Strategic Scientific Plan for Gemini Observatory

TL;DR

The Strategic Scientific Plan for Gemini Observatory outlines goals and actions for 2020s, focusing on maintaining facilities, developing new instrumentation, and strategizing visiting instrument capabilities to serve the international scientific community.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive strategic plan with a timeline, milestones, and recommendations for instrument development and partnership strengthening for Gemini Observatory in the 2020s.

Findings

A detailed timeline for key developments and milestones.

Recommendations for retiring current instruments as new ones are introduced.

Emphasis on partnership and resource optimization.

Abstract

We present the Strategic Scientific Plan (SSP) for the direction and activities of the Gemini Observatory in the 2020s. The overarching goal is to ensure that Gemini best uses the available resources to serve the needs of its international user community throughout the coming decade. The actionable items fall into three general categories: (1) preserving Gemini's current facilities and strengths; (2) developing instrumentation and software systems, including data pipelines, to enable new scientific capabilities that build on those strengths; (3) strategizing how visiting instruments can deliver additional valuable capabilities. We provide a high-level timeline (schematically illustrated in one figure) for the main developments discussed in this SSP. The schedule is ambitious, but in light of the recent Gemini in the Era of Multi-Messenger Astronomy (GEMMA) award from the NSF, the plan becomes achievable. Lists of milestones are given for gauging progress. As these milestones are reached and new instruments become available, some current instruments will need to be retired; we make recommendations in this regard. The final section concludes by reemphasizing the importance of a strong partnership committed to the needs of all members.