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AST Senior Review

The AST Senior Review is intended to find NSF resources for design and development of LSST, GSMT, and NVO, three vital facilities for the future. NOAO has made a submission to the review, “Focus on the Future”, which is reproduced here for community comment srinput@noao.edu.

• NSF Senior Review report at the NSF [2.01 MB pdf] ^NEW!
• NOAO in the NSF Astronomy Senior Review ^NEW!
  • Signals mixed on Kitt Peak facilities [Arizona Daily Star article]
  • Spaceref.com coverage

More Information

• NSF Senior Review Web page
• NSF Letter to AURA [pdf]
• “Dear Colleague” Letter from NOAO Director Jeremy Mould [78 KB pdf]
• “Focus on the Future: Tranforming the U.S. Ground-based O/IR System” (NOAO Submission to the Senior Review) [September 12, 2005 - 2.74 MB pdf]
• Second “Dear Colleague” Letter [73 KB pdf]
• Additional Metrics Requested by NSF
  • Part 1 [Pages 1-15, 1.69 MB pdf]
  • Part 2 [Pages 16-44, 1.78 MB pdf]
• The OIR Long Range Planning Committee’s final report is available. Download the 994 KB PDF file here: Strategies for Evolution of U.S. Optical/Infrared Facilities

I very much appreciate the contributions of those who have already sent their input. These communications are included in appendices to the document that are not reproduced here. I also want to thank NOAO staff contributors to this submission to the Senior Review, including Joan Najita, Mark Dickinson, Tom Matheson, and Verne Smith.

Jeremy Mould

NOAO has almost reached the goal of investing 25% of program plan funds in decadal survey projects, even without including TSIP. The Senior Review’s announced purpose is to direct $30M out of $120M in AST facilities funding to these projects. 2001-2004 are actuals; 2005-2009 are planned, hence the ghosted histograms.

NOAO is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.