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R.J. Maddalena, D.S. Balser, F.D. Ghigo, P.R. Jewell, G. Langston, M.M. McKinnon (NRAO)
First light with the NRAO Green Bank Telescope was achieved on August 22 with observations at a frequency of 403 MHz of the extragalactic radio source 1140+223 and the pulsar PSR B1133+16. Outfitting of the telescope should be completed by the end of 2000 and commissioning is anticipated to start mid November 2000. The telescope should be capable of 50 GHz observations within one year and 100 GHz within two years.
Limited scientific observing should start in the first quarter of 2001 -- the NRAO has issued a special call for proposals for experienced observers who are willing to perform observations in a commissioning environment. The NRAO will have additional calls for proposals from a wider audience as significant classes of new capabilities are commissioned.
The GBT, due to its unprecedented design and start-of-the art receivers and backends, has unique scientific capabilities. The most distinguishing features include an offset geometry that provides a 100-m clear aperture, a closed-loop metrology system for maintaining surface accuracy and pointing, a mechanism for easily selecting receivers, a suite of receivers that cover from 100 MHz to eventually 115 GHz, and a new 256k-channel spectrometer. This paper describes the current status of commissioning the GBT, the unique features of the telescope, and the scientific areas in which the GBT will have a large impact.
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