The Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS), on the Hawaiian island of Maui, is a major site of U.S. space surveillance activity. This report synthesizes best practices implemented at research institutions that have attributes in common with AMOS in order to provide suggestions for how the Air Force might further streamline its operations and lower its total operating costs.

Good Seeing

Best Practices for Sustainable Operations at the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site

Lisa Rand, Dave Baiocchi

ResearchPublished Apr 22, 2016

The Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS), located at the summit of Haleakala on the Hawaiian island of Maui, is a major site of U.S. space surveillance activity. Operated by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), AMOS is the only Department of Defense site capable of providing visible and infrared spectrum images of space objects passing over the Pacific Ocean — a crucial capability for U.S. space situational awareness. AMOS's mission includes both space observing operations and research and development. The three optical telescopes operated at the facility each have distinctive capabilities that contribute to the overall functionality of the site. This report delineates a framework that RAND developed to identify facilities that have attributes in common with AMOS and presents the results of a comprehensive survey of people working at those facilities. It then identifies best practices implemented at those institutions in order to provide suggestions for how AFRL might further streamline its operations and minimize costs, given the Air Force's desire to lower its total operating costs at AMOS.

Key Findings

  • Wide-field and narrow-field mounts are run differently. These differences can affect staffing, time management for operations, engineering, maintenance, and the ways in which the collected data can be used.
  • Some facilities have lowered their overhead by expanding remote observation.
  • Greater investment in messaging and outreach can lead to wider internal and external support — both financial and cultural.
  • Maintaining a flexible configuration can raise the value proposition of an observatory but requires robust scheduling capability and a change of mindset.
  • Data storage and sharing can greatly extend the value and impact of data collected during scheduled observations.

Recommendations

  • The 1.2-meter will need to be run differently from the 1.6-meter and 3.6-meter telescopes. AMOS should operate the 1.2-meter with its unique wide-field survey attributes in mind.
  • The rich data gathered at AMOS should be saved for later use by other researchers.
  • AFRL should evaluate which ingredients will be necessary to conduct remote observing and consider that full remoting will not necessarily mean a drop in labor — it will likely require new types of labor.
  • AFRL should consider developing a system to archive all data collected at AMOS, not just data useful to the principal investigator (PI).
  • Allowing visiting PIs to bring their own instruments means extra downtime to configure new instruments and recalibrate equipment to base configuration, but equipment left behind by PIs can provide added value by broadening the potential customer base.
  • AMOS should consider maintaining a strong messaging initiative.
  • Greater impact may be achieved by broadening data accessibility.

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Document Details

Citation

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Rand, Lisa and Dave Baiocchi, Good Seeing: Best Practices for Sustainable Operations at the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2016. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1097.html.
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This research was sponsored by Dr. David Hardy, Director, AFRL Directed Energy Directorate and conducted within the Force Modernization and Employment Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE.

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