NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences

1
NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences

• AAAC
• October 15-16, 2009
• Craig Foltz

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Summary

• AST Budget Overview
• Retrospective look
• FY 2009 ARRA
• Looking forward
• Status of Senior Review implementation
• Changes in AST
• Recent Activities and Actions

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MPS Budget trends
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MPS budget trends (cont.)
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AST Budget trends
10 year doubling
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FY 2009 Budget Plan FY 2010 Budget Request
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FY2009 spending(including American Reinvestment
and Recovery Act, ARRA)
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ARRA Funding

• As shown, roughly 2/3 for grants and 1/3 for
  overdue facility infrastructure improvements and
  preconstruction activities.
• Quite strong restrictions some suggested
  spending not permitted funds bring additional
  reporting requirements.
• Success rate in research grants program (AAG)
  rose from last years 21 to a healthy 36.
• Risk exaggerated even if all awards were 3 years
  (they werent) and all of them came back in
  exactly 3 years (which they wont), only a 15
  increase, which we have seen and handled before.
• Yes, the funding rate will not be this high in
  future.
• Increases for CAREER (low success rate anyway)
  and Graduate Research Fellowships.
• Infrastructure improvements long overdue but the
  problem persists.

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FY 2010 Budget Request

• AST Total 250.8 M (increase of 10 over FY
  2009)
• Facilities 141 M (56)
• Gemini - 19.1 M
• NAIC - 8.4 M
• NOAO - 27.5 M
• NSO - 9.1 M
• NRAO - 67.1 M
• UROs - 10 M
• Research and Education Grants 110 M total (44)
• Roughly 45M for AAG 37 M for instrumentation
• 25 M for special programs (AAPF, CAREER, REU,
  Cyberinfrastructure, NSF-wide, etc)

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Budget Projections?

• Administration, congressional support for NSF
  budget doubling over 10 years.
• How will AST fare in this growth?
• Administration priorities not well aligned with
  AST
• Green energy
• Climate change
• Short term economic recovery
• But historically AST has tracked NSF RRA quite
  well

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AST Budget trends
NSF projection
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Status of Senior Review Recommendations

• VLBA - non-AST funding for 50 of VLBA operations
  or closure.
• NRAO pursuing partnerships, prospects look very
  good
• GONG - non-AST support of operations or
  termination, one year after successful SDO
  commissioning.
• NSO pursuing partnership with US Air Force
  Weather Agency
• Carry out cost reviews of all facilities
• Completed by external firm, report in hand, will
  be working with observatories to institute
  (minor) cost savings over next years
• NAIC (next slide)

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National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC)

• Recommendation to ramp budget down to 8M by
  2010, 4M in following years. Seek non-AST
  support to maintain operations or closure
• NSF Atmospheric Sciences increasing contribution
  to operations
• NSF (AST, ATM) will compete the next cooperative
  agreement for the management and operation of
  NAIC.
• Recommendations of the 2006 AST Senior Review are
  being factored into planning.
• NSF expects to issue a detailed program
  solicitation in fall 2009, with full proposals
  due six months following publication.
• Expected to lead to the award of a single,
  five-year cooperative agreement for the
  management and operation of NAIC for 2011-2015.

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Changes in AST

• FY2009 was a remarkably unusual year.
• The Division of Astronomical Sciences has been
  without a full-time Division Director for 18
  months.
• We have been without an Deputy Division Director
  for 4 months.
• We have an open permanent PO position.
• We have a rotator leaving this month, a year
  before anticipated.
• Since there was no back-fill, we will soon be
  short 3-4 Program Officers. The added strain of
  ARRA was clearly felt.
• Interviews for DD and DDD are later this month
  but the most optimistic start is January 2010,
  probably significantly later.
• Permanent PO hiring has closed IPA is now open
  (until November 20).
• New management can change the divisions
  direction.
• Limited staff lack the leisure for planning.

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Recent Activities and Actions

• NRAO Cooperative Agreement with AUI extended for
  five years.
• NOAO Cooperative Agreement with AURA extended for
  54 months.
• NSO now has its own Cooperative Agreement, also
  with AURA for 54 months.
• Gemini partnership in flux. May have budgetary
  consequences.
• MRI R2 and ARI proposals (both ARRA) under
  review.
• ATST FDR and NSB action.

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(No Transcript)
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NSB Approval of ATST Construction

• On August 6, 2009, the National Science Board
  approved an award to be derived from 146,000,000
  of ARRA funds and 151,928,000 of appropriated
  MREFC funds, in accordance with the following
  resolution
• RESOLVED, that the National Science Board
  authorizes the Director at his discretion to
  issue an eight-year award to the Association of
  Universities for Research in Astronomy for a
  not-to-exceed amount of 297,928,000 for the
  construction of the Advanced Technology Solar
  Telescope. This award will be contingent upon
  the publication of a record of decision
  authorizing the commencement of construction.

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Construction Cost Estimate
FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017
FY 2009 Appropriations 7,000 - - - - - - -
ARRA of 2009 146,000 - - - - - - -
Proposed Funding 10,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 14,928
Total 163,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 20,000 14,928
Cumulative 163,000 183,000 203,000 223,000 243,000 263,000 283,000 297,928
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Construction Cost Estimate (cont.)

• Costs are in spent-year dollars calculated with
  current OMB escalators.
• 32.9 contingency based on Monte Carlo
  simulations for 95 confidence.
• Includes effect of mitigation of impact on
  Hawaiian Dark-Rumped Petrel, Buy American
  costs, management of National Park Special Use
  Permit, etc.
• Does not include costs associated with cultural
  mitigation.

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ATST Schedule Overview
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Technology Development
Concept Design
CDUP
Site EIS Process
FDR/Baseline Review
Site Construction
SDRs
NSF Panel Review
IT C
Initial Operations
December 4, 2008
AURA SOVC
Feb 27, 2007
AURA SOC
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NSF PDR
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Environmental and Cultural Compliance

• Comprehensive site selection was based on site
  characteristics derived from flow-down from
  science drivers. 72 sites studied. Final site
  selected at Haleakala High Altitude Observatory
  (U. Hawaii), Maui. Haleakala is the only site
  that meets the requirements.
• Environmental Review and Permitting process for
  site
• Final EIS submitted to EPA on July 24, 2009
  published on July 31.
• EIS is 3116 pages long cost gt3M.
• Application for building permit (state of Hawaii
  process) underway University of Hawaii leads.
• More than thirty National Historic Preservation
  Act Section 106 consultations resulted in draft
  programmatic agreement currently under
  negotiation.
• Record of Decision in development. This will
  complete compliance requirements.

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The Geographical Context
Puu Ulaula
ATST Alternate Site
Maui
Puu Kolekole
Haleakala
Mauna Kea
ATST Primary Site
Hawaii
ATST Site
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ATST atop Haleakala, Maui