NSO continues to move forward with its long-range plan to replace, rejuvenate, and increase its observational capabilities and support of the solar community. Enhancement of our synoptic capabilities and replacement of many of our aging synoptic facilities through SOLIS is on schedule with operation of SOLIS beginning in 2001. Improvement of our high-resolution capabilities with adaptive optics is progressing rapidly. A low-order AO system that corrects telescope aberrations and atmospheric seeing under fair seeing conditions (~ 1") is now available to users of the Dunn Solar Telescope on a shared-risk basis. Collaborative efforts with NSO staff to use the system for observations are encouraged.
We continue to work with the solar community to develop plans for an Advanced Solar Telescope (AST) that will provide solar astronomers with the ability to go well beyond current ground- and space-based capabilities in the spatial, spectral, and temporal domains. During the Chicago AAS meeting in June, an interested-parties meeting for the AST was held with about 30 people in attendance. Issues concerning an AST management structure and development plan were discussed, with almost unanimous agreement that the AST should proceed as a collaboration between the university community and the national centers. NSO has prepared a draft AST science brochure for the Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee, which will be available at our Web site. Your comments are welcome. NSO also continues to explore some of the technical issues involved in developing an AST. In addition to adaptive optics, we are developing near and thermal IR detectors that will be needed to fully exploit the AST. NOAO has recently committed a science-grade Aladdin array to the NSO program. In addition, we are developing methods of integrating the adaptive optics with advanced Stokes polarimetery, narrow-band imaging, and multi-lens arrays for simultaneous 2-D spatial and spectral imaging.
The NSO Users' Committee also met during the AAS meeting to discuss the role NSO should play in AST development and the balance of the NSO program as the AST is developed. It was evident at this meeting that providing synoptic observations and continuation of GONG are also viewed as high priorities along with giving access to high-resolution facilities. The AURA Observatory Council met at NSO/Sac Peak in June and discussed NSO plans for revitalizing national solar facilities in both optimistic and pessimistic funding scenarios. It's clear that meeting our current responsibilities to support the solar community and developing an AST are not feasible within our current funding levels. Incremental funding is required to support community involvement and to support efforts at the national centers if the AST is to move forward.
Jack Harvey presented the George Ellery Hale Prize lecture at the Chicago AAS meeting; it was one of the best-attended solar talks I have witnessed at an AAS meeting. Again, our congratulations to Jack on receiving the prize (see last quarter's Newsletter for a description of Jack's accomplishments). Frank Hill received the AURA service award for his outstanding and dedicated service to the solar community through his work with GONG and the NSO Digital Library. We greatly appreciate his efforts in making NSO data available and useful to a broad range of scientists. Frank's work has helped turn the data from both NSO sites and from GONG into useful research tools.
I am sad to relate that some of our long-time NSO employees have moved on recently. Roy Coulter, who has worked at NSO for 16 years, left for the University of Hawaii to develop the Solar-C coronagraph. Roy began his career at NSO as an observer, and more recently had been in charge of projects. He helped develop the RISE/PSPT telescopes now operating in Hawaii, Italy and at NSO/SP. Roy made substantial contributions to the SOLIS project. The progress SOLIS has made on the FDP instrument was a direct result of the work Roy did with Jack Harvey. Roy also provided critical support to the development of the VSM guider. Fortunately, NSO may be involved in the development of Solar-C, so we may still see a lot of Roy. Robert McGraw, NSO/Sac Peak computer system administrator for the past 13 years, left to take up a position with a company in North Carolina. Robert put together a very robust system at the Sac Peak site to support users, staff and observations. He will be missed. Finally, K.S. Balasubramaniam (Bala) is leaving to take a position with a financial firm in Chicago. Bala has made a tremendous contribution to solar physics through his research on solar activity and polarimetery, and through his efforts as chief editor for several workshop proceedings. His leaving represents not only a loss for NSO, but for solar physics. We wish him well in his new career.
On a happier note, we'd like to welcome Ben Glick and Carl Henney to the NSO. Ben has taken the position of mechanical designer and engineer for the Improved Solar Observing Optical Network (ISOON) project at NSO/SP. Carl comes to us from UCLA, where he recently completed his PhD in Astronomy. Carl has joined the SOLIS project in Tucson as a data scientist.
Steve Keil