NSF Representatives and US Senate Staffers Visit AURA Facilities in Chile

A group poses in front of of a starry sky with a visible comet

A delegation of U.S. Senate staffers and representatives of NSF, the U.S. Embassy in Chile, and AURA/NOIRLab pose for a photo on Cerro Tololo with the Milky Way and Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS in the background. Credit: D. Munizaga

U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee staffers, along with representatives from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and U.S. Embassy, visited the AURA/NOIRLab facilities in Chile last week.

Staffers Jessica Berry, Blaise Sheridan and Michael Bednarczyk visited Cerro Pachón and Cerro Tololo, and went on guided tours of Vera C. Rubin Observatory, Gemini South, and Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope. They were accompanied by members of the NSF Office of Legislative and Public Affairs, as well as by the director of the Division of Astronomical Sciences division, Chris Smith. The U.S. Embassy in Chile also sent a representative to accompany this delegation.

The group was received by Head of Mission of AURA in Chile, Alejandra Voigt; AURA’s Vice President for Corporate Strategy, Jean Toal Eisen; NOIRLab Director, Pat McCarthy; and AURA’s Mission Scientist and NOIRLab Deputy Director, Stuartt Corder.

During their visit to the mountains, the group was able to learn about the progress on Rubin, see the 8.4-meter M1/M3 and secondary mirrors installed in the telescope, and enter the clean room to see the LSST Camera up close — the largest in the world with 3,200 megapixels.

They were also able to learn how Gemini South operates, from the various instruments that are available on this telescope to its 100% remote nighttime observations.

The day concluded with a visit to Cerro Tololo, where the group watched the sunset from the dome of the Blanco telescope and enjoyed stargazing with small telescopes.

The delegation also visited the AURA base facilities in La Serena, where they toured the Rubin data center and control room, and the Gemini South control room. The visit concluded with a working lunch with the Program directors and tour hosts, before they headed north to visit ALMA.