| Date: | 2011-03-30 14:34:00 | |
| Sender: | Graham Appleby <Appleby, Graham M. <gapp@nerc.ac.uk>> | |
| Subject: | [SLR-Mail] No. 1979: SGF Herstmonceux | |
| Author: | Graham Appleby | |
| Content: | ******************************************************************************** SLR Electronic Mail 2011-03-30 14:34:00 UTC Message No. 1979 ******************************************************************************** Author: Graham Appleby Subject: SGF Herstmonceux Dear Colleagues, I am sure you will want to join us in wishing SGF Operations Manager Philip= Gibbs all the best for the future as he opts for early retirement at the b= eginning of April after a long spell of dedicated work at the SGF, Herstmon= ceux. Philip joined the-then SLR section of the Royal Greenwich Observatory= =92s Time Department in 1989, having worked in other RGO departments includ= ing the Carlsberg Automatic Meridian Circle project on LaPalma. Philip=92s mathematical, astronomical and software-engineering skills were = of immediate and ongoing value to the SGF, as he re-designed the real-time = operating systems that would enable rapid switching between passes. At that= time, the primary SLR targets LAGEOS and Starlette were being joined by th= e Etalons and the launch of ERS-1 was eagerly awaited. It was a time of rap= id change for the whole SLR network, as it got into the business of support= ing orbit determination for Earth-observing missions and came to terms with= the need for rapid delivery of quality-checked laser range measurements. P= hilip was instrumental in automating many of theprocesses that ensured that= SGF could take part in and maintain a major role in this enterprise. It is no overstatement to say that the upgrade to kHz ranging at Herstmonce= ux could not have been achieved anything like as rapidly, if at all, were i= t not for Philip=92s quick assessment and solution of a multitude of softwa= re problems such as how to handle in real-time several-hundred laser pulses= in flight simultaneously. His software design gives the lone SGF observer = on the telescope platform the ability to switch rapidly between the two las= ers, the 14Hz YAG and the 2kHz VAN, and his more recent work enables us to = play a continuing role in supporting one-way ranging to NASA=92s Lunar Reco= nnaissance Orbiter. Among his work in many other projects, he also invented= a neat way to improve greatly our ranging support for both satellites of t= he formation-flying TanDEM-X and TerraSAR-X surface-mapping satellites. Philip=92s rapid problem-solving, extremely productive SLR-observing and ov= erall =91bright ideas=92 are going to be greatly missed by the SGF team, as= will lunchtime discussions including, among other things, the states of th= e national cricket and football teams, and cats and dogs. We all wish him = a long and cold-nights-in-the-dome-free retirement. Graham Appleby, SGF Herstmonceux = --=20=0D=0AThis message (and any attachments) is for the recipient only= NERC=0D=0Ais subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the c= ontents=0D=0Aof this email and any reply you make may be disclosed by N= ERC unless=0D=0Ait is exempt from release under the Act. Any material s= upplied to=0D=0ANERC may be stored in an electronic records management = system.= --_000_C9B8A1AB71DCgappnercacuk_ Content-Type: text/html; charset=”Windows-1252” Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 252”> -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14p= x; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ”> Author: Graham Appleby href=3D”file://localhost/Users/grahamappleby/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/= =msoclip/0/clip_filelist.xml”>st/Users/grahamappleby/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_themeda= ta.xml”> -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px= ; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ”> MsoNormal”>Dear Colleagues, ass=3D”MsoNormal”> =3D”MsoNormal”>I am sure you will want to join us in Phi= ng=3D”EN-US”>It is no overstatement to say that the t-font-family: "MS Mincho";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-= ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA”>Philip=92s rapid problem-solving, extremely productive SLR-observing and overall =91bright i= deas=92 are going to be greatly missed by the SGF team, as will lunchtime discussio= ns including, among other things, the states of the national cricket and fo= otball teams, and cats and dogs. cold-nights-in-the-dome-free retirement. "MS Mincho";mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-= ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA”> <= font class=3D”Apple-style-span” face=3D”Cambria” size=3D”4”>Apple-style-span” style=3D”font-size: 16px;”>Graham Appleby, SGF Herstmonce= ux ” size=3D”4”> ” size=3D”4”> --=20=0D=0A This message (and any attachments) is for the re= cipient only. NERC=0D=0A is subject to the Freedom of Information = Act 2000 and the contents=0D=0A of this email and any reply you ma= ke may be disclosed by NERC unless=0D=0A it is exempt from release= under the Act. Any material supplied to=0D=0A NERC may be stored = in an electronic records management system.= --_000_C9B8A1AB71DCgappnercacuk_-- From: ”Appleby, Graham M.” ******************************************************************************** |