Astronomical Instrumentation Systems Quality Management Planning: AISQMP (Abstract)

Volume 45 number 2 (2017)

Jesse Goldbaum

Tierra Astronomical Institute, 23717 Miranda Street, Woodland Hills, CA 91367; jesse@tierra-astro.org

Abstract

(Abstract only) The capability of small aperture astronomical instrumentation systems (AIS) to make meaningful scientific contributions has never been better. The purpose of AIS quality management planning (AISQMP) is to ensure the quality of these contributions such that they are both valid and reliable. The first step involved with AISQMP is to specify objective quality measures not just for the AIS final product, but also for the instrumentation used in its production. The next step is to set up a process to track these measures and control for any unwanted variation. The final step is continual effort applied to reducing variation and obtaining measured values near optimal theoretical performance. This paper provides an overview of AISQMP while focusing on objective quality measures applied to astronomical imaging systems.