September 5, 2014 - The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope is under construction on Cerro Pachón, an 8,800-foot (2,682-meter) mountain peak in north-central Chilé (30°14′40.7″S 70°44′57.9″W). This video shows how the site looked in March of 2012, as David Walker, a computer programmer in the NOAO-S CISS group and pilot, took a tour in a Cessna 172. Approaching from the north, David first shows us the SOAR and Gemini-South telescopes, before passing the LSST site, both the "calibration hill" and primary platform. Initial site preparations took place in March of 2011. The telescope sites are inland and approximately 100 km by road from the support town of La Serena, location of the LSST Base Facility. Now that LSST has received its federal construction start from the US National Science Foundation, the Summit Facility Building will soon take shape on Cerro Pachón, containing the telescope pier, rotating dome and space for service and operations of LSST.
Financial support for Rubin Observatory comes from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Cooperative Support Agreement No. 1202910, 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 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.
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