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Pages 154-165

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From page 154...
... Laboratory astrophysics was identified in the Astro2010 decadal survey report as "vital for optimizing the science return from current and planned facilities," especially in the ALMA and JWST era.25 Yet they found that "support and infrastructure for laboratory astrophysics are eroding both in the National Laboratories and in universities," and they recommended that "the funding through APRA that is aimed at mission-enabling laboratory astrophysics should be augmented at a level recommended by this scientific assessment … a notional budget increment of $20 million over the decade may be required."26 Currently, laboratory astrophysics is supported through grants from the NASA APRA and ADAP programs and NSF AST, as well as some support from DOE and national laboratories for laboratory astrophysics. However, the number of awards approved across all of these programs is small, and they have been declining since the early 2000s.27 A search of NSF AST awards over 2015–2019 revealed 15 grants funded in laboratory astrophysics for a total of $6.2 million, and $12.4 million in funding from APRA over the same period.
From page 155...
... Last, for large flagship missions and MREFC-scale NSF facilities that rely heavily on laboratory data, including provisions for these essential activities in the project budgets could be very cost effective and would naturally focus the laboratory work on the most urgent scientific needs for those facilities.  onclusion: Laboratory astrophysics is essential to the interpretation of astrophysical data from facilities C such as JWST and ALMA and future facilities such as the extremely large telescopes.
From page 156...
... 156 PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY IN ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS FOR THE 2020s Ultimately understanding the connected cosmos through that "formalized curiosity," and reaching the ambitious decadal goals -- unveiling the hidden drivers of galaxy growth, new windows on the dynamic universe, and pathways to habitable worlds -- requires more than big new machines. It requires people to translate observations into discoveries, theoretical studies to connect the observational clues, experiments in the laboratory and with the computer to interpret the data and the theory, and digital libraries of these precious data that meet the needs for the 21st century.
From page 157...
... The importance of evaluating the operational mission/ facility portfolios on a regular basis was underscored by the 2000 and 2010 astronomy and astrophysics decadal surveys, and for NASA in a 2016 National Academies study of NASA mission extensions and the 1  National Science Foundation, 2020, FY2021 Budget Request to Congress, https://www.nsf.gov/about/budget/fy2021/pdf/ fy2021budget.pdf.
From page 158...
... program. The problem is poised to become much worse with the imminent commissioning of the Rubin Observatory and the Daniel K
From page 159...
... Bernstein, and P McCarthy, 2019, "Observatory Operating Costs and Their Relation to Capital Costs," white paper submitted to Astro2020: Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics, https://ui.adsabs.harvard.
From page 160...
... 5 decadal surveys, DKIST and the Vera Rubin Observatory, respectively, will place even greater strain on the AST budget. As stated in the 2018 NSB study: The Division of Astronomy (AST)
From page 161...
... More extensive divestment of legacy, but scientifically productive, facilities, could generate an additional savings at this scale but are insufficient to compensate for the needs of upcoming facilities and at the same time fund individual investigator grants at a healthy level. As stated in the midterm assessment of the Astro2010 decadal survey, "divestment alone will not resolve the budget stresses imposed by rising facilities costs."6 The midterm assessment report appealed to NSF and NSB to "consider actions that would preserve the ability of the astronomical community to fully exploit the foundation's capital investments in ALMA, DKIST, [Vera C
From page 162...
... In response to a recommendation in the Astro2010 decadal survey, NSF organized a portfolio review of its operating facilities in 2011–2012, but none since. Reviews on a regular cadence allow for a periodic evaluation of the productivity and science return from facilities and can help to identify where efficiencies can be realized or where funding augmentations might be required to capitalize on new scientific opportunities.
From page 163...
... The development of adaptive optics in the 1990s serves as an excellent case in point; it led to groundbreaking advances such as the direct imaging of exoplanets, and the precise definition of the orbits of stars that determined the gravitational force fields near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, work recognized with the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics. The upgrade of the receivers at the VLA led to a factor of 10 increase in sensitivity for continuum observations at the higher frequencies and nearly complete access to the 1–50 GHz frequency range.  NSF programs for supporting new and upgraded instrumentation are available at scales ranging from the MSIP and Mid-scale Research Infrastructure (MSRI)
From page 164...
... Two major instruments on the Japan-led Subaru 8.4 m telescope, the Hyper Suprime-Cam and the future Prime Focus Spectrograph, have associated costs of $50 million and $86 million, respectively. Funding even shares of such instruments will require larger allocations than historically have been awarded through the TSIP or MSIP programs.
From page 165...
... In the radio, millimeter, and submillimeter, telescopes are typically federally funded, primarily by NSF AST. In the OIR, however, many of the most advanced and powerful ground-based observatories are funded and operated by consortia of academic institutions and private foundations.


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