LSST was featured in a recent article titled “An Astronomical Data Challenge,” published in Symmetry, a joint publication of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Fermilab.

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & CIENTIFICAS

The LSST Project is distributed and complex, and understanding the relationships between its participating organizations and affiliates can be challenging. A new diagram, “The LSST Ecosystem,” represents these relationships visually. The diagram can be accessed in the LSST Gallery; we encourage you to use it in presentations and documents when appropriate.

The Filter Exchange team in France is making significant progress on the construction of the manual loader and the auto-changer, two important components of the filter exchange system installed on the LSST Camera. This system will accommodate LSST’s six filters, each of which is 30 inches (76 cm) in diameter and weighs about 88 pounds (40 kg). IN2P3 is on track to complete the fabrication of the filter exchange system by the end of the second quarter of 2019. Recent photos of the filter exchange system are available in the LSST Gallery.

Coating of the LSST Camera L3 lens has been completed at Safran-Reosc in France; all three of the camera lenses have now been successfully coated. Read more about the process in this article. 

At the LSST Summit Facility on Cerro Pachón, the Dome Rear Access Door (RAD) was successfully installed on January 24. The Dome RAD weighs about 10 tons, and measures approximately 72 feet (22 meters). Photos of the installation are available in the LSST Gallery.

A Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM) that will be used to monitor atmospheric turbulence on Cerro Pachón recently underwent a series of tests at the LSST Project Office in Tucson. Read more details about the DIMM in this recent LSST news post.

Meg Schwamb, Chair of the LSST Solar System Science Collaboration (SSSC), gave a presentation on LSST Solar System Science (excluding Near-Earth Objects) at the 20th NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) meeting, held January 29-31.The SBAG is comprised of planetary scientists, planetary astronomers, and mission experts and engineers who provide input to NASA on planning and prioritizing the exploration of Solar System small bodies. More information and a link to the presentation can be found here.  

A major product of the nightly processing of LSST images is a world-public stream of alerts from transient, variable, and moving sources. Science users may access these alerts through third-party community brokers that will receive the LSST alerts, add scientific value, and redistribute them to the scientific community. A new document, “Plans and Policies for LSST Alert Distribution,” provides an overview of LSST alert production and describes the process through which community brokers will be selected. The next step in the selection of community brokers will be a call for Letters of Intent in the next few weeks, with a due date in late spring 2019.

LSST IN THE MEDIA

Margery Morse, Mechanical Designer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, was featured in the cover story of the January 23 issue of The Almanac. The profile article details her contributions to the LSST Camera. Read the article at this link.    

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & CIENTIFICAS

El Proyecto LSST está distribuido y es complejo y entender las relaciones entre sus organizaciones participantes y sus afiliados pueden ser desafiante. Un nuevo diagrama, “El Ecosistema de LSST”, representa estas relaciones visualmente. Pueden tener acceso al diagrama en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery; le animamos a usarlo en presentaciones y documentos cuando sea apropiado.

El equipo de Cambio de Filtro en Francia progresa significativamente en la construcción del cargador manual y del auto cambiador, dos componentes importantes del sistema de cambio con filtro instalado en la Cámara de LSST. Este sistema acomodará los seis filtros de LSST, cada uno de 30 pulgadas (76 cm) en diámetro y pesa aproximadamente 88 libras (40 kilogramos). IN2P3 está en camino para completar la fabricación del sistema de cambio de filtro hacia el final del segundo cuarto de 2019. Fotos recientes del sistema de cambio de filtro están disponibles en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery.

La cubierta del lente L3 de la Cámara de LSST se ha completado en Safran-Reosc en Francia; los tres lentes de la cámara han sido cubiertos con éxito.

En la Instalación de LSST en Cerro Pachón, la Puerta de Acceso Trasero de la Cúpula (RAD) se instaló con éxito el 24 de enero. El RAD de la Cúpula pesa aproximadamente 10 toneladas y mide aproximadamente 72 pies (22 metros). Las fotos de la instalación están disponibles en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery.   

Un Monitor de Imagen de Moción Diferencial (DIMM) que se usará para supervisar la turbulencia atmosférica en Cerro Pachón recientemente fue sometido a una serie de pruebas en la Oficina del Proyecto de LSST en Tucson. Lea más detalles sobre el DIMM en este reciente artículo de noticias de LSST news post.

Meg Schwamb, Presidenta de la Colaboracion de Ciencia del Sistema Solar de LSST (SSSC), dió una presentación de la Ciencia del Sistema Solar LSST (excluyendo NEOs) en la 20a reunión de la NASA Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), sostenida el 29-31 de enero. El SBAG consiste de científicos planetarios, astrónomos planetarios, y expertos de misiones e ingenieros que proporcionan aportes a la NASA en la planificación y priorización de la exploración de los pequeños cuerpos del Sistema Solar. Más información y un enlace a la presentación se pueden encontrar aquí here.  

Un gran producto del procesamiento nocturno de imágenes de LSST es una secuencia pública mundial de alertas de fuentes pasajeras, variables, y móviles. Los usuarios de la ciencia pueden tener acceso a estas alertas a través de terceros intermediarios comunitarios que recibirán las alertas de LSST, le añadirán valor científico y quienes redistribuirán a la comunidad científica. Un nuevo documento, “Planes y Políticas para la Distribución de Alertas de LSST” Plans and Policies for LSST Alert Distribution, proporciona una descripción de la producción de alertas de LSST y describe el proceso de cuál de los intermediarios comunitarios se seleccionarán. El siguiente paso en la selección de intermediarios comunitarios será un llamado a recibir Cartas de Intención en las próximas semanas, con una fecha límite en la primavera de 2019.

LSST EN LOS MEDIOS

Margery Morse,  Diseñador Mecánico en el Laboratorio del Acelerador Nacional SLAC, fue destacada en la portada de la edición del 23 de enero en The Almanac. El artículo de su perfil detalla sus contribuciones a la Cámara de LSST. Lea el artículo en este enlace link.    

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON PARTICIPACIÓN DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco* son financiadas por LSSTC):

February 8, 2019 - The challenge to viewing and imaging celestial objects from the Earth’s surface is that the Earth’s atmosphere distorts light from space. When you look up at the stars and see them twinkle, you’re experiencing this phenomenon; light from stars is (generally) constant, but the light that reaches your eyes has been pushed around by turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere. That turbulence is caused by the interaction of varying temperature and density layers between the Earth’s surface and space. Twinkling stars might be pretty to look at, but they’re pretty annoying for scientists who want a crisp, clear view of the objects they’re studying.

While it’s not possible to eliminate the effects of the Earth’s atmosphere on the images taken by a ground-based, wide area survey telescope like LSST, there are methods to help us predict and understand those effects. Near the LSST summit facility stands a white tower, upon which will be mounted an instrument called a Differential Image Motion Monitor, or DIMM. The DIMM will operate robotically at night during LSST Operations, monitoring turbulence in the atmosphere above the telescope. Data from the DIMM will be sent to LSST’s Engineering Facility Database, where it will be integrated with other data from LSST facility-monitoring systems. Over time, information collected by the DIMM and other environmental sensors around the facility will be used to develop a computational fluid dynamics model of the atmosphere. By taking data on different points in the sky throughout the night we can determine, with increasing accuracy gained by refining the atmospheric model, how the air above the summit is behaving. Another, portable DIMM will also be used to measure the turbulence from different locations around the immediate area of the telescope. These data in particular will help determine how the topography of the summit area influences atmospheric turbulence, and will inform the LSST team on how to configure the telescope to optimize LSST image quality in various environmental conditions.

The two DIMMs employed by LSST were manufactured by ASTELCO Systems in Germany, and are exact replicas of each other. The permanently mounted DIMM will be shipped directly from Germany to Chile, but the portable DIMM made a detour to Tucson, Arizona in January 2019, to undergo nighttime testing at the LSST Project Office building. Brian Stalder, LSST Commissioning Scientist, led this process, testing the DIMM mount for proper tracking and alignment while collecting atmospheric data using several bright stars in the Tucson sky. Further tests are scheduled for the next few weeks, after which the portable DIMM will be shipped to Cerro Pachón.

The fixed DIMM tower on Cerro Pachón

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

After a 35-day partial shutdown, normal U.S. government operations have resumed until at least mid-February. LSST senior management staff will continue to work with AURA and the NSF to keep the Project moving forward and to minimize the effects of future disruptions.

A magnitude 6.7 earthquake occurred in Chile on January 19, affecting the La Serena region. Electricity and communications were interrupted but quickly restored, and inspections by LSST staff revealed no significant damage. Thanks to LSST and Mountain Operations staff in Chile for ensuring the safety of people and equipment during and after the event.

Following the 233rd AAS meeting in Seattle, the Project Science Team had a face-to-face meeting on January 10-11. After presentations by Amanda Bauer about updated EPO construction plans and by Lynne Jones about 46 submitted cadence white papers, the PST discussed software coordination across the Project, Project funding contingency levels, and anticipated technical challenges as we approach the end of construction. The areas taking the most current management attention include the Telescope Mount Assembly, the telescope dome, the observatory control software, and mitigation of the camera contamination and refrigeration system issues. 

Assembly work on the LSST Coating Plant is underway at the summit facility building on Cerro Pachón; a crew from Von Ardenne, the LSST Coating Chamber vendor, started the current phase of work early in January. On January 10, Von Ardenne and the LSST team successfully installed the four lifting jacks that support the upper chamber, each weighing approximately 3.5 tons. Shortly thereafter, the upper chamber with its rotating upper platform and vacuum pumps was successfully integrated to the jacks, which will eventually support the full upper vessel load (97 tons). Photos of the ongoing work are available in the LSST Gallery.

The LSST Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) is currently in the Richard F Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona for optical testing. In January, the M1M3 on its support system was positioned at the bottom of the Mirror Lab’s interferometry tower in anticipation of two test campaigns. The first, which has just concluded, took place from January 14-25. The second campaign is scheduled for February 11-22. Read more about the tests in this recent news post. Photos are also available in the LSST Gallery.

The LSST Science Advisory Committee met in Princeton on January 22-23 to review the 46 white papers submitted in response to the call for cadence optimization. The output of their deliberations will be recommendations for runs of the LSST Operations Simulator, exploring the range of cadence options suggested in the white papers.  

LSST IN THE MEDIA

Jeff Kantor, LSST IT Senior Manager, was interviewed about LSST for the podcast Looking Up, in an episode that originally aired on the radio in Cape Town, South Africa, on January 18th. Listen to the podcast at this link.

CORPORATION NEWS

Congratulations to Federica Bianco, LSST Science Collaborations Coordinator, who was selected as one of the 2019 TED Fellows. TED Fellows are described as “leaders in their fields, looking for new ways to collaborate and address today’s most complex challenges.”

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & DE LA CIENCIA

Después de un cierre parcial de 35 días, las operaciones normales del gobierno estadounidense se han reanudado hasta al menos mediados de febrero. El personal de alta gerencia de LSST seguirá trabajando con AURA y la NSF para mantener el avance del Proyecto y minimizar los efectos de futuras interrupciones.

Un terremoto de magnitud 6.7 ocurrió en Chile el 19 de enero, afectando la región de La Serena. La electricidad y las comunicaciones se interrumpieron, pero se restauraron rápidamente, y las inspecciones por el personal LSST no revelaron ningún daño significativo. Gracias a LSST y personal de Operaciones de la Montaña en Chile por velar por la seguridad de las personas y de equipos durante y después del acontecimiento.

Después de 233 Reunión AAS en Seattle, el Equipo Científico del Proyecto tuvo una reunión cara a cara el 10-11 de enero. Después de las presentaciones por Amanda Bauer sobre los planes actualizados de EPO de construcción y por Lynne Jones con aproximadamente 46 artículos sobre la cadencia presentados, PST habló de la coordinación de software a través del Proyecto, niveles de contingencia financiera del Proyecto y desafíos técnicos previstos ya que nos acercamos al final de la construcción. Las áreas que se están llevando la mayor atención de la gerencia incluyen el Ensamblaje del Montaje del Telescopio, la cúpula del telescopio, el software de control del observatorio y la mitigación de la contaminación de la cámara y temas con el sistema de refrigeración.

El trabajo de ensamblaje de la Planta de Revestimiento de LSST está en curso en el edificio de la instalación de la cumbre en Cerro Pachón; un equipo de Von Ardenne, el vendedor de la Planta de Revestimiento de LSST, comenzó la fase actual del trabajo a principios de enero. El 10 de enero, Von Ardenne y el equipo de LSST instalaron exitosamente los cuatro gatos elevadores que apoyan la cámara alta, cada uno pesando aproximadamente 3,5 toneladas. Justo después de eso, la cámara alta con su plataforma superior rotativa y bombas de vacío integraron con éxito a los gatos, que eventualmente apoyarán la carga del recipiente superior (97 toneladas). Las fotos del trabajo en curso están disponibles en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery.

El Espejo Primario/Terciario (M1M3) de LSST está actualmente en Richard F Caris Mirror Lab en la universidad de Arizona para pruebas ópticas. En enero, el M1M3 en su sistema de apoyo se posicionó en el fondo de la torre de interferometría de Mirror Lab en anticipación de dos campañas de prueba. La primera, que acaba de concluir, ocurrió del 14-25 de enero. La segunda campaña está programada para el 11-22 de febrero. Lea más sobre las pruebas en estas noticias recientes news post. Las fotos también están disponibles en la Galería de LSST LSST Gallery.

El Comité Asesor de la Ciencia LSST se reunió en Princeton el 22-23 de enero para revisar los 46 artículos presentados en respuesta a la llamada a la optimización de la cadencia. El resultado de sus deliberaciones serán recomendaciones para las pruebas del Simulador de Operaciones LSST, explorando la variedad de opciones de la cadencia sugeridas en los artículos.

LSST EN LOS MEDIOS

Jeff Kantor, Gerente Senior de IT, fue entrevistado sobre LSST para el podcast Looking Up, en un episodio que originalmente se transmitió por la radio en Ciudad del Cabo, Sudáfrica, el 18 de enero. Escuche el podcast en este enlace link.

NOTICIAS DE LA CORPORACIÓN

Felicitaciones a Federica Bianco, Coordinadora de Colaboraciones de la Ciencia de LSST, que fue seleccionada como una TED Fellows de 2019. Se describe a los TED Fellows como “líderes en sus campos, buscando nuevos modos de colaborar y dirigirse a los desafíos más complejos de hoy”.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON LA PARTICIPACIÓN DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco* son financiadas por LSSTC):

January 28, 2019 - The LSST Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) is currently in the Richard F Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona for optical testing. In January, the M1M3 on its support system was positioned at the bottom of the lab’s interferometry tower in anticipation of two test campaigns. The first, which has just concluded, took place from January 14-25. The second campaign is scheduled for February 11-22.

The tests use specialized optical equipment to evaluate the figures of the M1 and M3 mirror surfaces. Separate instruments, called interferometers, are used to perform measurements on each of the two mirrors that make up the monolith. The interferometer used to test M1 is at the very top of the tower, and the one used to test M3 is lower down, on a movable bridge. The mirror surfaces are tested separately, first M1, then M3, then M3 again, then M1. When M1 is being tested, the lower interferometer is moved out of the optical path.

During the test process, the interferometer in use emits two beams of light. One travels to the mirror and bounces back, and the other goes to a reference within the interferometer. The interaction between the two beams of light is recorded in an image called an interferogram (the black and white image in the photo to the right). The lines in the image are called interference fringes, and each one represents approximately 300 nanometers. A tight grouping of lines indicates a steep change in the height of the surface, much like tight lines on a topographic map indicate steep terrain. A “perfect” mirror interferogram would be a solid color, because its measurements would be recorded as a single fringe. But according to LSST Telescope and Site Mechanical Engineer Tucker Booth, achieving perfection on individual mirrors isn’t the goal. Instead, it’s the optimization of the entire M1M3 monolith that will ensure the best possible images during LSST Operations.

Allowing adequate time for optical testing, analysis, and optimization in Tucson reduces the work that will have to be done to prepare for operations once the telescope is assembled in Chile. Additionally, the unique testing environment available at the Richard F Caris Mirror Lab isn’t available in the summit facility building, so LSST is fortunate to have access to this world-class facility for the M1M3 optical test campaigns. M1M3 is currently scheduled to ship from the U.S. to Chile in May.

Margery Morse, Mechanical Designer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, was featured in the cover story of the January 23 issue of The Almanac. The profile article details her contributions to the LSST Camera.

Jeff Kantor, LSST IT Senior Manager, was interviewed about LSST for the podcast Looking Up, in an episode that originally aired on the radio in Cape Town, South Africa, on January 18th.

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & CIENTIFICAS

Reminder: The LSST Project Office in Tucson will be closed on Monday, January 21st, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr./Civil Rights Day.

LSST had a significant presence at the 233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS). This year’s winter meeting took place in Seattle, WA, on January 6-10, with more than 3000 registrants. During the meeting, LSST team members staffed an exhibit booth and a job fair booth, facilitated two sessions of a tutorial on the LSST Science Pipelines, and hosted a town hall at which Charles Simonyi was a distinguished guest. More information is available in this recent news post, and Town Hall slides can be found here.  

The LSST Secondary Mirror (M2), which arrived at Cerro Pachón in December, has been inspected, declared free of damage from shipping, and moved into the LSST summit facility. It is currently being stored on the mezzanine above Level 3 while assembly work continues on the Coating Chamber. The glass mirror and the mirror cell are scheduled to be re-integrated in February.

The vertical lift platform, which will move heavy equipment between floors in the LSST summit facility building, was tested on December 10-19. The lift, manufactured by Pflow Industries, was successfully raised and lowered its full travel distance without cargo. The mobile roof also operated as designed, raising to allow the lift to reach the Dome maintenance level. Full-load final acceptance testing will occur in the next few months. Photos of the December test campaign are available in the LSST Gallery.  

The L3 lens for the LSST Camera has arrived safely at Safran-Reosc, in France, and preparation activities for coating the lens are scheduled to begin this week.

CORPORATION NEWS

Nineteen submittals were received before the January 9 deadline for the Enabling Science Call for Proposals. A total of $434,591.70 in funding has been requested. The proposals will be reviewed over the next few months.

PERSONNEL NEWS

Michelle Poland joined LSST on January 7 as an Administrative Assistant. Michelle will assist with a wide variety of support tasks for the Project Office and subsystems.

New positions have been posted on the LSST is Hiring web page, including Systems Engineering and Commissioning positions, and Front End Developer with Education and Public Outreach.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

NOTICIAS DEL PROYECTO & CIENTIFICAS

Recordatorio: La Oficina del Proyecto de LSST en Tucson estará cerrada el lunes, 21 de enero, por el Día de Martin Luther King Jr./de los Derechos Civiles.

LSST tuvo una presencia significante en la Reunión 233a de American Astronomical Society (AAS). La reunión invernal de este año ocurrió en Seattle, Washington, el 6-10 de enero, con más de 3.000 registrantes. Durante la reunión, los miembros del equipo de LSST formaron parte del personal de un stand de exhibición y un stand de la feria de trabajo, facilitaron dos sesiones de un tutorial en los Conductos de la Ciencia de LSST y organizaron una asamblea pública en la cual Charles Simonyi fue un invitado distinguido. Más información está disponible en esta noticia reciente, y las diapositivas del Ayuntamiento se pueden encontrar aquí here.

El Espejo Secundario (M2) de LSST, que llegó a Cerro Pachón en diciembre, se ha inspeccionado, ha sido declarado sin daños de envío y se ha movido a las instalaciones en la cumbre de LSST. Se está almacenando actualmente en el entresuelo sobre el Nivel 3 mientras el trabajo de la asamblea sigue la Cámara de la Capa. Se programa que el espejo de cristal y la celda del espejo se reintegrarán en febrero.

La plataforma del ascensor vertical, que moverá equipos pesados entre pisos en el edificio de la instalación en la cumbre de LSST, se probó el 10-19 de diciembre. El ascensor, fabricado por Industrias Pflow, ascendió y descendió su distancia total de viaje sin carga. El techo móvil también funcionó como fue diseñado, levantándose para permitir que el ascensor alcance el nivel de mantenimiento de la Cúpula. Las pruebas de aceptación final de la carga máxima ocurrirán en los próximos meses. Las fotos de la campaña de prueba de diciembre están disponibles en la Galería de LSST.

El lente de L3 para la Cámara de LSST ha llegado sin peligro a Safran-Reosc, en Francia, y las actividades de preparación para el cubrimiento del lente comienzan esta semana.

NOTICIAS DEL PERSONAL

Michelle Poland se unió a LSST el 7 de enero como un Asistente Administrativo. Michelle asistirá con una amplia variedad de tareas de apoyo para la Oficina del Proyecto y subsistemas.

Nuevos puestos han sido publicados en la página web de reclutamiento de LSST LSST is Hiring, incluyendo puestos de Ingeniería de Sistemas y de Puesta en Marcha y Desarrollador de Front End con Educación y Difusión Pública.

PRÓXIMAS REUNIONES CON LA PARTICIPACIÓN DE LSST

(aquellas con asterisco* son financiadas por LSSTC):

January 14, 2019 - The 233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) wrapped up on January 10; this year’s winter meeting took place in Seattle, WA, with more than 3000 people registered. LSST staffed an exhibitor booth during the meeting within the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Pavilion, giving project updates and answering questions from conference attendees. Numerous posters and talks were presented by LSST Project and Science Collaboration members.

On Tuesday, January 8th, LSST’s Data Management team facilitated two sessions of a LSST Science Pipelines Tutorial, giving future LSST data users a chance to experience the interface they will use to access LSST data during Operations.

Also on January 8, LSST hosted a table at the meeting’s job fair. Project team members were on hand during the event to discuss current and future LSST opportunities with meeting attendees seeking employment or career advice.

On Wednesday, January 9th, LSST hosted a Town Hall which was attended by distinguished guest Charles Simonyi. A donation from the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Science helped support fabrication of LSST’s Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3). At the Town Hall, Dr Zeljko Ivezic, Project Scientist and Deputy Director; Victor Krabbendam, Project Manager; and Dr Leanne Guy, Project Scientist for Data Management gave updates on important milestones and developments that occurred in 2018, and commented on what lies ahead for LSST in 2019. Dr Lynne Jones, System Performance Scientist, reported on the LSST Cadence Optimization white papers that were received in 2018 and are currently being reviewed. Dr Federica Bianco, LSST Science Collaborations Coordinator, gave updates from the Science Collaborations and spoke about the LSST Corporation’s Enabling Science activities.

LSST Education and Public Outreach staff had an active presence at the meeting, including a poster presentation, given by Head of EPO Dr Amanda Bauer, highlighting the continuing development of EPO activities.

Presentations given at the Town Hall are available at this link. Additional photos from the event are available in the LSST Gallery.  

Image credit P. Marenfeld (NOAO/AURA/NSF)