From: "Pete Newman"
Subject: RE: 2.5m obslog 20031019 (MJD 52932)
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 14:00:35 -0600
> >That one of the
> >tourists who walked unannounced into the 2.5m enclosure declared
> himself to be
> >the director of Big Bear Observatory only added insult to injury
> (metaphorical
> >injury - nobody was physically hurt).  We delayed operations by about 20
> >minutes as a result....
>
> I don't understand any of this.  The man you refer to IS indeed the site
> director at Big Bear, exactly as he explained to you (or Mike - I wasn't
> there at the first confrontation). He walked out onto the platform
> because Bruce and I invited him to come see the telescope at twilight
Perhaps if someone had told either Mike or myself that these folk were
expected, the whole unpleasantness could have been avoided.
I (and I think I can speak for Mike) took our first duty to be safety, and
out of all the tourist "events" we have had, that was the first for me where
anyone (astronomer or not) has walked unescorted and unannounced into the
enclosure when then telescope was powered up, and again onto the platform
while the telescope was slewing.  I took the decision to ensure everyone was
off site before leaving the telescope slewing unattended, at which point I
was still unaware that any of these people were expected.
I would hope the staff at Big Bear would behave similarly if I was stupid
(and rude) enough to walk unannounced into an enclosure there.  The repeated
use of flash cameras while we were taking calibation exposures occurred
before I was told that those people were a separate group.
--Pete