← Back to rubinobservatory.org

LSST Comments from NSF Director at IAU XXIX

Monday, August 10, 2015

NSF Director Dr. France A. Córdova mentions LSST in her remarks to the IAU29th General Assembly, August 3, 2015:

"The top recommendation of the 2010 National Academy of Sciences decadal survey of astronomy was the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope--LSST--which is now under construction on Cerro Pachón in Chile. Just a few months ago, I participated in the exciting "first stone ceremony" to launch LSST construction, with the President of Chile, as shown in the bottom right photo. LSST will be a wide-field "survey" telescope that photographs the entire available sky every few nights. Advanced computers will gather and analyze the millions of gigabytes of data LSST will generate each year. The photo at the top right comes from a pilot project called the Deep Lens Survey, which uses imaging from NSF's four-meter telescopes to suggest what half a degree of sky will look like when LSST is in operation, projected to begin in 2022. An innovative Citizen Science program will involve people of all ages in LSST discoveries, making discovery opportunities available to K-12 students as easily as to the professional astronomer. This is just one example of NSF's commitment to engaging the public in the thrill of discovery and increasing public understanding of scientific research."

Image Credit: 
National Science Foundation

Financial support for Rubin Observatory comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Cooperative Agreement No. 1258333, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515, and private funding raised by the LSST Corporation. The NSF-funded Rubin Observatory Project Office for construction was established as an operating center under management of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA).  The DOE-funded effort to build the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera (LSSTCam) is managed by the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to promote the progress of science. NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
NSF and DOE will continue to support Rubin Observatory in its Operations phase. They will also provide support for scientific research with LSST data.   




Contact   |   We are Hiring

Admin Login

Back to Top