Discovery & Depth

TL;DR

This paper reviews NSF-funded optical astronomy assets in the US to identify optimal funding strategies for the upcoming decade, emphasizing cost-effective progress amid fixed funding constraints.

Contribution

It provides an analysis of current assets and suggests priorities for optical astronomy to maximize scientific progress within limited funding.

Findings

Optical astronomy offers the highest potential for progress this decade.

Many aspirations of Astro2010 cannot be met under current funding levels.

Prioritizing optical astronomy assets can optimize scientific returns.

Abstract

In the United States, the National Science Foundation (NSF), anticipating the no growth in funding, has commissioned a review of NSF-funded astronomy assets with the goal of determining how to best allocate funding for this decade. Inputs from members of the US community were sought. It is a matter of simple arithmetic that for a fixed level of funding many significant aspirations of Astro2010 cannot be met. Here, accepting the boundary conditions posed above, I have focused on fields centered on optical astronomy which offer the best opportunity for progress in this decade and thus offer the highest cost-benefit ratio. Readers may profit from reading the first seven sections.