The Telescope Management Centre (TMC)

The Telescope Management Centre is set up within the Liverpool JMU Astrophysics Research Institute to provide management for operations of the Faulkes and Liverpool telescopes. It is part-funded by each of the PPARC Liverpool Telescope operations grant, a contract from Faulkes Telescope LLC, plus departmental funds, to provide an integrated approach to management of the three telescopes. The TMC provides: <>

• Monitoring and quality control of data.
• Monitoring of equipment status.
• Integration of queues from different sources.
• Management of real time and off-line observing slots.
• Scheduling of and participation in scheduled maintenance.
• Initiation of call-outs for on-site maintenance staff.
• Monitoring of on-site service agreements.
• On-call support to real time users. 
• Advice to scientific and educational users of the telescopes.
• Commissioning support.
• Collation of documentation.
• Maintenance of databases and archives.
• Maintenance of communications and networking.
• Maintenance of Robotic and Instrument software.
  
• Maintenance of common spares holding.

The TMC comprises 8 staff with a range of expertise in observational astronomy, software engineering, and mechanical and hydraulic maintenance. It houses a control centre where control sessions at a range of levels can be run on the three telescopes.

The Robonet Project Scientist liases with the TMC Head of Science Operations to provide Robonet's input to the operation of the three telescopes.