September 18th is Chilean Independence Day as on this day in 1810 Chile broke from Spanish rule. The LSST Project Office took the opportunity to join with our Chilean co-workers and celebrated with empanadas, cake, and a lesson in Chilean slang. Thanks to Telescope & Site Optics Engineer Constanza Araujo for initiating the idea and all who helped organize the fun, team-building event. We’ll all be looking for chances to show off our new language skills! The Independence celebration added a positive note to a difficult week for our Chilean colleagues in the aftermath of a strong earthquake centered 150km from La Serena. In spite of the strength of the quake and tsunami, there were few casualties in the region and no injuries have been reported among AURA employees or contractors. Information and pictures have been posted on the LSST Facebook page and will be updated as more information becomes available. A final Chilean thought for this week comes from CTIO Computer Programmer David Walker’s aerial flyover of Cerro Pachón. You can see the recent construction activity on the LSST summit along with beautiful views of the surrounding observatories and terrain.
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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