The hundreds of scientists and engineers involved in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) breathed a collective sigh of relief on 18 July, when the National Science Board gave the project its blessing. The project was the top priority in the 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal survey. And last year, says LSST director Tony Tyson, an independent design review “found no faults with the project. [The reviewers ] said we were ready to cut metal.”
“We can call this the end of the beginning,” says Nigel Sharp, who oversees the project at NSF. The National Science Board’s approval means that NSF can ask Congress for money for the LSST. NSF is funding the telescope, site infrastructure, and data system, and the Department of Energy is building the camera. Of the total estimated $665 million construction tab, 70% is from NSF, 24% is from DOE, and 6% is from private donors....
