India-TMT Mirror Polishing team at India-TMT Optics Fabrication Facility Group photo of the polishing team in the entrance of the new ITOFF facility located in Bengaluru, India and dedicated to TMT mirror production, in February 2024.
India TMT Coordination Centre Optics team at ITOFF in February 2024. TIO and India TMT staff in front of TIO’s custom-built polishing equipment at the ITOFF facility.
ʻAle Lau Loa students' welcome party hosted by Kumejima Town in Okinawa, Japan, on 12 October 2023.
Students from the ʻAle Lau Loa Global Youth Ambassador Program visited Omiya Junior High School in Okinawa, Japan, on 8 October 2023.
The ʻAle Lau Loa navigation workshop was led by Hawaiʻi County Recreation Specialist Kalani Kahalioumi and wayfinding experts on 30 September 2023.
ʻAle Lau Loa students learned hula, oli, and Polynesian star compass during a pre-travel workshop guided by Kumu Keala Ching on 16 September 2023.
TMT’s MODHIS team and reviewers during the MODHIS Midterm Conceptual Design Review, Pasadena 30 January 2024.
TIO participated in the 243th American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting, a major international organization of professional astronomers organized recently in Louisiana. Collaborating with its United States Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) partners, including the Giant Magellan Telescope and NSF’s NOIRLab, TIO shared a spacious booth and showcased its collaborative operations within the US-ELTP. During the conference, the partnership shared updates on the work being done and hosted a successful US-ELTP Open House.
On 11 December 2023, Professor Dimitri Mawet, from CALTECH, presents MODHIS, the high-resolution infrared spectrograph currently in development as one of the first light instruments for TMT. As the Principal Investigator of MODHIS, Mawet provides a comprehensive overview of its current design, highlighting the main science goals expected to be achieved by the instrument.
Attendees from the ELT Science in Light of JWST conference visited the TIO Lab in Monrovia on 13 December 2023. TIO engineers conducted a tour of the laboratory, providing detailed information about the development of TMT’s primary mirror control, and the technical challenges associated with maintaining each of the 492 mirror segments in optimal position and shape. This visit allowed conference participants to gain a deeper understanding of the technical aspects of the TMT project, while also fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration between the ELT projects and their respective scientific communities.
Nearly 30 engineers and scientists attended the review in person at the Pasadena project office or remotely. The international review panel included experts from ESO, Durham University, NRC, and TIO.
TMT Secondary Mirror Support System and Positioner (M2SSP) Kickoff Meeting at AMOS, on 24 and 25 October 2023 held on site at M2SSP supplier AMOS offices in Belgium. The meeting participants, including representatives from TIO Optics, Systems Engineering, Structure, and Controls groups, conducted a thorough review of the M2SSP requirements with AMOS.
