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Monday, May 13, 2024

TMT at the Regents this week

The Hawaiian Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is likely to come up at the Regents during their May meeting next week since there is a segment explicitly focusing on astronomy. As blog readers will know, TMT has been a hot political issue in Hawaii. UC is part of the coalition involving construction of the TMT. From the LA Times:

More than 100 years ago, astronomer George Ellery Hale brought our two Pasadena institutions together to build what was then the largest optical telescope in the world. The Mt. Wilson Observatory changed the conception of humankind’s place in the universe and revealed the mysteries of the heavens to generations of citizens and scientists alike. Ever since then, the United States has been at the forefront of “big glass.” ...

In 2021, the National Academy of Sciences released Astro2020. This report, a road map of national priorities, recommended funding the $2.5-billion Giant Magellan Telescope at the peak of Cerro Las Campanas in Chile and the $3.9-billion Thirty Meter Telescope at Mauna Kea in Hawaii. According to those plans, the telescopes would be up and running sometime in the 2030s.

NASA and the Department of Energy backed the plan. Still, the National Science Foundation’s governing board on Feb. 27 said it should limit its contribution to $1.6 billion, enough to move ahead with just one telescope. The NSF intends to present their process for making a final decision in early May, when it will also ask for an update on nongovernmental funding for the two telescopes. The ultimate arbiter is Congress, which sets the agency’s budget...

The goal is “all-sky” observation, a wide-angle view into deep space. Europe’s Extremely Large Telescope won’t have that capability. Besides boosting America’s competitive edge in astronomy, the powerful dual telescopes, with full coverage of both hemispheres, would allow researchers to gain a better understanding of phenomena that come and go quickly, such as colliding black holes and the massive stellar explosions known as supernovas. They would put us on a path to explore Earth-like planets orbiting other suns and address the question: “Are we alone?”

Funding both the GMT and TMT is an investment in basic science research, the kind of fundamental work that typically has led to economic growth and innovation in our uniquely American ecosystem of scientists, investors and entrepreneurs... what could get lost in the shuffle are the kind of ambitious projects that have made America the scientific envy of the world, inspiring new generations of researchers and attracting the best minds in math and science to our colleges and universities.

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-04-25/telescope-hawaii-chile-national-science-foundation-astronomy.

One suspects that this item from the LA Times was indirectly aimed at the Regents. Below is what the Regents have received for this week's meeting.

...The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a next-generation, ground-based telescope that is capable of transformative science, from the study of the origin of the universe to the search for other lifebearing Earths orbiting nearby stars. UC was a founding partner of the project, which now includes Caltech and the national science foundations of Canada, India, and Japan. The US National Academies 2020 Decadal Survey recommended a major federal government role in both of the two ELT [Extremely Large Telescopes] projects as its highest priority for the NSF. The other ELT project is the smaller Giant Magellan Telescope to be sited in the southern hemisphere, led by Carnegie, Harvard, the University of Arizona, and other partners. TMT has been formally proposed to the NSF, passed successfully through the NSF’s preliminary design review, and received design development funding. Congressional appropriations language encourages the NSF to fund both ELT projects, while a National Science Board recommendation directs the NSF to select between them; the NSF is planning a review to assess the role, readiness, and capabilities of the projects over the next months. 

Construction of TMT was halted in 2019 by large-scale protests by the people of Hawai’i who were unhappy with the impact of astronomy on Maunakea, a mountain that is sacred to many. Construction remains paused. TMT has been working to build partnerships in Hawai’i, listening to the concerns of the people, supporting education and workforce development, and developing programs to meaningfully meet the needs of the community. The NSF is also carrying out a environmental and cultural impact survey. The TMT International Observatory (TIO) Board is maintaining the project during NSF consideration and will likely require additional financial commitment from Members. In the near future, Regents may need to take an action to approve additional funding and resources towards the pre-construction and construction of the Project.

The University is seeking to obtain a significant portion of such additional funding from philanthropic sources. Approval of this additional funding commitment may be requested in advance of an upcoming TIO Member meeting at the end of May 2024...

Full report at https://regents.universityofcalifornia.edu/regmeet/may24/a3.pdf.

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