Previous Article Next Article Table of Contents
From the NSO Director's Office (1Mar94) (from NSO, NOAO Newsletter No. 37, 1 March 1994) The 1993 NOAO visiting committee met at the National Solar Observatory this year from 28 November through 2 December with Jim Hesser, from the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, as its chairman. The NSO staff appreciated this opportunity to have their work reviewed and to express their views on the status of the observatory. The visiting committee has recently submitted its report to the AURA Board where it is currently being reviewed. Look for a summary of the report in the next Newsletter. Decreasing and constant dollar level funding, uncorrected for inflation, continues to eat away at the quality of the observatory. Capabilities, observer support and the ability to start new initiatives are slowly eroding. The outlook for funding in the near future does not promise better times ahead soon. In this climate one wants to preserve the ongoing program as well as possible. New initiatives are, however, the only way to do well in the long run. The NSO staff is, therefore, starting to prepare a "Future Directions Plan" for the observatory. The Sac Peak and Tucson NSO staff are focussing their efforts on two main themes for this plan: long-term and short-term solar variability. Although the first step in developing this plan will occur inside NSO, it is our intention to define it jointly with the solar community. It will examine the role of the current capabilities of NSO, the need for their upgrades, as well as define the case for future initiatives such as the IR program, the McMath upgrade, LEST, the Large Reflecting Coronagraph, RISE, and the adaptive optics program. I expect soon to implement my management plan for NSO. Its definition is almost complete. In it I will create seven branches within NSO, three at the NSO/SP division, two at the NSO/KP division, and two within NSO/GONG. The seven branch heads will form a management team with me as chairman. More details later! Jacques Beckers
Previous Article Next Article Table of Contents