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

[Richard A. Kowalski]

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