The Automated Telescope Facility Upgrade Project

这个项目继续发展在爱荷华大学非常成功的自动望远镜设施（ATF）。ATF计划是在本科生实验室中进行观测天文学教学的一种创新方法。它允许学生使用基于Web和windows的用户友好界面访问现代天文仪器，用于计划准备、图像显示和分析。ATF主要用于教授本科生如何进行观测天文学的科学研究。每年有700多名学生使用这个设施。ATF允许大量学生安排天文目标的观测，如行星、恒星和星系。学生们计划观察的所有细节，提交观察请求，并在拍摄后不久分析结果图像。该项目从四个方面显著提高了ATF的能力。o它将现有的CCD相机替换为具有更好的热稳定性和光谱灵敏度的新型号。o它增加了一个摄谱仪，这将允许首次测量恒星光谱。它增加了一个更快的望远镜控制计算机，允许更快的磁盘和更好的跟踪。此外，它还增加了三个额外的工作站，供高年级本科生在高级实验课程中使用。o增加了一个可写的唯读光碟，用以存档由ATF产生的影像资料库。

This project continues to develop the highly successful Automated Telescope Facility (ATF) at the University of Iowa. The ATF program is an innovative new approach to the teaching of observational astronomy in undergraduate laboratories. It allows students access to modern astronomical instrumentation using Web and Windows-based user-friendly interfaces for schedule preparation, image display, and analysis. The ATF is primarily used to teach undergraduate students how to conduct scientific research in observational astronomy. More than 700 students utilize this facility every year. The ATF allows a large number of students to schedule observations of astronomical targets such as planets, stars, and galaxies. The students plan all details of the observations, submit observing requests, and analyze the resulting images shortly after they are taken. The project significantly enhances the capabilities of the ATF in four ways. o It replaces the existing CCD Camera with a newer model with much better thermal stability and spectral sensitivity. o It adds a spectrograph, which will allow measurements of stellar spectra for the first time. o It adds a faster telescope control computer, allowing faster disks and better tracking. In addition, it adds three additional workstations for use by upper-level undergraduates in advanced laboratory course. o It adds a writeable CD-ROM for archiving the image database generated by the ATF.