LSST Telescope and Facility

Large Synoptic Survey Telescope gets Top Ranking, "a Treasure Trove of Discovery" In a report released this morning, "New Worlds and New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics," a prestigious committee convened by the National Research Council for the National Academy of Sciences ranked the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) as its top priority for the next large ground-based astronomical facility. The so-called "Astro2010" report states "The committee recommends that LSST be submitted immediately for NSF's Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) consideration with a view to achieving first light before the end of the decade. ...The top rank accorded to LSST is a result of (1) its compelling science case and capacity to address so many of the science goals of this survey and (2) its readiness for submission to the MREFC process as informed by its technical maturity, the survey's assessment of risk, and appraised construction and operations costs. Having made considerable progress in terms of its readiness since the 2001 survey, the committee judged that LSST was the most ready-to-go." "We are absolutely delighted to hear this strong endorsement from our colleagues in the scientific community for a project that we have been advocating for many years", said LSST Director and University of California, Davis, Professor J. Anthony Tyson. "LSST will transform the way we study the Universe. By mapping the visible sky deeply and rapidly, the LSST will let everyone experience a novel view of our Universe and enable exploration of exciting new questions in a variety of areas of astronomy and fundamental physics."