BIWEEKLY CALENDAR OF THE ALMA PROJECT at NRAO June 20, 2005 -- July 3, 2005 ******************************** THIS FORTNIGHT********************************* As some of you may be aware, we have received news from ESO of a delay in their ALMA antenna procurement process. In a meeting earlier this week, the ESO Council strongly reaffirmed their strategic commitment to ALMA. However Council requested a fuller understanding of the overall financial situation as a result of the rebaselining exercise, which is not yet completed. Therefore ESO is not yet in a position to place an antenna contract. We here in North America, like ESO, remain 100% committed to the success of ALMA and, along with NSF and NRC, are working very closely with our colleagues in Europe and on the ALMA Board to help bring a rapid and successful solution to this situation. K. Y. Lo Adrian Russell ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The ALMA Board will meet 21-22 June in the Lissabon Zaal of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A Report was released today by the National Academies. The report assesses the impact of a possible descope of the ALMA to 40 or 50 antennas on its technical performance and scientific program. You may see a version of the report at: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/11326.html though the table there lists an ALMA of 50 50m antennas as a descope option. Excerpt: "Two of the three Level One requirements, involving sensitivity and high-contrast imaging of protostellar disks, will not be met with either a 40- or a 50-antenna array."..."Severest degradation is in image fidelity, which will be reduced by factors ot two and three with descopes to 50 and 40 antennas, respectively." For a more thorough discussion, please see the Feb 2005 ASAC Report. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- As you know, the committee structure in the House was changed this year so NSF and NASA are in with a different lot of agencies. H.R.2862: Science, State, Justice, Commerce, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006 House Report 109-118 was just released. National Science Foundation is increased $171 million over last year and $38 million above the budget request. Total funding is $5.64 billion. Includes $4.38 billion for research, $157 million over last year; and $807 million for education and human resources, $70 million above the request. From http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/?&db_id=cp109&sid=cp109s7FJj&r_n=hr118.109&item=&sel=TOC_354405& we learn: The Committee recommendation includes funding for the following major projects: $49,240,000 for Atacama Large Millimeter Array construction; $50,620,000 for EarthScope; $50,450,000 for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory; and $57,920,000 for the Scientific Ocean Drilling Vessel. The recommendation does not provide for any new project starts, as none were requested." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Gurwell noted that if 3C454.3 continues to brighten exponentially that we will need to institute a zone of avoidance in the pointing software to protect the Smithsonian Submm Array (see Test Log Entry 9513). ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Past issues of this Calendar may be viewed at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html See also the ALMA Calendar overview at: https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/AlmaCalendar ALMACalendar6Jun05.txt ******************************************************************************* General Happenings OSF: AOS: ATF: AOC: NTC: NAASC: ******************************************************************************* DAILY CALENDAR (Times EDT ) see https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/AlmaCalendar Mon 6 June 9:30 AM-10:30 AM: North American Project Office Meeting 10:30 AM-11:30 AM: JAO IPT Telecon Tue 7 10:30 AM-11:30 AM: ASAC Telecon 4:00 PM-5:00PM: NAScienceIPT teleconference (open to all interested parties) (434)296-7082 Agenda: https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/10May05A Archive: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ Wed 8 11:00AM: SSR Telecon 2:00PM- 3:00PM: NAASC Meeting Thu 9 Fri 10 Sat 11 Sun 12 ANASAC Face-to-Face CfA, Cambridge Mon 13 9:30 AM-10:30 AM: North American Project Office Meeting 10:30 AM-11:30 AM: JAO IPT Telecon Tue June 14 10:30 AM-11:30AM: ALMA ScienceIPT teleconference Agenda: https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/10May05A Archive: http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ Wed 15 Thu 16 9:30 AM-11:00 AM: Management IPT Teleconference Fri 17 Sat 18 Sun 19 ****************************** UPCOMING EVENTS ****************************** ALMA Calendar--https://wikio.nrao.edu/bin/view/ALMA/AlmaCalendar * June 5-6 -- ESO Council * June 12 -- 1-5pm ANASAC Face-to-Face CfA, Cambridge * June 13 - 16 Workshop on submillimeter wavelength astronomy in Cambridge. For more information, log onto the event website: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/smast05. * June 20 -- Extraordinary Meeting, ESO Finance Committee * June 21-22 -- ALMA Board Meeting, The Hague, Netherlands * June 21-24 -- Bands 4 & 8 PDRs, Tokyo * Jul 3-4 -- Deep Impact probe impact of comet Temple 1. * Jul 6-7 -- Front End IPT delta PDR, Garching * Sep 4-5 -- Tentative ASAC Meeting, Los Angeles * Oct 6 -- Rolling Stones come to Scott Stadium, Charlottesville ******************************* TECHNICAL NEWS ******************************* ******************************ALSO OF INTEREST******************************* ****************************************************************************** Please send information for upcoming calendars by Friday evening of the preceding biweekly period to Jennifer Neighbours or Al Wootten via e-mail (jneighbo@nrao.edu or awootten@nrao.edu). The calendar will be issued between late Friday and sometime on Monday by e-mail to all NRAO scientific staff members and anyone else interested. A specific mailing list, alma-info, has been created for anyone wishing to receive it. Past issues are available at http://www.cv.nrao.edu/~awootten/mmaimcal/ALMACalendars.html