April 28, 2017 - The third session of the LSSTC Data Science Fellowship Program(DSFP), hosted jointly by NOAO and the University of Arizona, took place this week in Tucson. The Data Science Fellowship Program is a two-year training program supported primarily by the LSST Corporationthrough its Enabling Science Initiative, with additional contributions from Northwestern University. The program is designed to teach astronomy students essential skills that will prepare them to work with big data from LSST. It provides a valuable complement for current graduate programs in astronomy, which typically do not include data science coursework. The future of astronomy is inexorably linked to big data, so it’s critical that tomorrow’s astronomers develop skills to help them navigate the vast landscape of information produced by LSST.

This week’s session in Tucson focused specifically on databases and scalable programming. Now that the course is complete, participants will return to their graduate studies with new skills that will benefit themselves and their institutions. In the words of program director Lucianne Walkowicz, “While we can’t teach every student in astronomy, we are empowering our students not only to learn these skills, but to go out and teach their peers too.”

In return for hosting the DSFP on its campus, the University of Arizona was given the opportunity to select four students to audit this session. The students were chosen by U of A based on their interest in acquiring data science skills and the likelihood that they will apply these skills to their future studies. As a result of this course, U of A will boast its own core group of experts in the use of databases and parallel programming that enables analyses to scale to large datasets like those produced by LSST. Additionally, the students will have access to social media channels shared by DSFP students so they can continue to be part of the larger community of future LSST users.

The DSFP is especially grateful for Dara Norman's (NOAO) leadership in coordinating this week's session. For more details about the DSFP program, click here.

April 27, 2017 - Further progress has been made on the Spanish pier. Both azimuth supports are now in place on the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA), and the main connecting I-beam, known as the "keel," has been attached between them. The orange banks of capacitors were pre-installed on the keel beam prior to its attachment. 

April 21, 2017 –  Fabrication of the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) continues in Spain. The large steel structural components that make up the azimuth assembly are painted and undergoing installation on the Spanish pier. A previous post explained the duplicate Spanish pier will be used to support the trial assembly and testing of the TMA prior to its demolition and subsequent reinstallation of the TMA on site in Chile. 

The elevation drive arc, which was machined in March, recently underwent test fitting of aluminum surrogate motor magnets. Meanwhile, the motor magnets have been installed in the azimuth track and covered with plywood to keep them from attracting metal fragments during the assembly process. During operation, the motor magnets in the azimuth and elevation assemblies will allow the telescope to rotate smoothly and quietly on both axes.

The two azimuth supports were inspected and coated this month; one has been lifted into place and positioned, and the second support is awaiting installation. The enormous scale of the TMA is hard to represent in photos; for perspective, the “small” box you can see behind the azimuth assembly in the photo below is actually an office with space for several employees!

April 21, 2017 –  Fabrication of the Telescope Mount Assembly (TMA) continues in Spain.   The large steel structural components that make up the azimuth assembly are painted and undergoing installation on the Spanish pier.  A previous post explained the duplicate Spanish pier will be used to support the trial assembly and testing of the TMA prior to its demolition and subsequent reinstallation of the TMA on site in Chile. 

The elevation drive arc, which was machined in March, recently underwent test fitting of aluminum surrogate motor magnets. Meanwhile, the motor magnets have been installed in the azimuth track and covered with plywood to keep them from attracting metal fragments during the assembly process. During operation, the motor magnets in the azimuth and elevation assemblies will allow the telescope to rotate smoothly and quietly on both axes.

The two azimuth supports were inspected and coated this month; one has been lifted into place and positioned, and the second support awaiting installation. The enormous scale of the TMA is hard to represent in photos; for perspective, the “small” box you can see behind the azimuth assembly in the photo below is actually an office with space for several employees!

April 7, 2017 - Last week was an “other duties as necessary” kind of work week for LSST Graphic Designer Emily Acosta and Telescope Site Manager Eduardo Serrano. Emily traveled from Tucson to Cerro Pachón to meet a nine-member multimedia team directed by Alison Rose of Inigo Films and to coordinate with Eduardo so the media team’s work didn’t interfere with ongoing construction activities. Inigo Films was contracted to document the current state of construction via drone film footage, time-lapse sequences, panorama images, and full dome clips. The assets will be archived in LSST’s upcoming digital asset management system for project viewing and later use in Education and Public Outreach (EPO) programs.

It was important the multimedia work was accomplished safely and with minimum disruption to construction activities. Emily found herself doing a little of everything from coordinating meal schedules, to communicating with site safety managers, to shuttling people and equipment up and down the summit all the while coordinating with Eduardo and Safety Managers Sandra Romero and Giovanni Corvetto.

For five days, Alison directed components of the multimedia efforts. A four-member Santiago-based camera team gathered still photos and video footage with RED cameras, which generate images in higher resolution than HD. At night, astrophotographer Malcom Park captured photos of the Milky Way for time-lapse videos. He also employed a fisheye lens to capture spectacular whole-sky shots, which will be ideal for future planetarium presentations. Finally, a crew of three drone operators spent two days using a Freely heavy-duty Alta Drone, carrying another RED camera, to document construction activity from above.

The group had the fortunate timing to be on the summit for an important project milestone: the arrival of European Industrial Engineering (EIE), the LSST Dome vendor. With EIE joining Besalco, two contractors are simultaneously working on the summit, which makes careful coordination of everyone’s activities even more critical for safety and efficiency. Emily stayed in close contact with Eduardo, Sandra, and Giovanni to ensure the media team could safely access areas as needed to get the most effective images. Media team members followed all safety protocols and wore safety vests and hard hats while they worked in the construction zone, and securely clipped into harnesses when necessary for fall protection.

Documenting the construction process for LSST will result in valuable visual material for construction documentation and LSST’s EPO program. A big thank you to the staff at Cerro Pachón, who all pitched in to graciously host the group during this media project. 

^{Photo credit NSF / LSST / AURA unless otherwise noted.}

Project Scientist Dr. Željko Ivezić talks about LSST and Asteroid Day, June 30, 2017.   
(00:01:22)

PROJECT NEWS - Para español, vea abajo

A team from LSST traveled to Germany for the Coating Plant Final Design Review on March 20th-24th. In Dresden, the team inspected the coating chamber to ensure all the appropriate program requirements will be met. They then traveled to Deggendorf to inspect the progress of the vacuum vessels. More information and images can be seen here.

LSST leadership will be in Washington, DC, April 3 – 7, for a two-day meeting of the AURA Management Council for LSST (AMCL).  This oversight body meets three times a year to discuss technical progress and review its fiduciary responsibilities for the LSST construction project.  Priority topics this time include the Data Management replan and Operations planning.  While in DC, S. Kahn, B. Willman, and V. Krabbendam will visit the congressional appropriations committee staff, the Office of Management and Budget, and participate in the LSSTC meeting (see below).

The LSST Systems Engineering group held their regular monthly Risk Review this week, focusing now on schedule risks.  Work also continues on verification planning as well as transferring the Systems Engineering model to MagicDraw from Enterprise Architect.  A response to the final report from the DOE/NSF commissioning review has been completed, with Systems Scientist Chuck Claver consolidating responses to the 28 recommendations received.  

From Cerro Pachón, the news is that “Italy has landed in Chile”, meaning that initial shipments from our Dome Vendor have arrived and the EIE team now shares the summit with the Chilean Besalco firm.  The two teams will work simultaneously and in close proximity for the next several months, moving construction forward swiftly and safely.

CORPORATION NEWS

The LSST Corporation Board and Member Representatives will have a face-to-face meeting in Washington, DC, next week.  Operations planning will be a priority topic of discussion.  In addition, Institutional Members and their Government Relations Officers have scheduled meetings to update their Congressional representatives about LSST and promote the value of scientific research.

PERSONNEL NEWS

Ranpal Gill joined the Project Office in Tucson this week as a Senior Manager, providing technical and programmatic support to Project Manager Victor Krabbendam in a variety of areas.  Ranpal brings considerable expertise and experience in project controls and project management to LSST and will initially be involved with risk management as well as schedule and budget concerns. Ranpal worked previously in project controls with the European Space Agency and also in the banking industry.

Kristen Metzger has joined the LSST team in Tucson as a Science Writer, dividing her time between Education and Public Outreach and Communications. Kristen will assist with the website text and captions, the Weekly Digest, and our soon-to-be implemented Digital Asset Management system for organizing multimedia products. She previously worked at Reid Park Zoo in Tucson on a variety of coordination, communication, and educational projects.

Andrew Serio has joined LSST as the Telescope Systems Engineer, supporting the Telescope and Site (T&S) Group in maintaining requirements documents and ensuring that all requirements are properly controlled by all stakeholders. Andrew will also assist the T&S Assembly, Integration and Verification (AIV) team in developing the necessary strategy for the verification process in Chile. Previously, Andrew was the Systems Engineer for GeMS during its verification and commissioning phase. Andrew began his LSST employment in the Chile office this week and will be transitioning to Tucson soon.

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

Noticias del Proyecto

Un equipo de LSST viajó a Alemania para la Revisión del Diseño Final de la Plante de Recubrimiento en Marzo 20 al 24. En Dresden, el equipo inspeccionó la cámara de recubrimiento para asegurar que todos los requisitos adecuados del programa serán cumplidos. Luego viajaron a Deggendorf para inspeccionar el progreso de los recipientes de vacío. Más información e imágenes pueden verse aquí.

El liderazgo de LSST estará en Washington, DC, Abril 3 - 7, para una reunión de dos días del Consejo de Gerencia de AURA para LSST (AMCL). Este órgano de supervisión se reúne tres veces al año para discutir los avances técnicos y revisar sus responsabilidades fiduciarias para el proyecto de construcción de LSST. Esta vez los temas prioritarios incluyen la re planificación de Gestión de Datos y la planificación de operaciones.  Mientras estén en DC, S. Kahn, B. Willman y V. Krabbendam visitarán el comité de apropiaciones del congreso, funcionarios de la Oficina de Administración y Presupuesto, y participaran en la reunión LSSTC (vea más abajo). 

El grupo de Ingeniería de Sistemas LSST tuvo su mensual Revisión de Riesgos esta semana, centrándose ahora en el programa de riesgos. También continúa el trabajo de planificación de la verificación, así como la transferencia del modelo de Ingeniería de Sistemas a MagicDraw de Enterprise Architect. Una respuesta al informe final de revisión de puesta en marcha de DOE/NSF se ha completado, con el Científico de Sistemas Chuck Claver consolidando respuestas a las 28 recomendaciones recibidas.  

Desde Cerro Pachón, la noticia es que "Italia ha llegado en Chile", lo que significa que los envíos iniciales de nuestro Dome Vendor han llegado y que el equipo EIE ahora comparte el sitio con la empresa chilena Besalco. Los dos equipos funcionarán simultáneamente y en estrecha proximidad durante los próximos meses, moviendo el avance de construcción rápidamente y de forma segura.

Noticias de la Corporación

La Junta de la Corporación LSST y los Miembros Representantes tendrán una reunion cara a cara en Washington, DC, la próxima semana. La planificación de operaciones será un tema prioritario de discusión. Además, los Miembros Institucionales y sus Oficiales de Relaciones con el Gobierno han programado reuniones para actualizar a sus representantes en el Congreso sobre LSST y promover el valor de la investigación científica.

Noticias de Personal

Ranpal Gill se unió a la Oficina del Proyecto en Tucson esta semana como Senior Manager, proporcionando apoyo técnico y programático para Project Manager Victor Krabbendam en una variedad de áreas. Ranpal aporta considerables conocimientos y experiencia en gestión de proyectos y controles de proyecto para LSST y estará inicialmente involucrada con la gestión de riesgos, así como la planificación y presupuesto. Ranpal trabajó anteriormente en controles de proyecto con la Agencia Espacial Europea y también en el sector bancario.

Kristen Metzger se ha unido al equipo de LSST en Tucson como Escritor Científico, dividiendo su tiempo entre Educación y Difusión Pública y Comunicaciones. Kristen ayudará con texto del sitio web, el Weekly Digest y nuestro pronto-a-ser implementado Sistema de Gestión de Activos Digitales para organizar los productos multimedia. Ella trabajó anteriormente en el Reid Park Zoo en Tucson en una variedad de proyectos de coordinación, comunicación y educativos.

Andrew serio se ha sumado a LSST como Ingeniero de Sistemas del Telescopio, apoyando al Grupo de Telescopio y Sitio (T&S) para mantener documentos de requisitos y garantizar que todos los requisitos estén adecuadamente controlados por todos los interesados. Andrew también ayudará al Montaje T&S, al equipo de Integración y Verificación (AIV) para desarrollar la estrategia necesaria para el proceso de verificación en Chile. Anteriormente, Andrew fue el Ingeniero de Sistemas para GeMS durante su fase de verificación y puesta en marcha. Andrew comenzó su empleo con LSST en la oficina de Chile esta semana y hará su transición a Tucson pronto.

Próximas reuniones con participación LSST 

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

PROJECT NEWS - Para español, vea abajo

Several members of the LSST team are visiting the Von Ardenne GmbH facility in Dresden, Germany, this week for a Final Design Review of the Coating Plant.  Meanwhile, on Cerro Pachón in Chile, our web cam shows the progress being made on the summit facility with the extensive steel structure of the main building evident and the floor structures inside the dome also extending about the ring wall. Multiple cranes have been working simultaneously on the lower enclosure in preparation for the arrival of the Dome system vendor.

The camera team at SLAC and BNL has now accepted delivery of enough science-grade sensors to complete three rafts.  Fabrication of the second raft is beginning.  Each raft holds 9 sensors; a total of 189 sensors on 21 rafts are required to complete the LSST camera focal plane.  Also, the cryostat grid that holds the rafts in place has been fabricated and delivered to SLAC for testing

The LSST Education and Public Outreach (EPO) has organized a multimedia team to be on Cerro Pachón next week, accompanied by Emily Acosta and several other Site staff,  to document the current state of construction via drone film footage, time-lapse sequences, panorama images, and full dome clips.  The assets will be archived in LSST’s upcoming digital asset management system for project viewing and later use in EPO programs.

Mark your calendar for this year’s Asteroid Day - June 30th, 2017, an annual event organized by the B612 Foundation to raise awareness of the important of early detection of potentially hazardous asteroids.  LSST has been offered an hour of time during the 24-hour live, world-wide, satellite broadcast from Luxembourg dedicated to all things asteroid.  Planning has begun and more information will follow.

AURA hosted former astronaut and co-founder of the B612 Foundation, Russell Schweickart in Chile this week. The tour of the mountain-tops included a tour of the LSST site with a high degree of interest in the near earth object discovery capability of the LSST. As a reminder, check out the LSST Logo storefront at Lands’ End.  There are currently two LSST logos to choose from and they can be applied to most items in the Lands’ End product line.

CORPORATION NEWS

LSST Science Collaboration Coordinator Lucianne Walkowicz is quoted in the March 23rd edition of Wired Magazine, in an article titled “Astronomers Don’t Point This Telescope—The Telescope Points Them”! The article describes the value of “blind surveys” (like LSST, WFIRST, and the soon to be dedicated HETDEX experiment) for finding rare, interesting objects which are then investigated in the traditional single-observer mode of observational astronomy. 

The LSST Science Advisory Committee (SAC) met on March 5.  Minutes and recommendations from that meeting are available at the SAC website.  The topics covered include the LSST observing strategy and community input into the decision-making process, as well as the plans for LSST commissioning and the distribution of commissioning data to the community. 

UPCOMING MEETINGS with LSST INVOLVEMENT

(those with asterisk* are LSSTC funded):

Noticias del Proyecto

Varios miembros del  equipo LSST están visitando la planta de Von Ardenne GmbH en Dresden, Alemania, esta semana para una Revisión Final del Diseño de la Planta de Revestimiento. Mientras tanto, en Cerro Pachón en Chile, nuestra web cam muestra los progresos realizados en las instalaciones de la cumbre con la amplia estructura de acero del edificio principal evidente y las estructuras de pisos al interior de la cúpula que también se extiende sobre la pared del anillo. Varias grúas han trabajado simultáneamente en el lower enclosure en preparación para la llegada del proveedor del sistema de la cúpula.

El equipo de cámara en SLAC Y BNL ha aceptado la entrega de suficientes sensores de grado científico para completar tres rafts. La fabricación del segundo raft está comenzando. Cada raft contiene 9 sensores; un total de 189 sensores en 21 rafts son necesarios para completar el plano focal de la cámara de LSST. Asimismo, la cuadrícula de criostato que contiene los rafts en lugar ha sido fabricada y entregada a SLAC para pruebas.

El departamento de Educación y Difusión Pública de LSST (EPO) ha organizado un equipo multimedia en Cerro Pachón la próxima semana, acompañado por Emily Acosta y varios otros funcionarios del Sitio,  a fin de documentar el estado actual de la construcción a través de filmaciones drone, secuencias time-lapse , imágenes panorámicas, y full dome clips. Los activos serán archivados en digital asset management system de LSST para visualización del proyecto y posterior uso en programas de EPO.

Marque su calendario para el Asteroid Day - Junio 30th, 2017, de este año, un evento anual organizado por la B612 Foundation para crear conciencia de la importancia de la detección precoz de los asteroides potencialmente peligrosos. Se le ha ofrecido a LSST una hora de tiempo durante las 24 horas de la radiodifusión por satélite en directo en todo el mundo, desde Luxemburgo dedicado a todas las cosas asteroide.  Se ha iniciado la planificación y se dará más información. 

AURA recibió a un ex astronauta y co-fundador de la Fundación B612, Russell Schweickart en Chile esta semana. El recorrido de la montaña incluyó una excursión al sitio de LSST con un alto grado de interés en la capacidad de detección de objetos cercanos a la tierra de LSST. Como recordatorio, vea LSST Logo storefront en Lands' End.  Actualmente existen dos logotipos LSST para elegir y pueden aplicarse a la mayoría de los artículos de la línea de productos de Lands' End.

Noticias de la Corporación

La Coordinadora de la Colaboración Científica de LSST Lucianne Walkowicz es citada en la edición del 23 de marzo de la revista Wired, en un artículo titulado "Astronomers Don’t Point This Telescope—The Telescope Points Them"! El artículo describe el valor de las “encuestas a ciegas” (como LSST, WFIRST, y el experimento HETDEX) para encontrar objetos raros e interesantes que luego son investigados en el modo tradicional de observador único de la observación astronómica.  

El Comité Asesor de Ciencias LSST (SAC) se reunió el 5 de marzo. Minutas y recomendaciones de esa reunión están disponibles en SAC website. Los temas tratados incluyen la estrategia de observación de LSST y aportes de la comunidad en el proceso de toma de decisiones, así como los planes para la puesta en marcha y la distribución de datos LSST de puesta en servicio a la comunidad.  

Próximas reuniones con participación LSST 

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