Today, the National Academies released the Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey (Astro2020) with its recommendations for implementing a strategy and vision for the coming decade of U.S. Astronomy & Astrophysics frontier research.
Below is a statement from the US-Extremely Large Telescope Program (US-ELTP) of which the Thirty Meter Telescope, the Giant Magellan Telescope and the National Science Foundation’s National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab) are partners. Its mission is to strengthen scientific leadership by the U.S. community-at-large through access to extremely large telescopes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, which will cover 100 percent of the night sky.
The US Extremely Large Telescope Program is grateful for the Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s Decadal Survey process and is now reviewing the recommendations in detail. The Decadal Survey has a rich history of driving technological innovation and expanding scientific boundaries, and we are proud to be part of that story. Our visionary program aims to provide US astronomers with nationally-funded observing access to the entire sky. The program consists of three partners: NSF’s NOIRLab and the two organizations building the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Thirty Meter Telescope.
We thank the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for leading the Pathways to Discovery Decadal Survey, and to all members of our community who wrote white papers, sat on panels, provided expert input, and devoted time to the Decadal Survey process. We would also like to honor the international partners whose early and ongoing contributions have been crucial in conceiving, designing, and building the Giant Magellan Telescope and Thirty Meter Telescope.
We will be issuing detailed statements about the Pathways to Discovery Decadal Survey recommendations soon.
To learn more about the Pathways to Discovery Astro2020 report visit the National Academies website.
Link to the Interactive report Overview
TMT’s Secondary and Tertiary Mirrors Coating Facility Passes Conceptual Design Review
TMT’s Statement on Astro2020 Decadal Survey
