| Date | Event | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 27 Jun 2001 | First presentation of idea Talk at the MPE-Konzil, Kloster Seon 25 Jul 2001
| First contacts to ESO and MPIA | 8 Jan 2002
| First meeting at MPIA about co-existence
with WFI | Concept of Coude-like mounting and new M3 20 Feb 2002
| First meeting with IR-group at MPE | 25 Mar 2002
| First optical design (U. Laux) | 7 May 2002
| Meeting in Bonn | Check of idea to use BUSCA-double for visual part 8 Jul 2002
| Full proposal to ESO | 29 Aug 2002
| Beginning of mechanical design | 21 Nov 2002
| Proposal to BMBF to seek external
funding (unsuccessful) | 12 Dec 2002
| First money spent (for 2 IR detectors) | March 2003
| ESO/MPIA negotiations to terminate WFI
operation | Offer to use Cassegrain position for GROND: complete re-design 18 Mar 2003
| First internal review of GROND
with ESO and IR-group members
| 25 Mar 2003
| First hardware (filters) arrives at MPE | 24 Jul 2003
| Getting VLT software from ESO | 16 Sep 2003
| Decision on Cassegrain focus withdrawn
by ESO | changing design back to Coude-like position 26 Sep 2003
| Critical Design Review with ESO | 20 Nov 2003
| First tests of mechanical parts in
test cryostat | 16 Jan 2004
| Contract with ESO signed | 25 Apr 2004
| Final decision about GROND vessel placement and M3 design | 24 May 2004
| Draft of Interface Document for La Silla | 13 Jun 2004
| Ordering of lenses and dichroics | 16 Jun 2004
| First VLT-compliant Instrument control software ready | 15 Jul 2004
| Getting IRACE from ESO | 3 Sep 2004
| Ordering of M3 | 9 Sep 2004
| First IR FPA arrived | 19-26 Sep 2004
| First visit to La Silla
and interface discussion | 20 Nov 2004
| Swift launched - GROND unfortunately far from getting ready | 12 Dec 2004
| Dither mirror successfully tested at 65 K | 19 Jan 2005
| First version of ICS control panel software ready | 25 Jan 2005
| M3 mirror mechanically ready and sent off for polishing | 12 Mar 2005
| First polarization tests of lens holdings in the cold | 16 Mar 2005
| New CCD boards and cables ready and delivered for FIERA testing to ESO | 7 Apr 2005
| Internal review meeting with IR/X-ray group instrumentalists | 12 May 2005
| M3 mechanics/electronics ready for delivery to Chile | 20-22 Jun 2005
| First test mounting of M3 at 2.2m telescope | 10-15 Jul 2005
| Move from gamma-lab to integration hall | 22 Jul 2005
| First vacuum in GROND vessel | 21 Aug 2005
| Final approval of instrument effects to telescope by MPIA | 20 Oct 2005
| All optical components coated and ready | 05 Nov 2005
| Last of the three Hawaii IR detectors arrived | 01 Feb 2006
| IRACE complete (final pieced delivered by ESO) | 18 Feb 2006
| NGTCCD Guide Camera commissioned on telescope with temporary mounting | 12 Mar 2006
| M3 commissioned at telescope | 11 May 2006
| Commissioning of the CFK interface structure at the telescope and M3 alignment | 28 Aug 2006
| FIERA complete and operational (damaged board replaced by ESO) | 17 Oct 2006
| First light in lab: real test images through optics on all detectors | 03 Mar 2007
| All hardware leaves Garching: 2000 kg of shipment to La Silla | 30 Apr 2007
| First light at the 2.2m MPI/ESO telescope | 21 May 2007
| First GRB observed (within 7 min) | 29 Jan 2008
| First GRB with
g-band drop-out | 13 Sep 2008
| GRB redshift
record with z=6.7 | 16 Sep 2008
| Photometric redshift of
z=4.3 for Fermi-detected GRB with GeV emission | 23 Apr 2009
| New GRB redshift
record with z=8 | |