Vision and Voyages for Planetary Science in the - Solar System ...

NSF INSTRUMENTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Ground-Based Astronomical Facilities
Importantly, the NSF is the largest federal funding agency for ground-based astronomy in the
US, supporting five national observatories:
• The National Optical Astronomy Observatory,
• The Gemini Observatory,
• The National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center,
• The National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and
• The National Solar Observatory
These facilities are collectively known as the National Observatories.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
The NOAO operates two 4-meter and other smaller telescopes at the Kitt Peak National
Observatory in Arizona and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile. NOAO plays a
valuable role within the optical-infrared astronomical system. It provides merit-based access to the
telescopes directly under NOAO management, it administers the Telescope System Instrumentation
Program (TSIP) (see below) and other merit-based funds for access to a broader range of apertures
and instruments operated by other institutions, and it serves as a community advocate and facilitator
for LSST (see below) and an eventual U.S. role in extremely large telescopes.
Gemini Observatory
The Gemini Observatory operates two 8-m optical telescopes, one in the southern and one in
the northern hemisphere in an international partnership. These telescopes and their associated
instrumentation, including adaptive optics and spectroscopy in the near- and mid-infrared, are very
important for planetary studies. Gemini’s diffraction-limited mid-infrared imaging capability is
particularly so. The Gemini international partnership agreement is currently under renegotiation, and
the United Kingdom, which holds a 25 percent stake, has announced its intent to withdraw from the
consortium in 2012. This eventuality would provide a good opportunity for increasing the U.S. share
of Gemini, and also presents an opportunity for restructuring the complex governance and
management structure. The Gemini partnership might consider the advantages of stronger scientific
coordination with NASA mission planning needs.
The National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center
NAIC operates the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. As noted in the preceding discussion
of observatories that receive some NASA support, Arecibo is a unique and important radar facility
that plays a particularly important role in NEO studies.
The National Radio Astronomy Observatory
NRAO operates the Very Large Array (VLA), the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), and
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