Due to unexpected clear weather in February, the stack of CDs is now 436 high. This up from 371 last month. February added 65 for those of you that cannot subtract. It would appear that the first data without messy problems starts about the first of this year. Sigh! So it will be until the end of this year that I declare the engineering run to be over.
Dan is busy getting a run of 12 cameras ready for me to install CCDs. I don't have enough shells and filters installed for all 12, but these should arrive soon from Cary Chleborad. Everything is wired and most of the tubing and disconnects are installed. We need a shipment of more disconnects. Then it will be down in the basement to try to make shutters that do not stick. I hope to soon have enough cameras to exchange with those that have cameras with problems.
I have ordered Declination motors with a lower gear ratio. I was given 8 week delivery.
My Unix course has paid off. I have just (yesterday) successfully run Michael's pipeline with the test data. It did not run the first time. But I had learned enough to recognize where he was putting the error messages and that I had not set file permissions correctly. I am slowly working my way through Michael's documentation to see what he is doing.
My thanks to Michael for a great documentation effort. If I can figure out what he is doing, then anyone can.
We have received paperwork back that makes "The Amateur Sky Survey" an official US Government charitable organization. Good for 4 years. But I made at least one error in what I requested, so it remains to be seen if it will do what I want. ***Do Not Send Money*** I would not know what to do with it and I still want the option of backing out. It may be more trouble than it is worth.