirror was completed and accepted by the VISTA Project Office at the UK Astronomy Technology Centre. OSL staff visited Texas for on-telescope commissioning tests of the system at the factory.

Later in the year, OSL was contracted by the Australian National University at Mount Stromlo, Canberra, to provide on-site consultancy effort to complete and commission the control software for the Gemini South Adaptive Opics Imager (GSAOI).