AST Update

1
AST Update

• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Advisory Committee
• 10 May 2007

2
Topics

• FY2007 Budget Situation
• FY2008 Request
• FY2009 Budget planning
• Senior Review Status and Town Meetings
• Separate discussion this afternoon
• Next Decadal Survey planning
• Interagency perspectives?

3
FY2007 Budget Request/Current Plan

• Request for AST 215.11M
• (FY2006 7.7 or 15.5M)
• NSF request shaped by American Competitiveness
  Initiative
• 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

4
Current FY2007 Budget Situation

• Current Plan approved by Congress
• Now allocated at FY2007 Request levels.
• MREFC funded at FY2006 levels, but ALMA increase
  of 16M accommodated in FY2007 by reducing
  funding for new starts (OOI, NEON)
• Proposal submission up 10 in AAG
• Success rates likely to be 20 (were 24 in FY06
  from 35 in FY03)

5
FY 2008 MPS Focus Areas

• Physical sciences at the nanoscale
• Science beyond Moores Law
• Physics of the universe
• Complex systems
• Fundamental mathematical and statistical science
• Sustainability
• Cyber-enabled Discovery and Innovation

6
MPS Budgets by Division
7
MPS Facilities in Operation
1The NOAO total includes funding for
instrumentation programs that build
public-private partnerships. In FY 2008, the
Telescope System Instrumentation Program is
funded at 5 million. The Adaptive Optics
Development Program is funded at 1.5 million,
level with FY 2007 request, but moves into the
disciplinary instrumentation program and so no
longer appears in the NOAO budget in FY 2008.
The base NOAO/NSO program funding increases by
3.63 million over the FY 2007 request .
8
FY2008 Budget Request for AST

• Request for AST 232.97M (FY2007 8.3 or
  17.9M)
• Facilities base operations budgets begin to show
  impact of Senior Review recommendations
• NOAO 2.3M for reinvestment
• NSO 1.3M for ATST
• NRAO 2M for ALMA ops
• NAIC base reduction, hidden by termination costs
  and necessary maintenance
• Increases for
• TSIP (5M, up 1M)
• Research, instrumentation grants programs
• New program of instrumentation fellowships
• Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics
  Research and Education (PAAR, NSF 07-561)
• GSMT continues at FY07 level

9
MREFC Request
10
MPS Budgets by Division
11
AAG Program Evolution FY1996-2006

12
AAG Program Evolution FY1995-2007
13
FY2009 Budget planning

• Topics central to AST
• ACI focus areas
• - research Investment in cutting-edge basic
  research whose quality is bolstered by merit
  review and that focuses on fundamental
  discoveries to produce valuable and marketable
  technologies, processes, and techniques
• - fellows ? Institutions of higher education
  that provide American students access to
  world-class education and research opportunities
  in mathematics, science, engineering, and
  technology.
• - research infrastructure Investment in the
  tools of sciencefacilities and instruments that
  enable discovery and developmentparticularly
  unique, expensive, or large-scale tools beyond
  the means of a single organization
• Cyber-related activities
• Transformational research

14
Decadal Survey Planning

• How to get input from the community
• Committee/panel structure should it be
  technique or science-based?
• Membership should those who are not astronomers
  be included? International representation?
• Structure of the recommendations prioritization
  across categories, or just within, e.g. space
  ground, major moderate small, etc
• What boundaries are placed on the scientific
  scope of the survey e.g. solar, particle
  astrophysics
• How to make our survey stand out from the crowd
• How to get realistic estimates of costs (and
  uncertainties in costs) of projects
• How to address previously recommended projects
  that have not been completed
• How to make the process flexible and responsive
  to changes in mid-decade
• How to incorporate consideration of realistic
  budgetary outlook
• International Coordination
• Consideration of Existing Infrastructure -
  process of Senior Review

15
Community Input is Essential

• Email input astsenior-review_at_nsf.gov
• Decade Survey planning input Astro2010_at_nas.edu

16
Senior Review Status

• AST has begun implementation plan
• Consult facilities managers
• Consult agency partners, CAA, AAAC,
• Taking implementation plan to community
• Town meeting series started in Seattle at AAS
• Ann Arbor, Washington, DC, Santa Cruz, Princeton,
  Atlanta, Tucson
• Extensive community consultation
• Clarify recommendations listen to concerns
  understand impacts
• Exert the NSF leadership that the Senior Review
  urged
• Building new relationship with the community
• Finding wide acceptance of review and strong
  support for carrying it out direct result of an
  open, consultative process
• Welcome constructive comments to email address
• astsenior-review_at_nsf.gov

17
Developing an NSF Response and Implementation Plan

• AST is working closely with facilities to
  understand implications of recommendations as we
  consider possible implementation
• NSF is active in encouraging and engaging in
  discussion with other possible partners in
  facility operations, including international
  partners and other funding agencies.
• NASA for Arecibo, VLBA, GONG
• Puerto Rico
• International agency meetings convened by AST
• AST is working with the community and NOAO to
  determine where re-investment in existing OIR
  facilities should occur and in the development of
  an integrated and coordinated System
• Upcoming workshops

18
Developing an NSF Response and Implementation Plan

• AST is undertaking detailed cost reviews of each
  observatory necessary to understand where cost
  reductions can be made
• Understand operational costs, appropriate
  staffing levels
• Consider other operational and business models
• Hope to complete within next 6 to 8 months,
  perhaps seeking outside advice
• Explore costs and legal issues associated with
  recommendations e.g. environmental,
  deconstruction, divestiture, termination costs
  engaging outside studies over the next year
• Many changes will take several years to implement
  Budget implications in FY2009
• Now also beginning the forward look - What can we
  accomplish as funds become available?

19
Cost Reviews

• We have a 50 year tradition of operations that we
  must examine, both for now and for future
  facilities
• Can current level of service be delivered for
  less?
• Some opinions based on university-scale ops
• Hidden subsidies, etc.
• We all must understand the costs thoroughly
• NSF, facilities, and community must look at
  different service models
• Changes similar to those at NAIC may be necessary
  at all AST facilities
• NSF will support efforts towards implementation
  of recommendations by managing organizations.

20
Decadal Survey Planning

• How to get input from the community
• Committee/panel structure should it be
  technique or science-based?
• Membership should those who are not astronomers
  be included? International representation?
• Structure of the recommendations prioritization
  across categories, or just within, e.g. space
  ground, major moderate small, etc
• What boundaries are placed on the scientific
  scope of the survey e.g. solar, particle
  astrophysics
• How to make our survey stand out from the crowd
• How to get realistic estimates of costs (and
  uncertainties in costs) of projects
• How to address previously recommended projects
  that have not been completed
• How to make the process flexible and responsive
  to changes in mid-decade
• How to incorporate consideration of realistic
  budgetary outlook
• International Coordination
• Consideration of Existing Infrastructure -
  process of Senior Review

21
Community Input is Essential

• Email input astsenior-review_at_nsf.gov
• Decade Survey planning input Astro2010_at_nas.edu

22
(No Transcript)