November 17, 2016 - LSST Science Collaboration Coordinator Lucianne Walkowicz got an up-close tour of the LSST site this week. She was part of a group in La Serena for a Gemini Board meeting and was able to join a group tour of Gemini-South and the LSST construction site on Cerro Pachón. Wearing their safety vests, hard hats, and steel-toed shoes, the group was able to see recent progress which includes work beginning on the calibration telescope, azimuth plates for dome rotation being installed on the lower enclosure, and concrete being poured for the upper enclosure. Lucianne was impressed by the sheer size of the structure, especially the facilities building below the enclosure. “Seeing it up close, in person, makes you realize that LSST is really happening. It’s a massive game-changing facility, and will transform our understanding of the Universe as we know it today. Can’t wait for science!”
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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