# Presentation: 339869

## NSF Program Update

- Astronomy & Astrophysics Advisory Committee
- 13 February 2006

## Update Topics

- General news
- FY2006 Current Plan
- FY2007 Request
- Grants program
- New Faces in AST
- Senior Review

## General

- ALMA Project
- NA Antenna procurement
- Baseline Review results
- ESO Antenna decision
- Delta Cost review/NA management review
- Late January/February
- Validate cost increase because of two antenna designs
- Examine NA cost and management in depth (NSF led)
- NSB recommendation/action expected May 2006

## General

- NSO – ATST
- NSF Director moved to ‘readiness’ phase
- Environmental Impact study underway
- Partnerships with Air Force and international communities under discussion
- AST continues to provide funding (~$2M) within NSO
- Earliest likely entry to MREFC account is FY2009

## General

- VERITAS
- Draft Environmental Assessment completed in Nov 2005
- Environmental monitoring continues until June 2006
- Held consultation with Tohono O’odham in January
- Progress continues at Whipple Observatory base camp
- Earliest possible construction resumption on Kitt Peak is ~ July 2006

## General

- Virtual Observatory
- MOU between NSF and NASA is circulating for final clearance
- Program solicitation ready for clearance, waiting for MOU signature
- Still anticipate competition in FY2006
- Funds available to ensure smooth transition from NVO development project to VO implementation

## AST FY2006 Budget

-  FY2006 Request $198.64M  (FY2005 + 1.81%)
-  Increases for Physics of the Universe and facilities stewardship (MPS priorities)
-  FY2006 Appropriation - NSF request + ~1% increase for R&RA
-  Rescission of 1.28% - resulting AST budget  ~$199.65M (relative to $195.1M in FY2005)
-  ‘recommended’ $51.4M budget for NRAO
-  $4M over request
- - must be found within existing program budgets

## AST FY2006 Budget

-       **Facilities**
-    	NOAO
-   	NSO
-    	Gemini1
-    	NRAO
-    	NAIC
-    	UROs

- $25.0 M
- $10.0M
- $18.5 M
- $47.4 M
- $10.6 M
- $8.0 M

- Request - $119.5M

- Plan - $122.0M

- $24.55 M
- $10.0 M
- $18.26 M
- $50.74M
- $10.46 M
- $8.0 M

- 1Includes $1M Chilean buy-back

## AST FY2006 Budget

-  **Astronomy Research & Instrumentation - **
** **Request  - $79.1 M
- - up 4% from FY2005
- - increase directed primarily toward Physics of the Universe
-  Current Plan - $77.6 M
- - ‘additional’ funds allocated above request directed 	toward Physics of the Universe
- - source of funds for NRAO earmark
- 	ATI program new awards curtailed
-  Includes $4M for LSST and $2M for GSMT TDP
-  Includes ‘cyberinfrastructure’ funds for NVO start

## FY2007 Budget Request

- FY2007 Request for AST $215.11M
- 	 (FY2006 + 7.7% or $15.5M)
-  Facilities base operations budgets held level pending outcome of senior review
-  Increases for:
-  GSMT ($5M, up $3M)
-  TSIP ($4M, up $2M)
-  AODP ($1.5M, restored)
-  Physics of the Universe activities enhanced
-  Elementary Particle Physics - dark energy, dark matter studies (with Physics Division)
-  Research grants programs up overall
-  Gemini future instrumentation

## MPS by Division 

## MPS Ten-Year Funding History

## MPS Ten-Year Funding History

## FY2006 Budget and AST Grants Programs

-   Impact of changes at NASA
-  Seeing strong increase in proposal pressure
-  Research grants proposals up 20% in FY2006
- (following 15% increase in FY2005)
-  Budget in FY2006 is NOT increasing
-  Increased interaction with NASA colleagues
-  Joint staff meetings
-  Coordinating reviews and funding recommendations

## AST Grants Programs

- Trends in AAG program
- Has grown significantly in past 5 years
- Number of proposals
- Budget
- Success rate
- Typical award size
- But proposal pressure is increasing rapidly
- Anticipate substantial decreases in success rate

## AAG Program Evolution FY1996-2006

## AAG Program Evolution FY1995-2006

## New Faces in AST	

- Dr. Phil Puxley
- Coming from Gemini South
- Permanent program manager for AST facilities
- Dr. Wei Zheng
- Program officer in AAG programs
- Visiting scientist from Johns Hopkins
- Dr. Thomas Barnes
- Program officer for national facilities and large projects
- Visiting appointment from University of Texas

## NSF Division of Astronomical SciencesSenior ReviewUpdate

## AST Budget FY1995-2006

## Total of Decadal Survey recommendations

- ___________________________________________

## “Senior Review”

- Process
- Established web site for information
- _[http://www.](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[nsf](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[.](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[gov](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[/mps/](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[ast](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[/](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[ast](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[_senior_review.jsp](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)_
- Requested community input to email: astsenior_review@nsf.gov
- Held regional town meetings
- Boston, Minneapolis, Clemson, DC, Boulder, Berkeley, AAS meeting
- AST visiting all facilities to meet with staff and management
- AST exploring implications of all issues identified. e.g. facility closure, divestiture

## “Senior Review”

- Committee Membership
-  (subcommittee of MPS Advisory Committee)
- Roger Blandford - Stanford (Chair)

- John Huchra - Harvard
- Elizabeth Lada - U. Florida
- Malcolm Longair - Cambridge
- J. Patrick Looney - Brookhaven
- Bruce Partridge - Haverford
- Vera Rubin - Carnegie/DTM

- Tom Ayres - Colorado
- Donald Backer - UC Berkeley
- John Carlstrom - Chicago
- Karl Gebhardt - Texas, Austin
- Lynne Hillenbrand - Caltech
- Craig Hogan - U. Washington

- Charge posted on the web
- _[http://www.](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[nsf](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[.](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)__[.jsp](http://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast/ast_senior_review.jsp)_

## “Senior Review”

- First meeting of committee 19-21 October 2005
- Included sessions with facilities managers and directors
- Considered
- Observatory submissions
- Reports from O/IR and Radio long-range planning groups
- Common metrics from all facilities
- Community comments
-  Committee began framing criteria for evaluation
- AST provided examples of options for action
- Committee developed second set of questions for facility managers to address before next meeting

## “Senior Review”

- Committee met 12-13 January 2006
- Included second session with facilities managers and directors
-  Next meeting end of February
- Requested report by 31 March 2006
- But committee to take as much time as needed

## “Senior Review”

- Next Steps
- Report will be submitted to MPS AC for acceptance
- AST will formulate an implementation plan
- Some recommendations may require additional exploration
- Bring plan to community (Special session at Calgary AAS, regional town meetings)
- CAA will be consulted as AST acts on recommendations
- Results will inform FY2008 budget development at the earliest (i.e. change will not be visible immediately).

## Stewardship and Science

- NSF is steward of ground-based astronomy
- Committee asked to help us in that stewardship
- Fabric of science must be far deeper and richer than Decade priority list
- Much of the structure is taken for granted
- Examine that fabric – be certain pulling a thread doesn’t unravel it all
- Scientific capability for the future
- Broad community support for the program

## The Question

- “The question for all of us is to judge whether these changes are viable and lead to a vital and sustainable future, or whether the pace and scope of change necessary to realize the cumulative aspirations of the community under severely constrained budgets are too drastic.”

## Slide 29

## Operating budgets and grant increments to realize the Decadal Survey recommendations

- ___________________________________________