It’s not the frigid cold temperatures being experienced by much of the county this week, but rather a thin coating of polyethylene that has turned the LSST primary/tertiary mirror (M1M3) a vibrant shade of blue. This coating has been applied to protect the mirror as it is prepared for delivery and final acceptance. Formal delivery is expected in early April when the LSST Project will take responsibility for the mirror in its shipping container and move it to a secure facility for storage. The mirror is expected to remain in storage for approximately two years until the operational mirror support cell is fabricated, at which time the mirror and mirror cell can be integrated and tested before being shipped to Chile.
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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