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Daytime electron precipitation has been observed from onboard Nike Apache sounding rockets launched from Fort Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Energy spectra and pitch‐angle distributions are presented. Rapid time variations are seen at energies greater than 60 kev, and travel time arguments indicate that the precipitation cause acts within a few RE of the earth.

A system of 5020 robotic fiber positioners was installed in 2019 on the Mayall Telescope, at Kitt Peak National Observatory. The robots automatically retarget their optical fibers every 10–20 minutes, each to a precision of several microns, with a reconfiguration time of fewer than 2 minutes. Over the next 5 yr, they will enable the newly constructed Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to measure the spectra of 35 million galaxies and quasars. DESI will produce the largest 3D map of the universe to date and measure the expansion history of the cosmos. In addition to the 5020 robotic positioners and optical fibers, DESI’s Focal Plane System includes six guide cameras, four wave front cameras, 123 fiducial point sources, and a metrology camera mounted at the primary mirror. The system also includes associated structural, thermal, and electrical systems. In all, it contains over 675,000 individual parts. We discuss the design, construction, quality control, and integration of all these components. We include a summary of the key requirements, the review and acceptance process, on-sky validations of requirements, and lessons learned for future multiobject, fiber-fed spectrographs.

Abstract. This is the first report of a substorm observed by the IMAGE FUV instruments permitting global observations of electron and proton produced auroras. On the 28 th of June 2000 at 1956 UT in the pre-substorm phase at early evening local time the proton aurora was equatorward of the electron precipitation and near midnight they were collocated. There was bright electron and proton aurora in the post midday afternoon side. The sudden brightening of the aurora at substorm onset near midnight is seen in the electrons only although there are protons present at this location. During the expansive phase both the electrons and protons expand poleward. The electron aurora forms a bright surge at the poleward boundary while the protons just show diffuse spreading. The peak intensity of the protons did not change substantially during the entire event. The proton aurora is brighter on the dusk while the electron aurora on the dawn side. As the electron surge expands poleward it leaves the protons behind. The electrons form a discrete auroral feature near the aurora-polar cap boundary, which is devoid of substantial energetic (> 1 keV) proton precipitation. The presence of precipitating protons at the point where the initial brightening is seen shows that substorms are initiated on closed field lines.