National Radio Astronomy Observatory NRAO

1. National Radio Astronomy ObservatoryNRAO Vernon Pankonin Program Officer AST Committee of Visitors 2011

2. NRAO World leading facilities for this decade and beyond EVLA GBT VLBA ALMA 2

3. NSF >> AUI >> NRAO • Governing document is Cooperative Agreement with Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) • Funding flows through Cooperative Support Agreements (CSAs), which are subunits of the Cooperative Agreement. • CSA-1: NRAO Base Operations & Maintenance (V. Pankonin) • CSA-2: ALMA Operations (P. Puxley)

4. NSF >> AUI >> NRAO • NRAO is managed by Associated Universities Inc (AUI), Washington, DC, under Cooperative Agreement with the NSF. • AUI is a not-for-profit science management corporation. • AUI manages operation of NRAO, including ALMA. • AUI is the North American executive for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). • AUI corporate headquarters are located in Washington, DC. • There are five officers and staff in the corporate office. • The President of AUI is its Chief Executive Officer. • Budgets FY 2010 • NRAO Operations & Maintenance, including EVLA construction and ALMA operations. • $67.09 M; ~420 FTE • ALMA Construction • $64.3 M

5. NRAOStrategic Goals • Increase the scientific impact of the NRAO; • Be a resource for all astronomers and the public; • Advance the state-of-the-art in mission-related technology; and • Play a leading role in developing next-generation programs.

6. AST Program ManagementProgram Officer Activities • AST Program Officer does NOT manage the Observatory. • Program Officer is NOT the Observatory’s representative in NSF. • Program Officer has stewardship responsibility supported through the following activities -- • Craft the Cooperative Agreement and its subunits that govern the oversight, management, and operation of NRAO. • Oversee administration of programmatic aspects of the Cooperative Agreement. • Administer funding actions (quarterly). • Administer proposals submitted by AUI/NRAO, including renewal of the Cooperative Agreement. • Prepare and communicate information and action items to the NSB. • Assist in developing budget requests within NSF. • Work with AUI and NRAO to build realistic budget expectations for Program Plans and Long Range Plans. • Convene special reviews. • Review and approve reports – Quarterly, Annual, Special. • Review Program Plan and Long Range Plan. • Visit sites. • Generate publicity items to be used in NSF reports, presentations, and other official communications. . AST Committee of Visitors 2011

7. Primary Management Events • Renewal of Coop Agreement • Not competed • Proposal from AUI in 2008 • Review summer 2008 • NSB action May 2009 • New CA effective 1 October 2009

8. Scientific/Technical Events • EVLA • Construction/implementation project 2001 – 2012 • Last construction funds 2011 • VLA ceased Jan 2010 • EVLA era began Mar 2010 AST Committee of Visitors 2011

9. The Prime Challenges • ALMA must be a success. • ALMA operations must be supported. • EVLA must be a success. • Operate • ALMA, EVLA, GBT, VLBA (@1/2)

10. NRAO in 6 Years • Headquarters, Charlottesville, VA • North American ALMA Science Center(NAASC)– full operation • NRAO Technology Center (NTC) – taking on ALMA development projects • Green Bank Telescope@ 90 GHz • ExpandedVery Large Array– full operation • Very Long Baseline Array@ ½ AST ops cost • Array Operations Center (AOC) • ALMA– full operation • SKA development AST Committee of Visitors 2008

11. NRAO in 6 3 Years • Headquarters, Charlottesville, VA • North American ALMA Science Center(NAASC)– full operation • NRAO Technology Center (NTC) – taking on ALMA development projects • Green Bank Telescope@ 90 GHz • ExpandedVery Large Array– full operation • Very Long Baseline Array@ ½ AST ops cost • Array Operations Center (AOC) • ALMA– full operation • SKA development AST Committee of Visitors 2011

12. The Big Event • Competition of the award for operation and maintenance of NRAO, including ALMA. • Never done, over 50 years • Activity begins early 2013. • New cooperative agreement from 1 Oct 2016 AST Committee of Visitors 2011

13. Material Available to COV • NSB package for renewal of cooperative agreement • FY 2010 through 2015 • Cooperative Agreement • Long Range Plans • Program Operating Plans • Annual Reports • Samples of Other Reports • Reports of NSF Sponsored Reviews AST Committee of Visitors 2011

14. NRAO – CHARLOTTESVILLE. VA NRAO HQ North American ALMA Science Center (NAASC) NRAO Technology Center (NTC) • Central Development Lab • ALMA Electronics Division AST Committee of Visitors 2011

15. NRAO – GREEN BANK, WV Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope GBT • Single dish, off-axis feed • 100m x 110m diameter • Frequency range • 0.3 GHz to 50 (90) GHz • Green Bank Operations • 2007 budget: $10.4 M • 109 FTE • 40,000 visitors annually AST Committee of Visitors 2011

16. NRAO – NEW MEXICO Very Large Array (VLA) Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) • 27 25 m dishes, in a variable-spacing Y-configuration interferometer, • Frequency range: • 1-50 GHz (not continuous) • Upgrade through the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) project • $94 M (NSF and correlator from Canada) • 2001 through 2011 • Same number of antennas. • All-new telescope electronics. • Continuous freq coverage from 1–50 GHz • Exceedingly capable correlator (from Canada) • Array data transmission via fiber optics. AST Committee of Visitors 2011

17. NRAO – NEW MEXICO Very Long Baseline Array VLBA • 10 25m antennas spread from Mauna Kea to St. Croix. • Operations center in Socorro, NM • Frequency range: • 0.3 GHz – 50 GHz (not continuous) • Best angular resolution: 0.1 mas ************************************ • New Mexico Operations VLA & VLBA • 2007 budget: $16.9 M • 172 FTE AST Committee of Visitors 2011

18. NRAO -- CHILE Atacama Large Millimeter Array ALMA • North America (U.S., Canada)-European (ESO)-East Asia (Japan, Taiwan) partnership • Northern Chile site at 16,500 feet altitude • Scope: 54 12m antennas + 12 7m antennas • Cost: $1.3 B • 11-year construction timeline; completion in 2012 More detail in the next presentation AST Committee of Visitors 2011

19. NRAO Broader Impact Activities • Green Bank Science Center • Funded by appropriation through NASA • Completed in 2003 • Hosts ~40,000 visitors per year • Includes exhibit hall, lecture rooms, classrooms, gift shop, and an atrium with food service • Bunk house added nearby in 2004 to house large overnight groups • Expanded VLA visitors center (2004) • Funded by state of New Mexico • Now attended • Addition of gift shop • Hosts ~20,000 visitors per year AST Committee of Visitors 2011

20. Broader Impacts (cont’d) GBT Student Support Program • Supports graduate students up to $45,000 each per year for observing runs, data reduction, and stipends. • Paid from NRAO Ops. • Undergraduate Summer Research Program • Partially funded through REU Site program, with AST funding not from NRAO base. • Graduate summer student research assistantships • Pre-doctoral research program • Co-op Program • Radio Astronomy for Teachers • Short Courses for Teachers • Workshops • Research Experience for Teachers • With NSF funding not from NRAO base. • ALMA EPO Program under development in coordination with international partners. AST Committee of Visitors 2008