Remote Observing with the Keck Telescope: ATM Networks and Satellite Systems

As a technical demonstration project for the NASA Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), we have implemented remote observing on the 10-meter Keck II telescope on Mauna Kea from the Caltech campus in Pasadena. The data connection consists of ATM networks in Hawaii and California, running at OC-1 speeds (45 Mbit/sec), and high data rate (HDR) satellite antennae at JPL in Pasadena and Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. The ACTS network is being used to enable true remote observing, as well as remote eavesdropping. The software environment is identical to that used for on-site observing at the Keck telescope, with the added benefit of the software, personnel, and other facilities provided by observing in a local environment. In this paper, we describe our high-speed remote observing network, assess the network's level of performance, and summarize the benefits and difficulties encountered in this project