[meteorite-list] Possible reduction or closings on Kitt Peak

From: MexicoDoug <mexicodoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:01:32 -0500 (EST)
Message-ID: <8CE7C7BDC300298-1F68-A5363_at_webmail-m053.sysops.aol.com>

I didn't read too carefully the orginal blurb, but it didn't sound like
Kitt Peak was really in trouble. But with politics, who knows. If
Kittt Peak gets phased down, that will probably negatively affect all
astronomical observations around Tucson to some degree unless someone
can pick up the slack. From what I understand (and this after having
camped out a lot also in the desert near Kitt Peak on the way to
Tucson), there is a special light regulation, one of the strongest of
any metropolitan zone in the country that restricts the type of
lighting used and where and how it's pointed. From what I understand
this is mainly due to the efforts of those at Kitt Peak, and Tucson is
very difficult to contain.

I'm not against decomissioning observatories that are in light polluted
areas in favor of new locations, but it does seem a terrible pity that
Kitt's Peak feels like one of the crowning achievements of the heyday
of great American industrialisim and ingenuity in astronomy, matched in
a nostalgic feeling that often seems absent today amongt the
beaurocracy of budgets over vision.

Given that the budgets are not unlimited, hopefully any sacrifice that
might really be forced on this great institution along with the pit
many of us will feel at having lost an old friend, won't be squandered
at other less deserving places that have more powerful congressmen, on
a national level. I wonder if he recent sucess at Univ. of Az has any
collateral impact on Kitt Peak. Perhaps if U of Az were interested in
working on some synergies at Kitt Peak some needed savings could be
found and keep everyone happily in business, assuming that is, that
more desireable locations aren't elsewhere. Lousy situation when
everyone is fighting for the same funding dollars.

Good luck to all involved, whether in heart, or wallet!
Kindest wishes
Doug


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard A. Kowalski <kowalski at lpl.arizona.edu>
To: Richard Montgomery <rickmont at earthlink.net>
Cc: Meteorite List <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>; MPML
<mpml at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Nov 28, 2011 10:36 pm
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Possible reduction or closings on Kitt
Peak


On 11/28/2011 8:17 PM, Richard Montgomery wrote:
> Richard K, will this impact you directly? (Indirect impact is still
> distressful to contemplate.)
>
> Richard M.

Thanks for asking Richard.

No, this should not affect Catalina. We operate with two telescopes
owned by the Steward Observatory, U of A, at sites in the Santa
Catalina
Mountains just north of Tucson. We have no affiliation with NOAO and
our
funding comes directly from NASA.

While the budget has been signed into law, we are still awaiting to
hear
from Washington our budget for continuing for the next few years. We
hope to hear something soon. After the turn of the year we hope to hear
positive information about our proposed Small Binocular Telescopes so
we
can start engineering that system. If approved and funded, that three
telescope system would be placed on Mt Hopkins, south of Tucson. The
SBT
should not be affected by the issues on Kitt Peak either.

--
Richard A. Kowalski
Senior Research Specialist
Catalina Sky Survey
Lunar & Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
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Received on Tue 29 Nov 2011 02:01:32 AM PST