National Science FoundationStatus for SBAG, June 2018

Faith Vilas, Ph.D.Program Director

Solar and Planetary Astronomy ProgramDivision of Astronomical Sciences

Jun 13, 2018

Status

Two planetary astronomers: Dr. Linda French Dr. Faith Vilas – leaving mid-November

FY18 budget finally approved

NSF AST Has Permanent and Rotator Jobs OpenNOW

National Center for O/IR Astronomy (NCOA)

New Directions - NCOA

National Center for O/IR Astronomy Integrates NSF-funded NOAO, Gemini, and LSST

operations under a single organizational framework, managed by one management organization.

National focal point for domestic and international partnerships.

No additional funding, no change in programs, no interruption of current operations, and no change in currently supported management organization.

Consolidates NSF oversight responsibilities. Plan to implement as of Oct 1, 2018.

LSST Current Construction Site

Operations in 2022

Budget

Community/Foundation success in creating new facilities require continuous reshaping of program.

FY18 budget announced 23 March – increase! Now being addressed.

The Elephant in the Room

NSF practice is that operations costs of Major Research Equipment and Facility Construction (MFREC)-funded major new facilities are borne by the Division that is the host discipline.

AST is absorbing DKIST operations into current budget planning.

LSST operations are the next wedge. In the event of continued flat funding (or less) and no change in policy, a major realignment of facility support will be required to preserve a balance with the grants program.

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

$M

Hypothetical Budget Runout for AST

1995 2008 202420102000 2005 2015 2020

GBO+VLBAEVLA

2009 ARRA

The sand chart shows the 2017-2024 budget distribution under assumptions that (1) no facility reductions occur beyond collaborations already in place, and (2) the total AST budget grows by 2.5%/yr beyond 2019.

ALMA

NSO

NRAOAO

LSST

Gemini DKIST

NOAO+NSO

NOAO/NCOA

AST=0.0%/yr

Midscale+IIA

Divestment

Since the Portfolio Review in 2012, AST has been working on divestment of legacy facilities that were given lower priority for scientific impact.

The term has been softened to include continuing AST support, but at much reduced levels.

Formal process to comply with National Environmental Protection Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act.

Consultant-prepared Environmental Impact Statement, first released as draft, public comment, then final version leading to formal Record of Decision endorsed by NSB and signed by Director or designee.

Divestment Facilities Status - Arecibo

The general published preferred alternative is to bring on an operating consortium; it would gradually assume the majority of the funding support, while the NSF communities maintain some level of access.

Univ. of Central Florida assumed direction of Arecibo on 1 April.

SOLAR AND PLANETARY RESEARCH GRANTS

NSF 16-602

PILOT PROGRAM – 2 YEARS Covers planetary astronomy:Solar System and extrasolar planets

Covers solar astronomy

We are working to reduce time pressure on you and on us

WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED SO FAR...Scientists don’t really believe it is a rolling deadline

Schedule at which different scientific disciplines covered by this program has received proposals varies

For Solar System And Exoplanets:Proposal pressure - coupled with date – dictated number and date(s) of panels

Smaller panels held later in program

MORE ADVICE...

No advantage to submitting early, late or whenever –

No limits on the number of proposal submissions on different topics

We aren’t in a rush to consider your proposal, even if you are

We will reject proposals that we determine will not be funded as soon as practicable

If your proposal is rejected, you cannot submit another version of the same proposal until one year after you submitted the rejected proposal

AREAS OF CONCERNI. PLANETARY SCIENCES FOCUSED MORE TOWARD PLANETARY GEOLOGY

THERE IS NO PLANETARY SCIENCE DIVISION AT NSF

THIS IS A GREY AREA

If you choose to apply to planetary astronomy (SPG), you must demonstrate how your proposed research benefits planetary astronomy.

The Program Director will screen proposals

The Review Panel will be instructed to consider a proposal’s applicability to planetary astronomy

AREAS OF CONCERNII. CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS:

Consider whether your proposal is related more to planet detection and formation or to star formation when submitting to SPG

THIS IS A GREY AREA

If you consider your proposal to be possibly more related to AAG, submit it by their 15 Nov deadline. If we think it is better suited for SPG, we will shift it over from AAG and no harm is done.

BUT, a proposal submitted to SPG that is largely star formation related to circumstellar disks, will be Returned Without Review, if it is submitted after the 15 Nov AAG deadline

AREAS OF CONCERNIII. DUPLICATION OF PROPOSALS BETWEEN NASA AND NSF

We ask you to let us know if they have been submitted to NASA

...and we check

If the proposal is already approved for full funding by NASA, we will not consider it

Sometimes the agencies will jointly fund a proposal

We WILL NOT FUND the same research twice

AREAS OF CONCERNIV. AND MORE ABOUT NASA

The NSF does not consider proposals that are predominantly intended to reduce NASA spacecraft or archival data only(this includes HST)

That’s what NASA and HST grants are for.

The NSF WILL consider proposals that incorporate NASA spacecraft or archival data as part of a broader investigation

PROSPECTIVE PROPOSERS SHOULD PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE

CHANGES THIS YEAR IN

PROPOSAL AND AWARD POLICIES AND PROCEDURES GUIDE, NSF 18-1,

(aka PAPPG)

WHICH DESCRIBES ALL REQUIREMENTS EXCEPT FOR THOSE

SUPERSEDED SPECIFICALLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL SOLICITATION.

QUESTIONS?

Divestment Facilities Status - Arecibo

The facility sustained significant damage, but less than anticipated, considering that it was directly in the path of Hurricane Maria. (Peak winds recorded were 108 mph.)

Damage includes mesh panels in the dish and loss of the line feed for atmospheric radar.

Rough estimates have been made for repair and restoration.

$16M has been appropriated for repair and recovery of Carribean radio facilities – Arecibo and VLBA in Virgin Islands

Individual Investigator Programs—1000 proposals/yr

Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants—700 prop.– Solar and Planetary (now with no deadline)– Stellar Astronomy– Galactic Astronomy– Extragalactic Astronomy and Cosmology

Mid-Scale Innovations Program—40 pre-proposals; 23 invited for full proposals.

Advanced Technologies and Instrumentation—60 prop. CAREER—60 prop. Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoc. Fellowships—100 prop. REU—20 prop. Partnerships in Astronomy and Astrophysics Research and

Education—5-10 prop.

18 12 13 19 41 33 36 43 41 38 32 40 31 48 64 44 60 66 57 58 52 54 6090

135 136 12280 89126 134 108 126 96

112 104 119 113 104 100112 105

115113

135 148 160 200227

274 239 145 159143

62 5949

58 50 5273

8258 48

4176 107 72 74 91

122124 91

9691

107

102 118

144157

130

78 8878

8776 72 96

119134 128

131124

122 138 136170

219223 259 242

243

270

280311

307319

308

PLA SAAGAL EXC

From 2000 to 2008, the number of proposals received went up by 75%

Proposals in AAG, 1990-2016

Apr 16, 2018IRTF MOWG

238

703

1990 2016

AAG Funding History, 1990-2016

Apr 16, 2018IRTF MOWG

50.448.0

45.1

29.5

45.1

29.324.9

31.227.6 26.7

31.234.3

38.1 36.8

28.8 28.524.4 23.9

20.7

36.3

22.419.9

14.8 15.4 16.7 18.020.9

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Proposal Funding Rate, %

20.9

16.2 17.0 18.2 17.120.2 18.6 17.5 19.3 19.7 18.8 20.9 22.7

29.4 32.4 30.734.0

38.9 41.5 42.1

79.6

49.4 48.144.5 42.4 43.7

48.4 48.4

1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

AAG Budget, $M48.4