August 26, 2016 - There are several sets of simulated surveys produced using the Operations Simulator (OpSim) which are available to the LSST Project and to the scientific community. A new OpSim Reference Simulated Survey, minion_1016, has been approved and placed under change control. This Reference Run replaces opsim3.61 and is an updated demonstration of the primary capabilities of the OpSim v3.3.5 codebase. A Reference Simulated Survey (or Reference Run) is a technical designation and is a demonstration of the primary capabilities of the OpSim v3.3.5 codebase. Preliminary analysis linked from the LSST Website shows there are no major problems with its performance, but there are known issues which will be addressed in future releases. Many more features and enhancements have been added to the OpSim code (currently at version 3.3.8), and will be detailed in an upcoming paper. The OpSim (Opsim3) code is being rewritten into the Simulated Observatory Control System (Opsim4 or SOCS) for use during LSST Operations. The first major release which will reproduce the current capabilities (and include a few important enhancements) is scheduled for later this year. A release schedule and instructions on how to install and run the code are linked from the Simulations pages on the LSST website. The strategy and algorithms which will guide the survey during Operations are still under investigation. A white paper is being written by the community outlining various science cases and the impacts that observing strategy ("cadence") will have on them, quantified using the Metric Analysis Framework. Check out the Observing Strategy github repository for more information on how to get involved.
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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