Updated: 24th August 2021
While the situation with the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve our main goal is to ensure the safety of all staff and their families while balancing work priorities.
Construction activities: limited work is continuing at the summit. Where possible staff have been instructed to work from home and we will continue to advance on any elements of the Project possible.
Staff have been given the option to voluntarily return to the Tucson Office from 28th June 2021, a daily site form must be completed.
Visitors to all Rubin Observatory sites are vetted before being granted access, and if there is any concern at all about possible contagion they are required to self-isolate for 14 days before being allowed on site.
Planned meetings have been transitioned to virtual meetings where possible, otherwise they have been rescheduled or cancelled.
Read more on the AURA website. Read more on the AURA website.
Q. What do I need to know when returning to the office during the voluntary period?
A. You are no longer requited to sign up on the calendaring system however the daily site form must be completed each morning before coming to the office. A helpful guide is provided here.
Q. Will the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on the expected start date of the survey? What does it imply in terms of project completion and scheduling?
A. The start of the routine survey will be delayed by at least one year, this means operations will not start before October 2023. We are working with the agencies to re-baseline the Project. For the most up to date information look at the monthly updates pages.
Q. What is the status of the Rubin Observatory LSST Camera?
A. SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has re-opened at ~30% capacity. Work on the camera is proceeding where possible with all safety measures in place.
Q. What is the status of work at the summit?
A. Work is proceeding with caution and at a reduced rate. The Covid-19 Exposure Prevention Plan is being followed to ensure safe working practices.
Q. Do you expect the COVID-19 pandemic to affect the timeline for clarifying the final location of the LSST US Data Facility?
A. SLAC has now been chosen as the US Data Facility.
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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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