December 11, 2013 - The National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a successful Final Design Review (FDR) of the LSST Project last week with the review panel concluding LSST is ready to start construction in July 2014. The project will receive a written report from the panel by the end of December to which the project will prepare a formal reply. This crucial step moves the project closer to National Science Board (NSB) approval of a construction start.
In its verbal presentation to project staff at the conclusion of the review, the panel said they were impressed with the team's technical ability, cohesiveness in acting as "one project," and the maturity of the management and technical plan presented. The panel commented specifically on the management team's proficiency with project planning and tracking tools, which enabled quick generation of technical and financial analyses for various scenarios proposed by the panel during the review.
LSST Director Steve Kahn and LSST Project Manager Victor Krabbendam wish to thank the entire team for the tremendous amount of hard work they invested to ensure a successful FDR.
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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