September 18, 2017 - The total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017 captivated not just the astronomy community, but the public at large. Many individuals associated with LSST traveled to the path of totality to view the spectacle for themselves and share their knowledge with others. LSST Associate Scientist Keith Bechtol gave a talk to an audience at Rabun Gap Nacoochee School in Northeastern Georgia the day before the eclipse. He used the opportunity to deliver an inspiring talkabout LSST and the unique opportunities offered by ambitious science projects--even for people who don't think of themselves as scientists. Near the other end of the path of totality, LSST Systems Scientist Chuck Claver volunteered with the Citizen CATE project along the Oregon-Idaho border, camped out with his family on BLM land in eastern Oregon near Dixie.  While there, Chuck took the time to capture this stunning image of totality with his Nikon D7200 and a 200mm lens.

To generate this spectacular image, Chuck combined 240 individual images with ten different exposure levels ranging from 1/2000sec to 2sec, giving each exposure level 24 images. In the full resolution image, you can zoom in to see many stars around the eclipsed sun. Earthshine is visible on the moon and the corona extends almost to the edge of the frame. 

50,000 eclipse visitors were predicted in Rabun County, GA, adding to the local population of about 16,000.  Local organizers provided family activities for 10,000 at the Rabun Gap Nacoochee School, about 600 of whom attended Keith’s presentation. Keith had prepared the presentation to appeal to a broad range of ages and backgrounds; a video of his presentation can be viewed on YouTube, starting about 16:30 into this video. Although solar eclipses aren't a focus of Keith's own research, he described the way that eclipses have helped us understand gravity, which is a central aspect of contemporary astronomy research, and influences subjects like dark matter, dark energy, and cosmic inflation. He pointed out that none of our GPS mapping programs would work properly if scientists hadn't discovered that time passes at different rates in different gravitational fields. GPS satellites, which orbit approximately 20,220 km (12,550 miles) above the surface of the Earth and experience a lower gravitational force, have to be adjusted so their clocks tick at the same rate as those on earth. That important adjustment allows our GPS devices to accurately direct us to, among other things, the very center of an eclipse's path of totality.

Keith concluded his talk with comments about the international, distributed, and diverse team needed to build a monumental science project like LSST. As Keith puts it, the big problems science tries to solve "don't have answers in the back of a book"--they will take years or decades to figure out, inspiring new questions along the way. Although scientists with PhDs in astronomy and physics play an essential role, a project like LSST also requires experts from a wide range of fields, including many types of engineering, project management, and education.  Keith's message for his audience was that it takes the combined efforts of many different people to advance science, and that anyone can help; he encouraged his listeners never to count themselves out.

After the eclipse, Chuck and his family packed up and left their deep-off-the-grid campsite.  He reports the drive out was a test of patience: more than 5 hours of nose-to-tail traffic at 7mph on a 2-lane highway. His enthusiasm undaunted, he is already planning for the July 2, 2019 total eclipse that includes Cerro Pachón on the path of totality.  We can’t wait to see those images!

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - Noticias del Proyecto

The NSF/DOE Joint Status Review (JSR) took place in Tucson Sept 6-8, in parallel with a separate Earned Value Management System surveillance review covering only the NSF-funded activities.   The JSR committee was charged with assessing the current status of the project and to evaluate plans for the future, with emphasis on the next year of construction.  The overall consensus of the review committee is that the Project is going very well.

This Thursday, Sept 14 the day for LSST Project participants to submit photos for LSST’s next “Day in the Life” (DITL) video.  This is our 3rd DITL video and again we hope to get a view of the full breadth of LSST effort being applied on a typical day in LSST construction.  Previous versions of the video can be found at the LSST YouTube channel.

Updated information on the LSST Deep Drilling Fields has been added to LSST’s public website.  Deeper coverage and more frequent temporal sampling (in at least some of the LSST’s ugrizy filters) will be obtained for the Deep Drilling Fields than for typical points on the sky. Community input is encouraged.  

A white paper titled “Science-Driven Optimization of the LSST Observing Strategy” has been posted to the arXiv.  This white paper presents work done by an active sub-community of the LSST science collaborations on evaluating simulations of the LSST cadence, in support of a science-driven process to set LSST’s observing strategy.  Links to the posted paper, and the living document under development in GitHub, can be accessed on the LSST For Scientists page here.    

Rachel Bean of Cornell University has joined the LSST Science Advisory Committee. Rachel is a cosmologist with particular interest in tests for primordial non-Gaussianity and modified gravity theories. Rachel is an active member of the Dark Energy Science Collaboration, and has recently stepped down as DESC spokesperson.  

The elevation drives, Primary/tertiary mirror (M1M3) surrogate, and pylons have been painted and installed on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) in Asturfeito, Spain. The elevation central section is now being assembled; once it’s complete, the upper pylons and the top end of the telescope will be mounted as shown here.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

Noticias del Proyecto & Científicas

La Revisión de Estado Conjunta (JSR) NSF/DOE se llevó a cabo en Tucson el 6-8 de Septiembre, en paralelo con una revisión de vigilancia separada del Sistema de Gestión de Valor Acumulado cubriendo únicamente las actividades financiadas por la NSF. El comité de JSR estuvo a cargo de evaluar el estado actual del proyecto y evaluar los planes para el futuro, con énfasis en el próximo año de construcción. El consenso general de la comisión de revisión es que el Proyecto va muy bien.

Este jueves, 14 de septiembre es el día para que los participantes del Proyecto LSST envíen sus fotos para el próximo vídeo de "Día en la Vida" (DITL) de LSST. Esta es nuestro tercer video DITL y esperamos obtener una vista de la amplitud del esfuerzo que está siendo aplicado en un día típico en la construcción de LSST. Versiones anteriores del video se pueden encontrar en el LSST YouTube channel. 

Información actualizada sobre los Campos de Perforación Profunda Deep Drilling Fields de LSST ha sido añadida al sitio web público de LSST. Cobertura más profunda y muestreos temporales más frecuentes de (al menos de algunos filtros ugrizy de LSST) serán obtenidos para los Campos de Perforación Profunda más que para puntos típicos en el cielo. Los aportes de la comunidad son fomentados.  

Un documento técnico titulado "Optimización Impulsada por la Ciencia de la Estrategia de Observación de LSST" ha sido publicado en arXiv. Este documento presenta el trabajo realizado por una activa sub-comunidad de colaboraciones científicas de LSST sobre la evaluación de simulaciones de la cadencia LSST, en apoyo a un proceso impulsado por la ciencia para definir la estrategia de observación de LSST. Se puede acceder a los enlaces del documento publicado, y al documento en desarrollo en GitHub, en la página para científicos de LSST aquí here.    

Rachel Bean de la Universidad de Cornell se ha sumado al Comité Asesor de Ciencias de LSST. Rachel es un cosmólogo con particular interés en pruebas primordiales no Gaussianas y teorías modificadas de gravedad. Rachel es un miembro activo de la Colaboración Científica de Energía Oscura Dark Energy Science Collaboration, y recientemente se retiró como portavoz de DESC. 

Las unidades de elevación, el espejo suplente Primario/terciario (M1M3), y pilones han sidos pintados e instalados en el Conjunto de Montaje del Telescopio (TMA) en Asturfeito, España. La sección central de elevación está siendo ensamblada ahora; una vez que se complete, los pilones superiores y el extremo superior del telescopio serán montados como se muestra aquí here.

Próximas reuniones con participación de LSST 

(aquellos con un asterisco* son financiados por LSSTC):

PROJECT & SCIENCE NEWS - Noticias del Proyecto

LSST 2017 wrapped up on August 18th, ending a productive week of presentations, conversations, and collaboration. Over 260 participants gathered for the traditional group photo, and plenary slides have been linked to the workshop agenda.

The LSST Project Science Team is hosting a series of presentations for Science Collaboration Chairs based on topics requested by the Chairs. These presentations have been linked to our public website For Scientists page; new talks will be uploaded as they become available.  If you are in a Science Collaboration and are interested in a specific topic, please get in touch with your Chair.

Two talks on LSST are scheduled for October 16 2017 at the Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) meeting: one is on LSST as a NEO Discovery Machine, and another is on LSST Data Products and Tools for Solar System science. Meg Schwamb and David Trilling, co-chairs of the LSST Solar System Science Collaboration, are also hosting a workshop titled LSST and the Solar System on Thursday, October 19th, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Save the date: The next “A Day in the Life” video is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 14th. Everyone working on LSST will be asked to submit a photo taken during that workday for inclusion in the video. Details for how to submit your photos will be announced soon. The first “Day in the Life” video can be viewed in the LSST Gallery.

LSST congratulates several of its team members for receiving 2017 AURA Service Awards for exemplary work on the LSST project; award winners were recognized at an event in Tucson on August 2nd. Individual awards were presented to Telescope and Site Optics Engineer Constanza Araujo, and Systems Engineering Manager Brian Selvy. A team award also went to the LSST/AURA Summit Construction Team, made up of members Eduardo Serrano, Jaime Seriche, Freddy Munoz, Jorge Flores, Sandra Romero, and Jeff Barr.

An LSST Telescope and Site team visited the Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) storage site at Tucson International Airport in early August to open the storage container and inspect M1M3 in order to plan and prepare for upcoming hardware and electrical integration activities. Read more about the visit in a recent blog post.

Summer Daylight Saving Time occurred in Chile at midnight on Saturday, August 12th, when clocks in Chile were moved forward one hour.

CORPORATION NEWS

Version 1.0 of the LSST Galaxies Science Roadmap, authored primarily by members of the LSST Galaxies Science Collaboration, has been completed and can be found at this link. The Galaxies Science Roadmap identifies preparatory science tasks for the LSST community related to galaxy formation, dark matter, and supermassive black holes. It is intended to be a helpful organizational document for scientists interested in LSST for extragalactic science beyond dark energy studies.

The LSSTC Enabling Science 2018 Call for Proposals is now open. Funding will be allocated to support programs in the following categories:

• Helping the community prepare to maximize the science impact of LSST
• Funding workshops, schools, and internships to engage and train future users of LSST
• Supporting Science Collaborations in their planning and preparations for data
• LSSTC Student Internships and Travel to LSST 2018

More information about LSSTC supported activities can be found here. Proposals should be submitted to lsstc@lsst.org by Monday, December 18, 2017.

PERSONNEL

Andrew Heyer joined the LSST Telescope and Site (T&S) Software team as a Software Analyst on August 7th. Andrew will be supporting the development of the LSST Scheduler.

Brian Stalder joined the Systems Engineering & Commissioning Team on August 7. Brian will assist in the planning, development and conduct of LSST Commissioning. He will also work in Chile to carry observations and analyses needed for the commissioning effort.

The LSST Data Management Group is soliciting applications for the position of Lead LSST Data Management Scientist (project title of LSST DM Subsystem Scientist DMSS), within the LSST Leadership Team at the LSST Project Office (Headquarters) in Tucson, AZ. View the full job posting here.

Want to spice up your work wardrobe with some team spirit? You can purchase LSST gear at our online Land’s End logo store. If you act fast, you can use code EMSAVE20 to save 20% on your order; offer ends 8/31.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

Proyecto & SCIENCE NEWS

LSST 2017 Termino el 18 de Agosto, finalizando una productiva semana de presentaciones, conversaciones y colaboración. Más de 260 participantes se reunieron para la tradicional foto grupal group photo, y las diapositivas de las plenarias se han vinculado a la agenda del taller. 

El Equipo Científico del Proyecto LSST está organizando una serie de presentaciones para la Presidencia de la Colaboración Científica basadas en temas solicitados por los Presidentes. Estas presentaciones han sido vinculadas a nuestro sitio web público, en la página Para Científicos For Scientists; nuevas charlas serán subidas a medida que estén disponibles.  Si eres parte de una Colaboración Científica y estás interesado en un tema específico, por favor, ponerse en contacto con tu Presidencia.

Dos charlas sobre LSST están programadas para el 16 de Octubre, 2017 en la reunión División de Ciencias Planetarias (DPS): una es sobre LSST como una Maquina NEO Discovery, y la otra es sobre Productos de Datos LSST y Herramientas para la Ciencia del Sistema Solar. Meg Schwamb y David Trilling, co-presidentes de la Colaboración Científica del Sistema Solar LSST, también presentaran un taller titulado LSST y el Sistema Solar el jueves, 19 de octubre, de 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Guarda la fecha: El próximo video "Un Día en la Vida" está programado para el Jueves 14 de Septiembre. Se les pedirá a todos los que trabajan en LSST enviar una foto tomada durante la jornada de trabajo para su inclusión en el vídeo. Los detalles de cómo enviar tus fotos serán anunciados pronto. El primer video de "Un Día en la Vida" puede visualizarse en la Galeria de LSST LSST Gallery.

LSST felicita a varios miembros del equipo por recibir Premios por Servicio de AURA 2017 por su ejemplar labor en el proyecto LSST; los ganadores del premio fueron reconocidos en un evento en Tucson el 2 de Agosto. Premios individuales fueron presentados al Ingeniero Optico de Telescopio y Sitio, Constanza Araujo y al Gerente de Ingeniería de Sistemas Brian Selvy. Un premio de equipo también se le otorgo al Equipo LSST/AURA de Construcción de la Cumbre, compuesto de los miembros Eduardo Serrano, Jaime Seriche, Freddy Muñoz, Jorge Flores, Sandra Romero, y Jeff Barr. 

Un equipo de Telescopio y Sitio de LSST visitó el sitio de almacenamiento del Espejo Primario/Terciario (M1M3) en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Tucson a principios de Agosto para abrir el contenedor de almacenamiento e inspeccionar el M1M3, a fin de planificar y prepararse para las próximas actividades de hardware e integración eléctrica. Lee más sobre la visita en un reciente blog post.

El Horario de Verano en Chile comenzó la medianoche del Sábado 12 de Agosto, cuando los relojes en Chile se adelantaron una hora. 

Noticias de la Corporación

La versión 1.0 de la LSST, escrito principalmente por miembros de la Colaboración Científica de Galaxias LSST, se ha completado y puede ser encontrada en este vínculo at this link. La Guía de Ciencia identifica tareas de ciencia preparatoria para la comunidad LSST relacionadas con la formación de una galaxia, la materia oscura y agujeros negros súper masivos. Está destinado a ser un útil documento de organización para los científicos interesados en LSST para la ciencia extra galáctica más allá de estudios de energía oscura. 

La Llamada a Propuestas 2018 2018 Call for Proposals de LSSTC Enabling Science está ahora abierta. La financiación se destinará a programas de apoyo en las siguientes categorías:

• Ayudar a la comunidad a prepararse para maximizar el impacto a la ciencia de LSST
• Financiación de talleres, escuelas y pasantías para captar y formar a los futuros usuarios de LSST
• Apoyar a Colaboraciones Científicas en su planificación y preparativos para los datos
• Pasantías de Estudiantes LSSTC y Viajar a LSST 2018

Más información acerca de actividades apoyadas por LSSTC puede encontrarse aquí here. Las propuestas deberán ser presentadas a lsstc@lsst.org antes del Lunes 18 de Diciembre, 2017.

Personal

Andrew Heyer se unió al Equipo de Software de Telescopio y Sitio (T&S) de LSST como Analista de Software el 7 de agosto. Andrew apoyara el desarrollo del LSST Scheduler. 

Brian Stalder se unió al Equipo de Ingeniería de Sistemas y Puesta en Marcha el 7 de agosto. Brian ayudará en la planificación, el desarrollo y conducirá la puesta en marcha de LSST. También trabajará en Chile para realizar observaciones y análisis necesarios para el esfuerzo de la puesta en marcha.

El Grupo de Gestión de Datos de LSST está solicitando postulaciones para el puesto de Científico Principal de Gestión de Datos (título del proyecto de Científico LSST del Subsistema DM DMSS), dentro del Equipo de Liderazgo de LSST en la oficina del proyecto de LSST en Tucson, AZ (Sede). Ver la oferta de trabajo completa aquí here.

Desea animar tu vestuario de trabajo con espíritu de equipo? Puedes comprar ropa LSST en nuestra línea de Land's End logo store. Si actúas con rapidez, puedes usar el código EMSAVE20 para ahorrar un 20% en tu pedido; la oferta termina el 8/31.

Próximas reuniones con participación de LSST 

(aquellos con un asterisco* son financiados por LSSTC):

August 25, 2017 - LSST’s Primary/Tertiary Mirror (M1M3) has been stored in a metal container at Tucson International Airport since its completion in 2015. Earlier this month, an LSST Telescope and Site team visited the storage site to open the container and inspect M1M3 in order to plan and prepare for upcoming hardware and electrical integration activities. The outside of the metal storage container has been inspected regularly since its arrival at the airport, but the container hasn’t been opened since May, 2015!

Although prepared for anything, once the container was opened the group encountered nothing more than a light coating of dust which was, according to Telescope and Site Optics Engineer Constanza Araujo, “No more than you’d find in a Tucson living room after a week.” The surface of the mirror has been protected from this inevitable accumulation of dust by a blue OptiCoat coating, described in this 2015 blog post, which will be removed and replaced with a clean OptiCoat coating at the end of the mirror’s storage period. The mirror won’t get its final, reflective surface coating until it arrives at Cerro Pachón.

One of the tasks completed by the team during this visit was to establish the compatibility of the load spreaders already installed on the mirror with the backing plates that will interface with the M1M3 static support system (which was described in this recent blog post). The backing plates provide a surface for the static support wire baskets to contact in the event of full compression of the static supports. The backing plates must be installed on the load spreaders before M1M3 is integrated with the mirror cell, as the back of the mirror itself will no longer be accessible afterwards.

The team also removed several panels underneath the mirror to access and map the configuration of electrical cables on M1M3. Lastly, a general inspection of the mirror’s surface, conducted by climbing up through the hole in the middle of the mirror, established that no visible damage to the mirror’s surface has occurred during storage.

This inspection of M1M3 was one of the early steps in the process of preparing it to be moved back to the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at the University of Arizona in May of 2018 for integration and testing with the M1M3 cell. Currently, M1M3 is scheduled to ship to Cerro Pachón by the end of 2018.

Additional photos from the August, 2017 visit can be viewed here. Click here for archived photos and posts about M1M3.

August 18, 2017 - LSST 2017 took place this week in Tucson, AZ, bringing together more than 200 of the scientists, engineers, educators, and administrators working hard to make LSST a reality. The LSST team is distributed all over the world; this annual meeting draws a broad group of participants and offers numerous venues—both formal and informal—to share ideas and brainstorm solutions. With LSST Science Operations scheduled to begin in October 2022, LSST 2017 focused on the upcoming integration of hardware and software components across the project, as well as detailed planning for LSST Commissioning.

PROJECT NEWS - Noticias del Proyecto

We’ve just received confirmation that the LSST Town Hall at AAS 231 will take place on Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 at 7:30 pm. Given LSST’s increasing focus on commissioning and operations planning, this Town Hall will focus on developments in the planning of LSST’s observing strategy and commissioning policies. Representation from the LSST Corporation and Science Collaborations will also briefly highlight key, ongoing initiatives to help the community prepare for science with LSST.

The countdown to LSST 2017 continues! Don’t forget to review the most recent agenda when making your plans; if you have questions, please ask them on Slack channel #lsst2017 or on the LSST Community forum.

An Ash Dome was safely lifted and installed on the Auxiliary Telescope on Cerro Pachón on August 3. Details about this exciting development can be found in this week’s blog post.

The successful installation of a Camera Data Acquisition System at NCSA in July marks a significant milestone for early integration of Data Management (DM) software with LSST Camera hardware. Read more about it in this recent blog post.

The Data Management (DM) subsystem completed a successful NSF/DOE Review at NCSA on July 25-27. Reviewers concluded that DM has responded appropriately to past recommendations, and that its recent re-planning efforts demonstrate clear progress.

Enormous progress has been made on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) at subcontractor Asturfeito in the last month. The azimuth floor was completed, the surrogate camera and surrogate secondary mirror were sandblasted and prepared for painting, and installation of electrical components is underway. Safety Manager Chuck Gessner, Safety Coordinator Sandra Romero, and Telescope and Site Technical Manager Shawn Callahan visited the contractor’s facility at the end of July to conduct a review of the TMA’s trial assembly and numerous safety mechanisms.

LSST Systems Engineering Manager Brian Selvy was recently one of nine people accepted into the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Institute for Technical Leadership’s third cohort; he attended the cohort’s kick-off meeting in Adelaide, Australia in July. The purpose of the Institute is to accelerate the development of systems engineering leaders who will exemplify the best of the INCOSE organization and the Systems Engineering profession. The program consists of individual and group project work, several face-to-face workshops, and mentoring of the next cohort in the second year.

CORPORATION NEWS

The videos, slides and resources for the lessons given at the Dark Energy Science Collaboration’s July 10th Dark Energy (DE) School, held at Stony Brook University, are now available on the public LSST DESC DE School web page. Topics covered included machine learning & SN classification, cluster cosmology & effects of selection bias, and testing code as you code. The next DE school will be held at SLAC on Feb. 5, 2018.

PERSONNEL

The Education and Public Outreach (EPO) team welcomes Ardis Herrold, who joined LSST full time on July 31. Ardis comes to LSST with many years of experience in astronomy instruction for high school and college level students, and will lead the development of LSST’s formal education program.

Guido Maulen joined LSST as an IT Technician on August 1. Guido will be working in La Serena and will be jointly assisting the Data Management and Telescope and Site teams. Under the LSST Network Architect’s supervision, he will be responsible for the installation, implementation, maintenance, and support of LSST Chilean networks and IT resources.

Dr. Simon Krughoff joined the Data Management subsystem in Tucson as SQuaRE Scientific Lead on August 1. Previously Simon managed the Alert Production Data Management group at the University of Washington; he has extensive experience with LSST pipelines and has been involved in LSST Science Platform work.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

Noticias del Proyecto

Hemos recibido la confirmación de que el LSST Town Hall AAS 231 se llevará a cabo el día miércoles 10 de enero, 2018 a las 7:30 pm. Dado el creciente enfoque de LSST en la puesta en marcha y la planificación de operaciones, este Town Hall se centrará en el desarrollo de la planificación de la estrategia de observación de LSST y las políticas de puesta en marcha. Representación de la Corporación LSST y de las Colaboraciones Científicas también destacarán brevemente las principales iniciativas en curso para ayudar a la comunidad a prepararse para la ciencia con LSST.

La cuenta regresiva para LSST 2017 continúa! No olvides revisar la programación agenda más reciente cuando hagas tus planes; si tienes preguntas, hazlas en el canal de Slack #lsst2017 o en el LSST Community forum.

Un Ash Dome fue levantado e instalado en el Telescopio Auxiliar en Cerro Pachón el 3 de Agosto. Los detalles acerca de este emocionante desarrollo se encuentran en el blog post de esta semana.

La exitosa instalación de un Sistema de Adquisición de Datos de la Cámara en NCSA en Julio marca un hito significativo para la integración temprana de software de Gestión de Datos (DM) con hardware de la cámara de LSST. Leer más sobre esto en este reciente blog post.

El subsistema de Gestión de Datos (DM) completó exitosamente una revisión de la NSF/DOE en NCSA el 25-27 de Julio. Los encargados de la revisión concluyeron que DM ha respondido adecuadamente las recomendaciones anteriores, y que sus recientes esfuerzos de re-planificación demuestran un claro avance. 

Se han realizado un enorme progreso en el Conjunto de Montaje del Telescopio (TMA) donde el subcontratista, Asturfeito en el último mes. El piso acimut fue completado, la cámara suplente y el espejo secundario suplente fueron pulidos y preparados para ser pintados y la instalación de componentes eléctricos está en marcha. El Gerente de Seguridad Chuck Gessner, Coordinadora de Seguridad, Sandra Romero, y el Gerente Técnico de Telescopio y Sitio Shawn Callahan visitaron las instalaciones del contratista a fines de Julio para llevar a cabo una revisión del montaje de prueba de TMA y de varios mecanismos de seguridad.

EL Gerente de Ingeniería de Sistemas de LSST Brian Selvy recientemente fue uno de nueve personas aceptadas en el Consejo Internacional de Ingeniería de Sistemas (INCOSE) Instituto de Liderazgo Técnico de tercera cohorte; asistió a la reunión inicial de la cohorte en Adelaida, Australia en Julio. El propósito del Instituto es acelerar el desarrollo de líderes en ingeniería de sistemas que ejemplificaran lo mejor de la organización INCOSE y de la profesión de Ingeniería de Sistemas. El programa consta de trabajos individuales y de grupo del proyecto, varios seminarios presenciales y tutoría de la próxima cohorte en el segundo año. 

Noticias de la Corporación

Los videos, diapositivas y recursos para las clases dadas en la Escuela de Energía Oscura (DE) de la Colaboración Científica en Energía Oscura el 10 de Julio, que tomó lugar en la Universidad de Stony Brook, están ahora disponibles en el public LSST DESC DE School web page. Los temas incluyeron machine learning & clasificación SN, cosmología cluster y efectos de un sesgo de selección, y pruebas de código mientras se codifica. La próxima de la escuela DE tomará lugar en SLAC el 5 de Febrero, 2018.

Personal

El equipo de Educación y Difusión Pública (EPO) le da la bienvenida a Ardis Herrold, quien se unió a LSST a tiempo completo el 31 de Julio. Ardis llega a LSST con muchos años de experiencia en instrucción de astronomía a estudiantes de colegio y universidad, y liderará el desarrollo de programas de educación formales del LSST. 

Guido Maulen se ha sumado a LSST como Técnico en Informática el 1 de Agosto. Guido estará trabajando en La Serena y estará asistiendo a los equipos de Gestión de Datos y Telescopio y Sitio. Bajo la supervisión del Arquitecto en Redes de LSST, será responsable de la instalación, implementación, mantenimiento y soporte de redes Chilenas de LSST y recursos de informática.

El Dr. Simon Krughoff se ha sumado al subsistema de Gestión de Datos en Tucson como Científico a cargo de SQuaRE el 1 de Agosto. Previamente, Simon administró el grupo de Alerta Producción de Gestión de Datos en la Universidad de Washington; él tiene extensa experiencia con ductos de LSST y ha participado en el trabajo de la Plataforma Científica de LSST.

Próximas reuniones con participación de LSST 

(aquellos con un asterisco* son financiados por LSSTC):

August 4, 2017 – Exciting work took place on calibration hill on Cerro Pachón this week culminating with the Ash Dome being safely lifted onto the Auxiliary Telescope enclosure on August 3rd. LSST Summit Integration Engineer Freddy Muñoz and the LSST summit team first coordinated the assembly of the dome on the ground beside the building. This multi-day process included building a custom spreader bar to position the lifting cables and protect the dome during the lift. The new dome is 30’ in diameter and weights approximately 5 tons. The team had waited several weeks for calm weather so the dome could be gently placed on the circular building. While the lift itself was pretty quick, the team is working on the summit today doing the finishing touches on the installation. Over the coming days, work will focus on fine leveling of the base plate and grouting between the dome and the wall. As described in this earlier story, the 1.2-meter Auxiliary Telescope will measure atmospheric conditions at the site and provide information necessary to calibrate the LSST data throughout the survey.

See the gallery

The Public is invited to attend a FREE Lecture, Thursday, August 17th, 7pm, at the Westin La Paloma Canyon Ballrooms, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive, Tucson, AZ

Learn more on the LSST2017 website.

LSST 2017 is fast approaching! More than 260 participants registered for the August 14-18 meeting, and the detailed agenda has been posted. Changes are still being made, so check back before the meeting to see the most up-to-date version.

July 28, 2017 - The recent installation of a Camera Data Acquisition (DAQ) System at NCSA is a major milestone for early integration of Data Management (DM) software with LSST Camera hardware. This single board system, constructed by the camera team at SLAC and intended to read out the camera, was installed in a rack at NCSA last week, connected through a NCSA-provided DAQ Client and Management (Linux) host. The integrated system is currently emulating a camera, acquiring images which can be read out using custom API software. Jim Parsons, NCSA Level 1 System Lead for LSST, worked with SLAC DAQ physicist Gregg Thayer to ensure the DAQ is fully accessible and the software reliable. The complete system will require 14 such boards to read out the full 3.2 Gpix LSST camera. The remaining boards will be constructed and delivered to DM in February of 2018. Mike Huffer, Subsystem Manager for Data Acquisition at SLAC, was proud of the team and pleased with the preparations and results of this milestone event. The full system will be delivered next year; meanwhile this hardware prototype from SLAC will remain at NCSA for further testing.

Concurrent with the DAQ installation event, a small workshop on data acquisition and system integration was held at NCSA and attended by Data Management, Telescope and Site, and additional Camera staff. 

Image: SLAC physicist Gregg Thayer stands by the first DAQ to be installed at NCSA.