Completion of the Design and Project Development Phases for Construction Readiness of the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)

该奖项支持继续设计和开发一个非常大的天体相机，LSST（大型综合巡天望远镜）。 LSST将是一个直径为8.4米的高性能光学望远镜，配备30亿像素的数码相机，位于智利Cerro Pachon的一个偏远、黑暗的山区。 该项目是包括能源部（DOE）在内的大量机构的合作，并且已经从大量私人投资（3000万美元）中受益。LSST项目与其他机构和行业建立了合作伙伴关系：（i）能源部的几个实验室正在为相机的设计提供研发资金，并将寻求能源部为其建设提供资金。 (ii)国家超级计算应用中心在LSST研究和开发阶段提供人力和高性能计算机资源。(iii)私人捐款使第一镜和第三镜的铸造和抛光成为可能，这些镜将位于常见的硼硅酸盐蜂窝基底上。(iv)许多跨天文学和高能物理学众多领域的大学研究人员正在贡献专业知识，以开发科学案例，望远镜设计和详细的操作模拟。(v)国家光学天文台（NOAO）在望远镜设计和误差预算的开发中发挥着主导作用，并支持科学工作组的活动。尽管标题如此，这实际上并不是最终设计阶段。 一个全面的设计和操作模型，成本估算，为LSST硬件和软件将提供早期在此授予，并将形成一个NSF进行的初步设计审查（PDR）的基础。 如果PDR成功通过，项目将进入最终设计阶段。 LSST建设阶段的科学、技术和管理基础将在这一阶段奠定，特别注意继续减少和消除风险。LSST的广泛影响将是深远的，因为世界各地的科学家、公众和学童将随时获得数据。 设计和开发活动包括：1）各级人员的培训和教育，将最先进的计算科学与天体物理学相结合; 2）使用现有的LSST前体项目，以推进实时数据库模式和公共访问工具的最先进技术; 3）开发和完善LSST教育和推广计划，这将在K成人教育中获得近期红利。 此外，社区将看到LSST与国家安全竞技场中正在开发的其他成像系统和软件的需求之间的重大技术重叠。

This award supports the continuing design and development of a very large celestial camera, the LSST (Large Synoptic Survey Telescope). The LSST will be an 8.4-m diameter, high-performance optical telescope outfitted with a three billion pixel digital camera to be located on a remote, dark, mountain site, at Cerro Pachon, Chile. The project is a collaboration of a large number of institutions, including the Department of Energy (DOE), and has already benefited from a substantial amount of private investment ($30M).The LSST Project has established partnerships with other agencies and industry: (i) Several Department of Energy laboratories are funding R&D for the design of the camera and will seek DOE funding for its construction. (ii) The National Center for Supercomputing Applications is providing manpower and high performance computer resources during the LSST research and development phase. (iii) Private contributions have enabled the casting and polishing of the primary and tertiary mirrors which will be on a common borosilicate honeycomb substrate. (iv) Many university-based researchers in fields that cut across numerous fields of astronomy and high energy physics are contributing expertise to develop the science case, telescope design, and detailed operations simulations. (v) The National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) is playing a lead role in developing the telescope design and error budget, as well as supporting the activities of the Science Working Group.Despite the title, this is not in fact the Final Design Phase. A comprehensive design and operations model, with cost estimates, for both the LSST hardware and software will be provided early on during this award, and will form the basis for an NSF-conducted Preliminary Design Review (PDR). If the PDR is passed successfully, the project will then enter its final design phase. The scientific, technical, and managerial groundwork for the construction phase of the LSST will be laid during this phase with particular attention paid to continued reduction and retirement of risk.The broader impacts of the LSST will be profound, as scientists, the public, and schoolchildren around the world will have ready access to the data. Design and development activities include 1) the training and education of personnel at all levels, integrating state-of-the-art computational science with astrophysics; 2) using existing LSST precursor projects to advance the state-of-the-art in real-time database schema and public access tools; and 3) developing and refining an LSST education and outreach program that will pay near-term dividends in K-adult education. In addition, the community will see significant technical overlap between the LSST and the needs of other imaging systems and software under development in the national security arena.