Astro2010 Panel on Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy from the Ground (RMS)

Summary

As one of the four Astro2010 Program Prioritization Panels (PPP) the RMS panel is charged with recommending a prioritized, balanced, and integrated research program which includes a rank ordering of research activities and a balanced technology development program for observatories and telescopes that primarily observe in the radio, millimeter, and submillimeter bands from the ground.

Project Information

• Statement of Task
• Committee Members and NRC Staff
• Community Input
• Meetings
• Sponsor
• Astro2010 Survey Committee
• The National Academies' Current Projects System

Statement of Task

Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Program Prioritization Panel on Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter (RMS) Astronomy from the Ground will identify and recommend a prioritized program of federal investment in ground-based research activities that primarily operate in the radio, millimeter, and submillimeter portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. In formulating its conclusions, the RMS panel will draw on several sources of information: (1) the science forefronts identified by the Astro2010 science frontiers panels, (2) input from the proponents of research activities, and (3) independent cost and technical readiness assessments. The RMS panel's recommendations will be integrated into a program for all of astronomy and astrophysics by the Astro2010

In particular, the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Program Prioritization Panel on Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter (RMS) Astronomy from the Ground will:

1. Report on the status of existing RMS research activities to set the context for future research activities, incorporating findings of the Study Groups.

2. Preview and compare proposed RMS research activities including those carried forward from previous surveys that have not been given a formal construction start.

3. State the relative importance of (a) smaller projects and generic research programs that involve competitive peer review and (b) programs that leverage public and private infrastructure investments, where appropriate.

4. Assess and describe best available estimates of the construction costs and lifetimes for each recommended research activity together with their full running costs (operations, science, and upgrades).

5. Identify particular risks for each research activity that would adversely affect the projected cost, technical readiness, or schedule of the activity. Identify those factors that could change an activity's priority and/or scope.

6. Informed by (a) the recommendations of the science frontier panels and (b) the panel's own research activity assessments, recommend a prioritized, balanced, and integrated RMS research program which includes a rank ordering of research activities and a balanced technology development program. A preliminary recommended program will be used to identify activities that will be subject to an independent technical evaluation and cost estimate. The panel's final recommendation to the Survey Committee will include consideration of the results of the independent technical evaluation and cost estimate.

In completing this task, each PPP will provide the Astronomy and Astrophysics 2010 Committee’s Subcommittee on Programs with an interim internal and confidential summary report of its recommended program in the Fall of 2009 and complete its panel report thereafter. The panel reports will be published following the release of the survey committee’s report in 2010.

Committee Members and NRC Staff

Neal Evans, Chair, University of Texas
James M. Moran, Vice Chair, Harvard University
Crystal Brogan, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Aaron Evans, University of Virginia
Sarah Gibson, National Center for Atmospheric Research High Altitude Observatory
Jason Glenn, University of Colorado
Nicholas Gnedin, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Cornelia C. Lang, University of Iowa
Miguel Morales, University of Washington
Maura McLaughlin, West Virginia University
Lyman A. Page Jr., Princeton University
Jean Turner, University of California, Los Angeles
David J. Wilner, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

NRC Staff

Don Shapero, Director BPA
Michael Moloney, Astro2010 Study Director
Robert Riemer, Senior Program Officer, BPA
LaVita Coates-Fogle, Senior Program Assistant, BPA

Meetings

Meeting 1: May 12-13, 2009, Irvine, CA (This meeting is closed in its entirety.)
Meeting 2: June 8-11, 2009, Pasadena, CA
Meeting 3: September 4-6, 2009, Woods Hole MA

Sponsor

The committee is pleased to acknowledge support from the NASA, the NSF, and the DOE.

The National Academies' Current Projects System

The National Academies' Current Projects System maintains the public record of a committees' activities compliant to Section 15 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act.  Visit the Astro2010 Panel on Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy from the Ground Current Projects page for more information.