PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & DE LA CIENCIA

We are aware of the proposal by the United States House Science Committee to rename LSST the Vera Rubin Survey Telescope. Dr. Vera C. Rubin made significant contributions to astronomy and the advancement of women in science, and we appreciate the Committee’s recognition of her work. AURA, which has a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation to construct and operate LSST, is continuing its ongoing dialog with the agency regarding formal designations for the facility which include any direction from Congress.

Just a few days remain to take advantage of early registration pricing for LSST 2019, which ends June 30th. Click here for a link to registration and to view the first draft of the meeting agenda.

The LSST Commissioning Camera (ComCam) arrived at the LSST Project Office in Tucson on June 20th, after being shipped from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where it was constructed. ComCam is a small, one raft version of the full LSST Camera that will be used for testing and early commissioning of the camera, telescope, site infrastructure, and data management systems. In Tucson, ComCam will have additional optical components installed and undergo testing before being shipped to Chile later this year. Read more about ComCam in this recent Symmetry article.

The Secondary Mirror (M2) Coating Readiness Review took place in Chile on June 18-19. The purpose of the review was to assess the overall process for coating the M2 mirror, and to ensure the readiness of the planned work, procedures and equipment. Based on the successful outcome of this review, the M2 coating campaign has been scheduled for July and will be performed by LSST personnel with onsite assistance from Von Ardenne, the coating plant vendor.

The LSST Data Management Leadership Team (DMLT) gathered for a face-to-face meeting at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) in Illinois, June 3-6. Topics discussed by the team included preparation for upcoming reviews, status updates and planning for middleware development, release process & policies, and outcomes from the recent Science Platform Final Design Review. Photos from the event are available in the LSST Gallery.

The LSST Community Broker Workshop took place in Seattle, WA, on June 19-21. This workshop brought together LSST Project personnel, representatives of the LSST Science Collaborations, and proposers of community brokers in order to open lines of communication between the different groups. As a follow-up, the workshop’s Scientific Organizing Committee will lead the production of a white paper to capture ideas and proposed directions forward for building a global ecosystem of brokers, science platforms, and target and observation managers (TOMs) for transient science with the LSST alert stream.  

LSST CORPORATION NEWS

Applications are now being accepted to attend the workshop, “Managing Follow-up Observations in the Era of ZTF and LSST,” Sept. 30th-Oct. 4th at Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, CA. The workshop will be an interactive introduction to the key technologies and facilities for follow-up observing that will drive astronomy in the LSST era, and a chance for scientists to influence their development. More information and a link to the application can be found here. Applications must be received by July 15th for full consideration. Travel support will be provided for those from LSST Corporation member institutions.

INFORMATION FOR PROJECT MEMBERS

LSST has been featured in the news a lot recently and journalists have been getting in touch with project members. This is a reminder that if you are contacted by members of the media, the LSST Communications Office is available to guide you (communications-team@lists.lsst.org). Please also refer to the LSST Project Media Interactions Policy as a resource.

PERSONNEL NEWS

Isidro Ocaranza joined the Telescope & Site subsystem as Summit Janitor on June 10th. In this role, Isidro will be responsible for maintaining cleanliness of the LSST summit facility.   

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & DE LA CIENCIA

Estamos en conocimiento de la propuesta del Comité Científico de la Cámara de los Estados Unidos de cambiar el nombre de LSST por el Telescopio de Investigación Vera Rubin. La Dra. Vera C. Rubin hizo importantes contribuciones a la astronomía y al avance de las mujeres en la ciencia, y apreciamos el reconocimiento de su trabajo por el Comité. AURA, que tiene un acuerdo cooperativo con la Fundación Nacional de Ciencia para construir y operar LSST, continúa su diálogo con la agencia con respecto a las designaciones formales para la instalación que incluyen dirección del Congreso.

Solo quedan unos días para aprovechar los precios de inscripción temprana para LSST 2019, que finaliza el 30 de junio. Haga clic aquí here para obtener un enlace para registrarse y para ver el primer borrador de la agenda de la reunión.

La Cámara de Puesta en Servicio de LSST (ComCam) llegó a la Oficina del Proyecto LSST en Tucson el 20 de junio, después de haber sido enviada desde el Laboratorio Nacional de Aceleradores SLAC, donde se construyó. ComCam es una versión pequeña de un módulo de la cámara completa de LSST que se usará para probar y poner la cámara, el telescopio, la infraestructura del sitio y los sistemas de gestión de datos en servicio. En Tucson, se le instalaran componentes ópticos adicionales a la ComCam y se someterá a pruebas antes de enviarse a Chile a finales de este año. Lea más sobre ComCam en este reciente artículo article de Symmetry.

La Revisión de la Preparación del Recubrimiento del Espejo Secundario (M2) se llevó a cabo en Chile del 18 al 19 de junio. El propósito de la revisión fue evaluar el proceso general para recubrir el espejo M2 y asegurar la preparación del trabajo planificado, los procedimientos y  equipamiento. En base del exitoso resultado de esta revisión, la campaña del recubrimiento del M2 se programó para julio y será realizado por personal de LSST con la asistencia in situ de Von Ardenne, el vendedor de la planta de recubrimiento.

El Equipo de Liderazgo de Gestión de Datos de LSST (DMLT) se juntó en una reunión cara a cara en el Centro Nacional para Aplicaciones de Supercomputación (NCSA) en Illinois, del 3 al 6 de junio. Los temas discutidos por el equipo incluyeron la preparación para las próximas revisiones, actualizaciones de estado y la planificación para el desarrollo de middleware, las políticas & procesos de lanzamiento y, los resultados de la reciente Revisión de Diseño Final de la Plataforma Científica. Las fotos del evento están disponibles en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery.

El Taller de Intermediarios Comunitarios de LSST se llevó a cabo en Seattle, WA, del 19 al 21 de junio. Este taller reunió al personal del Proyecto LSST, representantes de las Colaboraciones Científicas de LSST y proponentes de intermediarios comunitarios para abrir las líneas de comunicación entre los diferentes grupos. Como seguimiento, el Comité Científico Organizador del taller dirigirá la producción de un informe para capturar ideas y las direcciones propuestas para construir un ecosistema global de intermediarios, plataformas científicas y gerentes de objetivos y observación (TOMs) para la ciencia transitoria con la secuencia de alertas de LSST.

NOTICIAS DE LA CORPORACION LSST

Se están aceptando solicitudes para asistir al taller, "Gestión de las Observaciones de Seguimiento en la Era de ZTF y LSST", del 30 de septiembre al 4 de octubre en los observatorios Carnegie en Pasadena, CA. El taller será una introducción interactiva a las tecnologías e instalaciones claves para la observación de seguimiento que impulsará la astronomía en la era de LSST, y una oportunidad para que los científicos influyan en su desarrollo. Más información y un enlace de la postulación se pueden encontrar aquí here. Las postulaciones deben ser recibidas antes del 15 de julio para ser consideradas. Se proporcionará asistencia de viaje para los miembros de las instituciones miembros de la Corporación LSST.

INFORMACIÓN PARA LOS MIEMBROS DEL PROYECTO

LSST ha aparecido en las noticias recientemente y los periodistas se han puesto en contacto con los miembros del proyecto. Este es un recordatorio de que, si es contactado por miembros de los medios de comunicación, la Oficina de Comunicaciones de LSST está disponible para guiarlo (communications-team@lists.lsst.org). Consulte también la Política de Interacciones de Medios del Proyecto LSST como recurso.

NOTICIAS DEL PERSONAL

Isidro Ocaranza se unió al subsistema de Telescopio & Sitio como Summit Janitor el 10 de junio. En esta función, Isidro será responsable de mantener la limpieza de las instalaciones del sitio de LSST.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON PARTICIPACION DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco * son financiadas por LSSTC):

June 17, 2019 - The team working on the Auxiliary Telescope for LSST had a big reason to celebrate this week, after completing a series of exercises on Cerro Pachón that demonstrated the successful integration of the telescope's software and hardware systems. The AuxTel (as it's fondly known) is located on a hill about 100 meters (328 feet) from the main LSST telescope, and it will measure atmospheric transmission during LSST Operations. This week the team tested the control software and network architecture of the AuxTel system by executing a series of software tests that controlled the Auxtel as though it were in normal operations…and it worked! Successful operation of a telescope requires this kind of specialized software that manages and synchronizes the motion of the many hardware components to create an observatory that can be operated remotely.

This video shows the telescope mount assembly and dome of the AuxTel operating in tandem, with the telescope turning to point through the open shutter. The software controlling the equipment runs through the server room in the LSST summit facility building, but the commands to operate the hardware can be entered from computers anywhere on the summit network (in this case, on the first floor of the two-story AuxTel building). According to Tiago Ribeiro, LSST Scheduler Scientist, "it's pretty awesome when you enter a line of code on your computer and the system does exactly what you wanted it to do." A rigorous set of safety mitigations has been integrated into the design of the AuxTel so that this remote operation can happen without risking damage to the telescope, or injury to a person in the vicinity of the telescope, from unexpected or sudden movements.

Not only is this a major milestone for the Auxiliary Telescope, but because the main LSST telescope will use essentially the same software system, the work on AuxTel and all the knowledge gained during the integration process will be critical when it's time to combine the software and hardware for the main 8.4-meter telescope. This milestone was a lot of work in the making, involving many preparatory activities and contributions from across the LSST Project, especially onsite in Chile.

The AuxTel has been using mirror and camera surrogates for testing, but the real mirror and a small alignment camera are scheduled to be installed in the coming months.

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

LSST released a statement regarding increased deployment of satellite constellations, click here to read it. The statement is based on initial analysis, specifics are still being looked into by the Project and Science Collaborations.

Early registration discount pricing for LSST 2019 ends June 30th. Click here for a link to registration and to see the block schedule for the meeting.

Following the successful Final Acceptance Test results for the Coating Chamber in late May, the LSST Project approved receipt of the Coating Plant (which includes the Coating Chamber and the Washing Station) from vendor Von Ardenne. Now that this milestone has been achieved, preparations can begin for coating the LSST Secondary Mirror (M2) with silver in mid-July.

The LSST Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) cell, mirror support hardware, and the M1M3 surrogate were loaded aboard a ship named the BBC Newcastle in the port of Houston, TX, and are now well on their way to Coquimbo, Chile, following the same route taken by the M1M3 in the spring.

The M1M3 transport cart is now assembled inside the LSST summit facility building. Once the M1M3 cell arrives at the summit, and the M2 coating is completed, the mirror team will begin the process of assembling the M1M3 cell on the transport cart. Ultimately, the cart will be used to move the M1M3—on its cell—within the facility building. A photo of the cart resting on rails embedded in the building floor is available in the LSST Gallery.

The LSST Science Advisory Committee (SAC) has a new member: Márcio Catelan, of the Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago. Márcio’s research is in stellar evolution and variable stars. Márcio will be replacing Timo Anguita as one of the two Chilean representatives on the SAC. We thank Timo for his years of excellent service and advice to the LSST SAC!

LSST IN THE MEDIA

An article detailing the unique engineering challenges faced by the LSST camera team at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory was recently published in Symmetry, a joint publication of SLAC and Fermilab. Click here to read the article.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

LSST emitió una declaración sobre el aumento en el despliegue de constelaciones de satélites, haga clic aquí here para leerla. La declaración se basa en análisis inicial, las Colaboraciones del Proyecto y Científicas aún están estudiando los detalles.

El descuento de los precios de inscripción temprana para LSST 2019 finaliza el 30 de junio. Haga clic aquí here para obtener un enlace para registrarse y para ver el calendario de la reunión.

Luego de los resultados exitosos de la Prueba de Aceptación Final de la Cámara de Recubrimiento a finales de mayo, el Proyecto LSST aprobó la recepción de la Planta de Recubrimiento (que incluye la Cámara de Recubrimiento y la Estación de Lavado) del proveedor Von Ardenne. Ahora que se ha logrado este hito, pueden comenzar los preparativos para recubrir el Espejo Secundario (M2) de LSST con plata a mediados de julio.

La celda del Espejo Primario/Terciario de LSST (M1M3), el hardware de soporte del espejo y el sustituto del M1M3 se cargaron a bordo de un barco llamado BBC Newcastle en el puerto de Houston, TX, y ahora están en camino a Coquimbo, Chile, siguiendo el misma ruta tomada por el M1M3 en la primavera.

El carro de transporte del M1M3 se encuentra ensamblado dentro del edificio de la instalación del cerro de LSST. Una vez que la celda M1M3 llegue al cerro y se complete el recubrimiento del M2, el equipo del espejo comenzará el proceso de ensamblaje de la celda del M1M3 en el carro de transporte. En última instancia, el carro se utilizará para mover el M1M3 a su celda, dentro del edificio de la instalación. Una foto del carro que descansa sobre rieles incrustados al piso del edificio está disponible en la Galería LSST LSST Gallery.

El Comité Asesor Científico (SAC) de LSST tiene un nuevo miembro: Márcio Catelan, de la Universidad Católica de Chile en Santiago. La investigación de Márcio se centra en la evolución estelar y estrellas variables. Márcio reemplazará a Timo Anguita como uno de los dos representantes chilenos en SAC. ¡Agradecemos a Timo por sus años de excelente servicio y asesoramiento a LSST SAC!

LSST EN LOS MEDIOS

Un artículo que detalla los desafíos de ingeniería únicos que enfrenta el equipo de la cámara de LSST en SLAC Laboratorio Nacional de Aceleradores se publicó recientemente en Symmetry, una publicación conjunta de SLAC y Fermilab. Haga clic aquí here para leer el artículo.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON PARTICIPACION DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco * son financiadas por LSSTC):

The LSST Vertical Platform Lift Completes Load Testing on the Summit

June 4, 2019 - When it comes to moving enormous pieces of LSST equipment between floors of the summit facility building, an ordinary cargo elevator just won't do. Instead, a heavy-duty, vertical platform lift will carry the assembled mirror and camera subsystems 78-feet (23.8 meters) between the telescope and maintenance floors of the LSST observatory. The heaviest load to raise and lower will be the combined weight of the Primary Tertiary Mirror (M1M3), mirror cell, transport cart—close to 80 tons (72.5 metric tons)!

The final test campaign for the lift, which was designed and fabricated by PFlow Industries, was completed in April 2019. For this series of tests, the lift was loaded with seven barrels containing approximately 18,500 gallons (70,000 liters) of water. With this ballast, the weight of the tanks themselves and the detachable lift-up roof, the lift successfully raised about 94 tons (85.5 metric tons) of weight. This simulates the maximum payload of the M1M3 mirror and cell on the transport cart and factors in the weight of the roof section (which isn’t technically part of the payload).

The lift, custom-made for LSST, allows the carriage to travel all the way up to the eighth level of the building: the telescope floor. The lift-up roof weighs about 15 tons (13.5 metric tons), and rises 25 feet (7.6 meters) higher than the top of the shaft. In its highest position the lift carriage would obstruct the rotation of the telescope dome, which is why the roof wasn't installed permanently at this height—when the lift carriage is lowered, the roof section also lowers and securely locks in place clear of the rotating dome.

The lift carriage is a ≈33-foot square (≈10-meter square) platform that rests on sturdy supporting seats installed on its six support columns at each of three served levels. During use, six double sets of heavy chains raise the platform smoothly and evenly to protect the load inside. If the tension in the chains becomes uneven for any reason, safety cams automatically engage to prevent falling. The lift is operated using a main control panel on the eighth level of the building, and a well-marked "emergency stop" button allows the operator to immediately halt the motion of the lift if any problems occur. The lift was also designed with redundancy in all critical components so that if one component fails, the load won't be in danger of falling. The leveling of the carriage and deck is key for the system to succeed. Major components have been aligned so precisely that, as LSST Engineer Freddy Muñoz describes it, “when hanging from the chains, the carriage constraints are so smooth that the carriage can be moved by hand.”

Because Cerro Pachón is such a seismically active area, the lift was designed to withstand earthquakes of up to 8.0 on the Richter scale. It will also be able to tolerate the strong winds that are common on the summit, although LSST Site Manager Eduardo Serrano confirms that "the lift will only be used to move cargo when the weather allows for safe and protected transport."

Now that it has passed the required tests, the lift will soon be used to install the various LSST systems on the telescope floor. Later, during Operations, it will transport systems back down to the maintenance floor as needed. For example, both the M1M3 and the Secondary Mirror (M2) will need to be washed and re-coated periodically at the Coating Plant on the third level of the building, and then returned to the telescope floor.

According to Jeff Barr, LSST Telescope and Site Architect, "everyone involved with the design and installation of the lift—especially the Pflow engineers, LSST engineers Freddy Muñoz, Juan Fábrega and the entire team in Chile—contributed tremendously to achieve the successful load testing of the lift and all the work that led to this major accomplishment."  

An article detailing the unique engineering challenges faced by the LSST camera team at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory was recently published in Symmetry, a joint publication of SLAC and Fermilab. 

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

LSST's U.S. public funding agencies, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), have reached a final decision on the way data rights and data access will be handled during LSST Operations. More information is available on the LSST website.

Don’t forget to register for the LSST 2019 Project and Community Workshop, August 12-16th at the Hilton El Conquistador in Tucson, AZ. Early bird pricing is available until June 30th; register at this link.

After several months of joint efforts between the IT and Software teams in Chile, the dome and shutter at the Auxiliary Telescope were remotely controlled for the first time on May 16th. A video of the milestone is available at this link.

The IT team in Chile has completed work on the installation of the LSST Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) system at the base and summit, and has moved the REUNA and AURA DWDMs to the new Base Data Center (BDC). DWDM is a method of transmitting signals along fiber-optics which is important to the LSST networks. With the recent success in controlling the Auxiliary Telescope over the Summit Control Network, installation of Auxiliary instrument switches, work well underway on the BDC and Base Offices, and completion of the ESnet procurement package, the networks are well-positioned for future commissioning activities.

The Secondary Mirror (M2) surrogate was successfully coated in the LSST Coating Chamber on May 17th, photos are available in the LSST Gallery. The mirror surrogate is being used to test equipment and processes that will later incorporate the glass M2 mirror.

The Final Acceptance Test Review for the Coating Chamber concluded successfully in La Serena, Chile, on May 24. Performance of the system indicates it will meet all requirements for both the M1M3 and the M2 coatings of aluminum and silver. A group photo taken with the Coating Chamber on the summit is available in the LSST Gallery.

LSSC CORPORATION NEWS

Spread the word: the LSSTC Data Science Fellowship Program (DSFP) is now accepting applications for new students. The DSFP is a supplement to graduate education in astronomy-related fields (e.g. astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, etc.), intended to teach students essential skills for dealing with big data. Click here to learn more about the program, and apply directly using this form. The application deadline is June 14th.   

INFORMATION FOR PROJECT MEMBERS

A reminder that LSST has zero tolerance for sexual harassment and other forms of unlawful harassment whether physical or verbal (i.e. offensive language). This YouTube video, featuring LSST collaborator Renée Hložek, is an excellent resource. In addition, a centralized LSST Code of Conduct, created based on feedback gathered at the LSST 2018 Project and Community Workshop, is now available on the LSST Project website. All LSST meetings and collaborations are encouraged to link to any of the sections within the Code of Conduct document, thus ensuring the most current version will always be referenced.

PERSONNEL NEWS

Carola Gonzales joined the Administrative team in Chile on May 13th. She will be providing administrative support for the team in Chile, with a special focus on work related to the LSST Dome as this is the priority.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

Las agencias de financiamiento público Estadounidenses de LSST, la Fundación Nacional de Ciencia (NSF) y el Departamento de Energía de EE. UU. (DOE), han llegado a una decisión final sobre la forma en que se manejarán los derechos de datos y el acceso a los mismos durante las operaciones de LSST. Más información está disponible en el sitio web de LSST website.

No olvide registrarse para el Taller del Proyecto y Comunitario LSST 2019, del 12 al 16 de agosto en el Hilton El Conquistador en Tucson, AZ. El precio de inscripción anticipada está disponible hasta el 30 de junio; Regístrese en este enlace link.

Después de varios meses de esfuerzo en conjunto entre los equipos de TI y software en Chile, la cúpula y el obturador del telescopio auxiliar se controlaron de forma remota por primera vez el 16 de mayo. Un video del hito está disponible en este enlace link.

El equipo de TI en Chile ha completado el trabajo de la instalación del sistema DWDM de  LSST en la base y en el cerro, y han movido los DWDMs de REUNA y AURA al nuevo Centro de Datos de la Base (BDC). DWDM es un método de transmisión de señales a través de fibra óptica que es importante para las redes de LSST. Con el reciente éxito en el control del Telescopio Auxiliar sobre la Red de Control del Cerro, la instalación de interruptores de instrumentos auxiliares, el trabajo en curso en el BDC y las oficinas de la base, y la finalización del paquete de adquisición de ESnet, las redes están bien posicionadas para futuras actividades de puesta en servicio.

El espejo sustituto secundario (M2) se recubrió con éxito en la cámara de recubrimiento de LSST el 17 de mayo, las fotos están disponibles en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery. El espejo sustituto se está utilizando para probar equipos y procesos que posteriormente incorporarán el espejo M2.

La Revisión Final de la Prueba de Aceptación de la Cámara de Recubrimiento concluyó con éxito en La Serena, Chile, el 24 de mayo. El rendimiento del sistema indica que cumplirá con todos los requisitos para el recubrimiento de aluminio y plata del M1M3 y M2. Una foto grupal tomada con la Cámara de Recubrimiento en el cerro está disponible en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery.

NOTICIAS DE LA CORPORACION LSSTC

Corra la voz: el Programa de Becas de Ciencia de Datos de LSSTC (DSFP) está aceptando postulaciones de nuevos estudiantes. El DSFP es un suplemento para la educación de posgrado en campos relacionados con la astronomía (por ejemplo, astronomía, astrofísica, cosmología, ciencia planetaria, etc.), destinado a enseñar a los estudiantes habilidades esenciales para manejar grandes volúmenes de datos. Haga clic aquí here para obtener más información sobre el programa y postule directamente utilizando este formulario form. La fecha límite de postulación es el 14 de junio.   

INFORMACIÓN PARA MIEMBROS DEL PROYECTO

Un recordatorio de que LSST tiene tolerancia cero para el acoso sexual y otras formas de acoso ilegal, ya sea físico o verbal (es decir, lenguaje ofensivo). Este video de YouTube YouTube video presentado por la colaboradora de LSST Renée Hložek, es un excelente recurso. Además, un Código de Conducta Code of Conduct, centrado en LSST, el cual fue creado en base a los comentarios recopilados en el Taller del Proyecto y Comunitario LSST 2018, está disponible en el sitio web del Proyecto LSST. Fomentamos que en todas las reuniones y colaboraciones de LSST se haga mención a cualquier sección del Código de Conducta, para garantizar que siempre se haga referencia a la versión más reciente.

NOTICIAS DE PERSONAL

Carola Gonzalez se unió al equipo administrativo en Chile el 13 de mayo. Ella brindará apoyo administrativo para el equipo en Chile, con un enfoque especial en el trabajo relacionado con la cúpula de LSST, ya que es prioridad.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON LA PARTICIPACION DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco * son financiadas por LSSTC):

May 22, 2019 - LSST's U.S. public funding agencies, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), have reached a final decision on the way data rights and data access will be handled during LSST Operations.

We are working with AURA, SLAC, and NSF/DOE to understand the new model and will be communicating to you in the next weeks on what this means for the project and operations teams and our LSST stakeholders. We plan to keep you closely informed.

There are more questions than answers right now, so we ask your patience as we work through the processes needed to implement this model. For now, your community will have questions, and you may provide them with the following talking points and this recent presentation.

Further questions can be directed to us through this contact page.

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

Mirror, Mirror on the Mountain—the LSST Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) has arrived at the LSST summit facility building on Cerro Pachón! The ship carrying the M1M3 docked in Coquimbo on May 7th, after which the mirror container was transferred to a 72-wheeled transport vehicle. Over the next few nights it traveled towards the summit, reaching its destination on May 11. More details and a link to photos of the move are available at this link.

Registration is now open for the LSST 2019 Project and Community Workshop, which will take place August 12-16th at the Hilton El Conquistador in Tucson, AZ. Early bird pricing is available until June 30th; register at this link.

Tomorrow, May 15th, is the deadline to submit Letters of Intent (LOIs) for community brokers who will receive LSST alerts, add scientific value, and redistribute them to the scientific community. The original call for LOIs can be found at this link. If you have questions, email lsst-community-brokers@lists.lsst.org.  

The LSST Science Advisory Committee (SAC) has reviewed the 46 white papers submitted by the LSST science community in response to the Call for White Papers on LSST Cadence Optimization. The SAC has made recommendations for a comprehensive series of Operations Simulations to explore the wide variety of ideas contained in these white papers. The report may be found at this link.

Functional testing of the secondary mirror (M2) system has been completed on the summit. As part of M2 system commissioning, the aluminum surrogate mirror was detached from the mirror cell and is now being installed in the lower vessel of the coating chamber. The M2 surrogate will be used to test key aspects of the new LSST  mirror coating chamber that will go through final acceptance testing later this month. Coating of the secondary mirror is scheduled for mid-July.

CC-IN2P3, one of the computing facilities that will be responsible for processing and storing data collected by LSST during Operations, has been upgrading the center’s power and cooling infrastructure in preparation to host LSST data. The campaign has now entered its final phase—read the details in this news item.  

INFORMATION FOR PROJECT MEMBERS

Below is the final reminder in our ongoing series about individual communication channels used within the LSST Project. Information about all LSST communication channels can be found in Document-28656.

The last featured communications channel is BlueJeans (or Zoom at SLAC) This is the Project Office-supported software for video conferencing. Aver hardware systems are deployed in some locations to support the use of video conferencing.

PERSONNEL NEWS

Blake Mason joined the Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team on May 13th, filling the position of Senior Web Developer. In this role, Blake will collaborate with the EPO and Data Management teams to build web-based interactive tools for use by the general public and in classrooms, with special consideration towards accessibility and mobile platforms.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO Y DE LA CIENCIA

Espejo, espejo en la montaña- el Espejo Primario/Terciario (M1M3) de LSST ha llegado al edificio de las instalaciones de LSST en Cerro Pachón! El barco que llevaba el M1M3 atracó en Coquimbo el 7 de mayo, después el contenedor del espejo fue trasladado en un vehículo de transporte de 72 ruedas. Durante las siguientes noches, viajó hacia la cumbre, llegando a su destino el 11 de mayo. Más detalles y un enlace a las fotos del movimiento están disponibles en este enlace link.

La inscripción ya está abierta para el Taller del Proyecto y Comunitario LSST 2019, que tendrá lugar del 12 al 16 de agosto en el Hilton El Conquistador en Tucson, AZ. El precio de inscripción anticipada está disponible hasta el 30 de junio; Registrarse en este enlace link.

Mañana, 15 de mayo, es la fecha límite para que los agentes comunitarios interesados – quienes recibirán alertas de LSST, agregarán valor científico y las redistribuyeran a la comunidad científica – presenten las Cartas de Intención (LOIs). La llamada original para las LOI se puede encontrar en este enlace link. Si tiene preguntas, envíe un correo electrónico a lsst-community-brokers@lists.lsst.org.  

El Comité Asesor Científico de LSST (SAC, por sus siglas en inglés) ha revisado las 46 propuestas presentadas por la comunidad científica de LSST en respuesta al Llamado de Propuestas sobre la Optimización de la Cadencia de LSST. El SAC ha hecho recomendaciones para una serie completa de Simulaciones de Operaciones para explorar la gran variedad de ideas contenidas en estos documentos técnicos. El informe se puede encontrar en este enlace link.

Se han completado las pruebas funcionales del sistema del espejo secundario (M2) en la cumbre. Como parte de la puesta en marcha del sistema del M2, el espejo sustituto de aluminio se separó de la celda del espejo y ahora se instalará en la mitad inferior de la cámara de recubrimiento. El espejo sustituto M2 se utilizará para probar aspectos claves de la nueva cámara de recubrimiento del espejo de LSST que pasará por las pruebas finales de aceptación a fin de mes. El recubrimiento del espejo secundario está programado para mediados de julio.

CC-IN2P3, una de las instalaciones de computación que será responsable de procesar y almacenar los datos recopilados por LSST durante las operaciones, ha estado actualizando la infraestructura de energía y refrigeración del centro en preparación para alojar los datos de LSST. La campaña ya ha entrado en su fase final: lea los detalles en este artículo de noticia news item.  

INFORMACIÓN PARA LOS MIEMBROS DEL PROYECTO

A continuación se encuentra el recordatorio final de nuestra serie en curso sobre los canales de comunicación individuales utilizados dentro del Proyecto LSST. La información sobre todos los canales de comunicación de LSST se puede encontrar en Document-28656.

El último canal de comunicaciones destacado es BlueJeans (o Zoom en SLAC). Este es el software usado por la Oficina del Proyecto para videoconferencias. Los sistemas de hardware Aver se implementan en algunas ubicaciones para apoyar el uso de videoconferencias.

NOTICIAS DEL PERSONAL

Blake Mason se unió al equipo de Educación y Difusión Pública (EPO) el 13 de mayo, ocupando el puesto de Desarrollador Web Senior. En esta función, Blake colaborará con los equipos de EPO y Gestión de Datos para crear herramientas interactivas basadas en la web para uso del público en general y en las aulas, con especial atención a la accesibilidad y a las plataformas móviles.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON LA PARTICIPACIÓN DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco * son financiadas por LSSTC):

LSST PRIMARY/TERTIARY MIRROR (M1M3) ARRIVES ON CERRO PACHÓN

May 11, 2019 – This morning, a unique astronomical mirror reached its new home in the Andes Mountains of Northern Chile. This incredible mirror will enable the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) to catalog an estimated ~40 billion celestial objects—more objects than there are humans on earth. LSST will scan the entire visible sky every few nights, visiting each location approximately ~1000 times during its ten-year survey, which is scheduled to begin in 2022. With these fast, repeated observations LSST will open a new window to the changing Universe, providing countless new opportunities to do science with transient objects such as asteroids and supernovae. Additionally, with the wide field of view made possible by this mirror, LSST will advance the study of dark matter and dark energy.

LSST is jointly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Energy (DOE), but the fabrication of the M1M3 began in 2008 thanks to private donations, though the LSST Corporation primarily from Charles and Lisa Simonyi and Bill Gates, before the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) was awarded LSST Construction funding.

The 8.4-meter LSST Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3), one of the largest and most recognizable elements of the telescope, is unusual because it consists of two mirror surfaces combined on one large substrate. Light from the sky will hit the outer ring (M1) first, reflect upwards to a separate second mirror (M2), and then bounce back down to the inner ring (M3) of the monolith before reaching the telescope. LSST's three-mirror design, combined with a highly sensitive camera, allows the telescope to collect light from faint objects over a very large field of view. Combining the M1 and M3 mirrors gives the telescope a more compact shape, which enables it to move (slew) quickly between points on the sky and to settle efficiently before taking its next image.

The M1M3 safely arrived at the LSST summit facility building on Cerro Pachón in Chile on May 11, 2019. Its eight-week journey began on March 15, in Tucson, Arizona, USA, where it was fabricated. The M1M3 was the first LSST component to be completed, and the mirror will play a critical role in enabling countless scientific discoveries. Constanza Araujo, former LSST Telescope and Site Senior Optics Lead offers an analogy to illustrate the importance of this milestone: “The primary mirror is the heart of any telescope, and so the M1M3 is the heart of LSST.”

Combining two astronomical mirrors with different curvatures into one surface had not been done before, but it is this unique design that will enable LSST to combine speed with a crisp, wide field of view. According to LSST Chief Scientist Dr. Tony Tyson, “Combining the primary and tertiary mirrors into two mirrors fabricated on the same Pyrex blank creates a 10-square-degree field of view with very low distortion. This enables an unprecedented broad science reach from cosmology to the time domain—all with a single, comprehensive sky survey.”

The M1M3 was fabricated over a period of approximately seven years at the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona. The "High Fire" event, in which the glass was cast, took place in March 2008, and the mirror was completed in April 2015 after years of grinding and polishing brought the surfaces to the required specifications. The M1M3 was then lifted into a custom shipping crate and put into storage while its support hardware was constructed; both the shipping container and the support structure for the M1M3 were constructed by CAID Industries in Tucson. In October 2018 the mirror returned to the Mirror Lab to be integrated with its support hardware and to undergo further optical testing, which concluded successfully in March 2019.

Transporting the mirror from Tucson, AZ to Cerro Pachón required specialized equipment and a lot of planning—the mirror in its shipping container weighs approximately 110,000 lbs (50 metric tons) and measures about 30 feet (9.14 meters) in diameter. A transport vehicle operated by Precision Heavy Haul, Inc. carried the M1M3 from Tucson to the shipping port in Houston along a carefully planned route. The M1M3 container was then loaded aboard the BBC Manitoba for a four-week ocean voyage to Coquimbo, Chile, via the Panama Canal. From the port at Coquimbo, the M1M3 was loaded onto an impressive 72-wheeled transport vehicle, operated by Javier Cortés, bound for the LSST summit facility on Cerro Pachón. This final leg of the journey required cooperation between many parties to coordinate logistics, including the removal of hanging signs, utility cables, and lights along the route. Local police provided an escort for the transport vehicles, and various administrative organizations assisted with road closures and permits to proceed.

At approximately 2:00 a.m. on May 10th, the vehicle carrying the mirror passed through the tunnel at the Puclaro Dam—the narrowest spot on the route. With just inches to spare on either side, the mirror passed through without incident.

Now that the mirror has arrived on the summit, it will be stored for a period of time while other components of the telescope arrive from their places of manufacture around the world.
 

Read the LSST press release here. 

More information about the history of M1M3 can be found here. 

May 3, 2019 - CC-IN2P3 is one of the computing facilities that will be responsible for processing and storing data collected by LSST during Operations. The campaign to upgrade the center’s power and cooling infrastructure in preparation to host LSST data has entered its final phase. Located in Lyon, France, CC-IN2P3 has two computer rooms of 850 m2 each (9,150 ft2) hosting about 18,000 CPU cores, 28 PB of disk storage, and four automated tape libraries where 63 PB of data are stored. These resources are routinely used by several scientific projects, 24/7.

The most recent computer room is designed to be equipped as the need for more computing equipment arises, without disrupting operations. A new chilled water production line and a Tier-III power and water distribution system have been installed to allow for the deployment of two additional hot corridors. More than 120 tons of equipment sit now on the roof of the building, providing the cooling infrastructure the computing equipment requires.

When this upgrade is completed this spring, 80 additional racks of equipment will be progressively installed to satisfy the needs of major world-class scientific projects including LSST, which at its peak will require 35 racks of equipment at CC-IN2P3.

By 2022, the CC-IN2P3 will have deployed a storage capacity of more than 20 PB devoted to LSST data and a computing platform composed of about 22,000 CPU cores ready to contribute to processing the data coming out of the telescope. With its project partners, CC-IN2P3 is currently prototyping and evaluating technical solutions for transporting, storing, cataloguing and processing large amounts of data at the scale needed by LSST.

Area of the room equipped to host new servers. Photo/article credit: CCIN2P3