Subject: Re: What's in a name?

From: Sidney Wolff

Submitted: Thu, 17 Jul 2003 13:46:34 -0700

Message number: 146 (previous: 145, next: 147 up: Index)

The LSST SWG is funded by NOAO but its report goes to the NSF, and the 
report will certainly inform the choices ultimately made by NOAO.  The SWG 
is definitely not working for the LSST Corporation.  At NOAO, we often
wear many hats simultaneously, and I regret that it is confusing.

Sidney

On Thursday 17 July 2003 12:55 pm, D. C. Jewitt wrote:
> Hi Sidney
>
> That's very interesting news to me.  Again, though, it is at odds with
> the LSST Corporation press release which only states:
>
> http://www.noao.edu/outreach/press/pr03/lsstc0301.shtml
>
> "The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) Corporation Inc. has been
> formed ....for the purpose of designing and constructing this
> challenging new telescope. "
>
> without stating what you said by email, namely that the purpose is
> instead to pursue the *DMT* design alone.  That's a crucial
> difference.
>
> It would be more accurate if the LSST Corporation were to be called DMT
> Corporation, if that is what they are interested in building.  It is
> their taking of the general name LSST that confuses the innocent
> bystander.  (But it does explain why the www.lsst.org site has been
> created by crossing out every occurrence of DMT on www.dmtelescope.org
> and replacing it with lsst.)  What's even more confusing is that I
> can't find any names of people on www.lsst.org.  And I don't see a link
> to the LSST Corporation press release, or any mention of LSST
> Corporation, or any explanation of what either body is about.  Is
> www.lsst.org a product of LSST Corporation or of NOAO (or neither?).
>
> This confusing situation is unfortunate because it works at a
> subliminal level to equate the LSST with the DMT, whereas your email
> states that, in fact, this equation has not been made (by NOAO,
> presumably, although it has by LSST Corporation).  It further confuses
> me as a member of the LSST SWG....I am asked by NOAO to work on the
> LSST science case for NOAO, or for LSST Corporation, or whom?
>
> My guess is that a majority of people in the broad astronomical
> community are confused by this shell game, too.  Clarity is always
> better than confusion and the long-term viability of the real LSST
> (which I had believed was to be a centerpiece of the new NOAO although
> now I am not so sure) will be helped if the fog could be lifted now.
>
> There are two things you could do right now:
>
> 1)  If you or any reader of this email has control over www.lsst.org or
> over LSST Corporation, it would be very useful to have the above
> issues, and especially the relationship between NOAO and LSST
> Corporation spelled out.  www.lsst.org also should not be a
> dissociated site.  Is it from LSST Corp, or NOAO?
>
> 2)  You could explain in a prominent public place (e.g. an NOAO
> document and/or www site) how the LSST (not DMT) is being approached by
> NOAO, including the part about the decision on the basic design to be
> made 2 years down the line.  (I have all sorts of questions about how
> this decision will be made and by whom but I'll save those for later).
>
>
> Regards
>
> Dave

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