[meteorite-list] Earthquake Update from W. M. Keck Observatory

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Oct 17 14:05:36 2006
Message-ID: <200610171805.LAA17436_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.keckobservatory.org/article.php?id=95

Earthquake Update from W. M. Keck Observatory

Kamuela (October 16th, 2006) The W. M. Keck Observatory is recovering
from a 6.6-magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks that struck
off the west coast of Hawaii Sunday morning at 7:07 a.m. HST. The
earthquake was the largest to hit Hawaii in 20 years and caused power
and communication failures across the state. There were no injuries at
W. M. Keck Observatory and all personnel are safe.

The Observatory has cancelled observing through Wednesday night and
Observatory personnel are in the process of bringing the facility into a
safe state. The telescopes and instruments will be returned to full
functionality as soon as possible.

As of Monday afternoon, summit technicians report that the primary
mirrors of both Keck telescopes are intact and do not appear damaged.
However, some guiding and pointing systems have been impaired and must
be returned to normal before Observing can resume. As of Monday,
officials estimated it would take a few days to return Keck I to
operational status. It will take at least this long to restore Keck II
functionality. There is no damage to observatory computers or servers
and all data has been backed up and is safe. Power has been restored to
all headquarter and summit facilities.

"We have a great team for circumstances like this, and everything that
we are doing is about getting the telescopes working on-sky as soon as
we can in a safe manner," said W. M. Keck Observatory Director Taft
Armandroff. "There has been an amazing amount of dedication and
resourcefulness by staff at the summit last night and today, and I am
very impressed."

The headquarter facilities will be open on Tuesday.

Scheduled observing teams are encouraged to contact Observing Director
Bob Goodrich at (808) 881-3869 with questions about specific instruments
or travel to Hawaii.

This Web site will remain a source of information and updates. For
more information, please call the Observatory's Public Information
Office at (808) 881-3827 or send an e-mail to: newsletter_at_keck.hawaii.edu.

Media Contact:
Laura K. Kinoshita
W.M. Keck Observatory
65-1120 Mamalahoa Hwy.
Kamuela, HI 96743
(808) 885-7887
newsletter_at_keck.hawaii.edu
Received on Tue 17 Oct 2006 02:05:34 PM PDT