MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT $85,000,000

The FY 2000 Budget Request for Major Research Equipment (MRE) is $85.0 million, a decrease of $5.0 million, or 5.6 percent below the FY 1999 Current Plan of $90.0 million.

(Millions of Dollars)

The Major Research Equipment account was established in FY 1995 to provide funding for the construction and acquisition of major research facilities that provide unique capabilities at the cutting edge of science and engineering. Projects supported by this account are intended to expand the boundaries of technology and will offer significant new research opportunities, frequently in totally new directions, for the science and engineering community. Operations and maintenance costs of the facilities are provided through the Research and Related Activities (R&RA) account.

In FY 2000, funding for six projects is requested through the Major Research Equipment account: the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the Millimeter Array (MMA), the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES), Terascale Computing Systems, Polar Support Aircraft Upgrades and the modernization of South Pole Station.

Funding for MRE projects is summarized below:

(Millions of Dollars)

¹ In FY 1998, $34.67 million was carried over into FY 1999, largely in support of the South Pole Station Modernization Project.

LARGE HADRON COLLIDER

The FY 2000 Request for construction of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) detectors, A Toroidal Large Angle Spectrometer (ATLAS) and Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), is $15.90 million. To complete the project, this Budget requests advanced appropriations of $16.4 million in FY 2001, $16.9 million in FY 2002, and $9.7 million in 2003. Total NSF funding for this project is $80.90 million over the period FY 1999-2003. Oversight of this project is provided through the Physics Subactivity within the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) Activity.

Funding for the overall LHC project, including both the detectors and the accelerator, will be provided through an international partnership involving NSF, Department of Energy (DOE), and the CERN member states, with CERN member states providing the major portion. The total U.S. contribution will be $531.0 million, including $450.0 through the DOE. NSF and DOE will jointly provide a total of $331.0 million for the detector construction, while DOE will provide sole U.S. support ($200 million) for the accelerator construction.

The LHC will be constructed at the CERN laboratory in Switzerland. The facility will consist of a superconducting particle accelerator providing two counter-rotating beams of protons, each with energies up to 7 TeV (7x10¹² electron volts). Two detectors, ATLAS and CMS, will be constructed to characterize the reaction products produced in the very high energy proton-proton collisions which will occur at intersection regions where the two beams are brought together. The LHC will enable a search for the Higgs particle, the existence and properties of which will provide a deeper understanding of the origin of mass of the known elementary particles. The LHC will also enable a search for particles predicted by a powerful theoretical framework known as supersymmetry which will provide clues as to how the four known forces evolved from different aspects of the same “unified” force in the early universe.

The two LHC detectors will provide partially redundant and partially complementary information aimed at maximizing the chance of discovery. Both detectors will operate at extremely high data rates, which will push the state-of-the-art technology of electronic triggers, data acquisition, and data analysis.

Construction funding for the ATLAS and CMS detectors is scheduled to be completed in FY 2003. The overall LHC construction, including both the accelerator and the ATLAS and CMS detectors, is scheduled for completion in FY 2005.

NSF Support For LHC

(Millions of Dollars)

NOTE: Total may not add due to rounding.

Milestones for the LHC are outlined below:

FY 2000 Milestones

US ATLAS: Complete design for tracking and calorimetry readout, complete design of calorimeter triggers, complete production of muon chamber electronics.

US CMS: Ship calorimeter supports to CERN, start design of tracking electronics.

FY 2001 Milestones

US ATLAS: Ship calorimeter cryostat to CERN, complete calorimeter feedthrough and electronics production, complete muon chamber support structures, complete trigger prototypes.

US CMS: Finish design of tracking electronics, complete production of muon chambers, finish production of optical system for calorimeters.

FY 2002 Milestones

US ATLAS: Complete tracking module production, complete transition radiator production, complete calorimeter production and start installation, start trigger installation.

US CMS: Complete calorimeter electronics and ship to CERN, start data acquisition system assembly.

FY 2003 Milestones

US ATLAS: Complete muon chamber production, start installation, complete transition chamber electronics

US CMS: Install muon chambers, complete data acquisition system, complete photodiode production, test detector magnets.

FY 2004 Milestones

US ATLAS: Complete tracking read out installation, complete calorimeter installation, complete muon chamber alignment, complete trigger installation, complete transition chamber installation.

US CMS: Install detector magnets, ship calorimeter tracking elements to CERN, complete all construction.

FY 2005 Milestones

Initiate and complete commissioning of ATLAS and CMS detectors. (Coincides with scheduled completion of construction of the LHC accelerator by the end of the year.)

MILLIMETER ARRAY

The Millimeter Array (MMA) will be an aperture-synthesis radio telescope operating in the wavelength range from 3 to 0.4 mm. The Array is planned to consist of 36 10-meter diameter radio telescopes. These will be located at the same site and electronically linked.

The MMA will be the world's most sensitive, highest resolution, millimeter-wavelength telescope. It will combine an angular resolution comparable to that of the Hubble Space Telescope with the sensitivity of a single antenna more than fifty meters in diameter. The MMA will provide a testing ground for theories of star birth and stellar evolution, galaxy formation and evolution, and the evolution of the universe itself. The MMA will reveal the inner workings of the central black hole “engines” which power quasars, and will make possible a search for earth-like planets around hundreds of nearby stars.

Funding for the three-year Design and Development Phase of the MMA project will total $26.0 million, including a requested $8.0 million in FY 2000. Total costs for the MMA project are estimated to be approximately $230.0 million. International or other-agency participation at the 25-50% level is being actively sought for the project. Funding for the 5-year capital construction phase will be requested only after appropriate review and approval by the National Science Board.

During the Design and Development Phase of the project, a prototype antenna will be constructed, a digital correlator architecture chosen, international and agency partners identified. Discussions with a European consortium to form a partnership between the U.S. and a number of European institutions are underway.

NSF Support For MMA Design And Development

(Millions of Dollars)

Milestones for the MMA are outlined below:

FY 1998 Milestones (accomplished):

Design antenna;

Select MMA site;

Begin negotiations with possible international partners;

Design and begin construction of prototype receivers;

Design prototype correlator, computer/software system, LO and fiber optic systems.

FY 1999 Milestones:

Complete first prototype receiver components;

Select prototype antenna contractor;

Select local oscillator system.

FY 2000 Milestones:

Deliver prototype antenna to U.S. test site;

Begin antenna 1 single dish testing;

Finalize agreements with international partners;

Deliver prototype correlator and receivers to test site.

Following the Design and Development phase, NSF will decide whether to proceed to the second phase, a five-year Capital Construction Phase. This two-step process will enable NSF to evaluate the project before undertaking major expenditures.

Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation

The FY 2000 Request to initiate construction of the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) is $7.70 million. To complete this project, this Budget requests advanced appropriations of $28.20 million in FY 2001, $24.40 million in FY 2002, $4.50 million in FY 2003, and $17.0 million in FY 2004. Total NSF funding for this project, including both the experimental facilities and the network, is $81.90 million over the period FY 2000-2004. Oversight of this project will be provided through the Civil and Mechanical Systems Subactivity within the Engineering (ENG) Activity.

The Network will be developed to include geographically distributed and network-interconnected physical facilities constructed under cooperative agreements with NSF. The NEES project will upgrade, modernize, expand and network major facilities including: (a) shake tables used for earthquake simulations; (b) large reaction walls for pseudo-dynamic testing; (c) centrifuges for testing soils under earthquake loading; and (d) field testing facilities.

The NEES project will transform earthquake engineering research from its current reliance on physical experiments to investigations based on integrated models, databases and model-based simulation. The NEES project will exploit Internet technology to integrate and interconnect these nationally distributed facilities with a computer network to afford remote access. The NEES network will provide interoperability, resource sharing, scalable and efficient net-wide deployment, open-system standardization, database consistency and integrity, and modularity in both software and hardware architectures.

Construction funding for the NEES physical facilities and network integration is scheduled to be completed in FY 2004. When NEES is completed, it will be operated by a consortium that includes participation from host institutions, affiliate organizations, and the user community. Beyond FY 2004, the annual operations and management budget for NEES will be approximately $8 million.

NSF Support For NEES

(Millions of Dollars)

NOTE: Total may not add due to rounding.

Milestones for the NEES are outlined below:

FY 2000 Milestones

Initiate and complete construction of multi-degree of freedom test system, soils laboratory, and shake table upgrade;

Begin development of system architecture and planning for integration and interface design.

FY 2001 Milestones

Initiate construction of new shake table, response modification device, mobile structural test facility;

Initiate and complete construction of ground motion simulator and post-quake mobile laboratory;

Continuation of network software and hardware implementation.

FY 2002 Milestones

Continue construction from FY 2001 and initiate construction of upgrades for NEES centrifuge and tsunami tank, three-dimensional reaction wall, pseudo-dynamic laboratory, mobile seismic wave source, and development of field sites;

Initiate and complete construction of high capacity load simulator;

Establish site connections for system integration.

FY 2003 Milestones

Complete construction from FY2002;

Complete equipment calibration of new shake table;

Initiate system integration test bed operations.

FY 2004 Milestones

Complete construction and calibration of facilities from FY2003, complete additional upgrade of one shake table, complete construction of one- and two-dimensional centrifuge shakers;

Complete testing of system integration test bed operations.

FY 2005 Milestones

All components operational and calibrated;

Networking and interfaces completed;

Complete commissioning of the NEES facilities and network.

POLAR SUPPORT AIRCRAFT UPGRADES

Ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft are the backbone of the U.S. Antarctic Program’s (USAP) air transport. LC-130’s also support NSF’s research in the Arctic. The Air National Guard (ANG) is in the process of assuming operational control of all LC-130’s and, by March 1999, will provide the sole LC-130 support to the USAP. The ANG has six LC-130’s and also flies one NSF-owned aircraft recently acquired. Three additional NSF-owned LC-130’s require upgrades and modifications to meet Air Force safety and operability standards. NSF reviewed whether the polar mission could be supported with nine rather than ten LC-130’s. That review was ongoing at the time the FY 1999 NSF Request was being prepared, and the FY 1999 NSF Request included $20 million in the Major Research Equipment Account for aircraft upgrades.

The analysis of aircraft requirements requested by NSF focused on mission requirements and maintenance. During the austral summer, six LC-130’s will be “in theater” in New Zealand or Antarctica, and four LC-130’s will be at the ANG’s base in Scotia, New York, for missions in Greenland, other Department of Defense requirements, New York state requirements, training missions, or maintenance.

The ANG mission has five major components: Antarctic support, Arctic support (including Department of Defense Arctic interests), training (for defense readiness and aircraft qualification), national response, and New York state response requirements. The ANG analysis of aircraft requirements used an Air Force computer model to determine aircraft needs. The model takes into account, among other parameters, the number of flight hours required for all missions. This includes crew qualifications for the ANG wartime mission, adding the USAP mission and training for added crews, and downtime for maintenance. The ANG’s current mission requires approximately 4000 flight hours annually. Support of the USAP will add an additional 4000 flight hours annually.

The results of the Air Force model clearly support the need for a total of 10 LC-130’s, and NSF concurs that a third aircraft needs to be modified in order to support the Foundation’s polar missions. The FY 2000 Request includes $12 million to complete the upgrades to the NSF-owned aircraft.

The current budget profile to complete the upgrades is below:

Support for Aircraft Upgrades

(Millions of Dollars)

¹ Engineering costs of $800,000 in FY 1998 and $3.2 million in FY 1999 were funded through the U.S .Polar Research Programs Activity of the R&RA Account. Upgrade project costs of $20 million were provided through the MRE Account, for a FY 1999 total of $23.2 million.

The estimated cost includes engineering, avionics, airframe, safety, propulsion, electronics and communications, equipment for black box installation, storage, and project administration.

A competitive contract for the modifications will be awarded and administered by the Air Logistics Command at Robins Air Force Base (Warner Robins, GA). NSF’s Office of Polar Programs will work with the project managers to approve, fund and track the progress of the work, to ensure the modifications are completed on schedule by FY 2001.

South Pole Station

The South Pole is of particular geopolitical significance due to its location at the convergence of the territorial claims of six of the Antarctic Treaty nations. NSF-supported activity achieves the foreign policy objective of maintaining U.S. presence in Antarctica, while providing an observatory for several fields of science. The scientific opportunities are unique as a result of the particular geophysical conditions at the South Pole.

Because of its location on an ice sheet at Earth's axis of rotation, its altitude and cold dry atmosphere, six-month-long days and nights, and its remoteness from centers of human population, the station at the South Pole has important advantages for conducting world-leading science in areas such as infrared and submillimeter astronomy, the study of seismic and atmospheric waves, and research on long-term effects of human activities on the atmosphere.

The United States Antarctic Program (USAP) External Panel, convened in October 1996, examined infrastructure, management, and science options for USAP, including consideration of South Pole Station. The Panel noted that funds specifically appropriated in FY 1997 (South Pole Safety Project) would rectify the most extreme safety, health and environmental concerns at the South Pole, but did not address the underlying problems of aging facilities in a life-threatening environment. They also stated that further life-extension efforts devoted to the existing South Pole facility were not cost effective, and recommended that the station be replaced. Based on this recommendation, the South Pole Station Modernization project was initiated.

SOUTH POLE STATION MODERNIZATION

The goals of South Pole Station Modernization (SPSM) are:

· Maintain a U.S. presence in accordance with national policy

· Provide a safe working and living environment

· Provide a platform for science

· Achieve a 25-year station life

In FY 1998, $70.0 million was appropriated to begin the South Pole Station Modernization project, and in FY 1999 a second increment of $39.0 million was appropriated. The FY 2000 Request includes $5.4 million for the next phase of the project. This Budget includes an advanced appropriations request of $13.50 million in FY 2001 to complete the project. Priorities in implementing the modernization project include increasing safety, minimizing environmental impacts and disruption of ongoing science, and optimizing the use of existing facilities during the modernization.

The USAP External Panel’s Optimized Station model was the basis for Congressional discussions leading to the FY 1998 appropriation. The Optimized Station is an elevated station complex with two connected buildings, supporting 110 people (46 science personnel and 64 support personnel) in the summer, and 50 people (31 science personnel and 19 support personnel) in the winter. The cost estimate for the Optimized Station is $127.9 million.

The current budget profile for the Optimized Station is below:

Support for SPSM

(Millions of Dollars)

The estimates include materials, labor, logistics for transportation of all material and personnel to the South Pole, construction support, inspection, and equipment, as well as demolition and disposal. The location at the South Pole requires significant lead time for construction projects because of the long procurement cycle, the shipping constraints (one vessel per year to deliver materials), and the shortened period for construction at the South Pole (100 days per year). Construction is anticipated to begin in FY 2001 and to be completed by FY 2005. The project is currently on budget and on schedule.

SPSM Milestones

Activity	Funding	Transport to Antarctica	Airlift to South Pole	Start Construction	Finish
Vertical Circular Tower	FY98	FY99	FY00	FY00	FY02
Quarters/Galley	FY98	FY99/00	FY00/FY01	FY01	FY02
Sewer Outfall	FY98	FY99	FY00	FY01	FY01
Fuel Storage (100K gallons)	FY98	FY98	FY99	FY99	FY99
Medical/Science	FY98	FY99/00	FY00/01	FY02	FY03
Science Lab/ Communications/Administration	FY98	FY00	FY01	FY02	FY03
Dark Sector Lab	FY98	FY99/00	FY00/01	FY02	FY03
Water Well	FY98	FY99	FY00	FY01	FY02
Data Transmission/Communications (RF) Building	FY98	FY00	FY01	FY02	FY03
Emergency Power/Quarters	FY99	FY01	FY02	FY03	FY04
Liquid nitrogen and helium	FY99	FY01	FY02	FY03	FY03
Quarters/Multipurpose Area	FY99	FY02	FY03	FY04	FY05
Warehousing, SEH and Waste Management	FY99	FY03	FY04	FY05	FY05
Station Equipment	FY99	FY03	FY04		FY04
Electronic Systems and Communications	FY00/01	FY00/01	FY01/02	FY03	FY04

Contingency

The current cost estimate includes several factors to account for the uncertainties and risks inherent in the project. The cost estimate includes a $6 million contingency for loss or damage to materials during shipping. The cost estimate also includes a location factor for labor at the South Pole: the initial estimate for labor at the South Pole was multiplied by 2.6 to account for the uncertainties of weather and logistics at such a remote location. This multiplier is based on previous experience on construction projects at the South Pole.

The project estimate used by the USAP External Panel in its recommendations did not include any cost contingency provision, although it noted that this represents a departure from commercial practices. Commercial construction projects usually include a contingency for cost variances between the design and planning phases of a project and award of the final construction contract. This contingency varies depending on the phase of the project and the reliability of cost estimates. For example, at the preliminary working drawing stage, a contingency of 10 percent would be added to the cost estimate; at the final working drawing stage, a contingency of 2 percent would be added to the cost estimate. SPSM is currently between those two phases. Adding a contingency for cost variance at this stage would add approximately $10.2 million to the total estimate for South Pole Station Modernization.

Also, a contingency for uncertainties in logistics costs -- market-driven fuel cost increases; aircraft maintenance and repair uncertainties -- would add an additional $1.3 million (based on an analysis of logistics costs during the 1983-1993 period).

SOUTH POLE SAFETY PROJECT

Funding was provided in FY 1997 to address urgent and critical safety and environmental concerns at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. A total of $25.0 million was provided for improvements to the heavy equipment maintenance facility, the power plant, and the fuel storage facilities. Milestones for each component are below. The project is scheduled to be operational by FY 2002. The project is currently on budget and on schedule.

Milestones

Activity	Funding/ Procurement	Transport to Antarctica	Airlift to South Pole	Start Construction	Finish
Heavy Equipment Maintenance Facility Arch	FY97	FY97	FY97/FY98	FY98	FY98
Heavy Equipment Maintenance Facility Building	FY97	FY98	FY98/FY99	FY00	FY00
Power Plant Arch and Building	FY97	FY98	FY99	FY00	FY01
Fuel Storage System	FY97	FY98	FY98/FY99	FY99	FY99

Terascale Computing Systems

There is growing recognition that information technology, particularly computational simulation and modeling is a key contributor to United States economic growth and competitiveness, defense capabilities, environmental studies, and climatology, and scientific and engineering research. Over the past decade, simulation and modeling of a vast array of scientific, engineering and mathematical problems have led to revolutionary scientific insights. All signs indicate that progress here is accelerating. Moreover, new application domains that are ripe for exploration, such as intelligent data mining and crisis management, are continually being identified.

For over a decade, NSF has led all Federal agencies in providing high-performance computing systems and networks to the nation's academic science and engineering communities. Beginning in FY 1998, this computational infrastructure is provided through the Partnerships for an Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI). More than 60 geographically distributed partner institutions from 27 states and the District of Columbia are associated with PACI.

The Information Technology for the 21^st Century (IT²) Initiative will provide access to terascale computing resources for the science and engineering community. Such access to leading edge computing capabilities and advanced computing research is critical to maintaining the nation’s leading edge and to educating the next generation of computer and computational scientists.

As part of IT², the Terascale Computing Systems project will enable U.S. researchers to gain access to leading edge computing capabilities. The project will be connected to NSF’s existing PACI network, and will be coordinated with other agencies’ activities, such as DOE’s, to leverage the software, tools and technology investments, while ensuring a full and open competition.

The Request includes $36.0 million for the Terascale Computing Systems project in FY 2000 to put in place a 5-teraflop capability at one site. Additional funding will be required to maintain state-of-the-art facilities for this effort in FY 2001 and beyond.

Gemini observatories

The Gemini Telescopes Project is constructing two 8-meter telescopes, one in the northern and one in the southern hemisphere, in Hawaii and Chile, respectively. The Hawaiian telescope will be optimized for infrared observations. The Project is an international collaboration with the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil.

Capital construction costs provided for this project by the U.S. have been $92.0 million, which represents 50 percent of the total cost of the project. First light on the Gemini North Telescope was achieved in December 1998. Some related instrumentation developments have been delayed.

Astronomers need to resolve important questions about the age and rate of expansion of the universe, its overall topology, the epoch of galaxy formation, the evolution of galaxies once they are formed, and the formation of stars and planetary systems. This new generation of optical/infrared telescopes with significantly larger aperture (8-meter diameter) than existing instruments will provide better sensitivity and spectral and spatial resolution. Technological advances in a number of key areas of telescope construction and design will allow these instruments to take advantage of the best performance the atmosphere will allow.

Milestones for Gemini, for both the project and technological enhancements, are described below:

FY 1999 Milestones Enhancements

Accept first Instrument, Hawaii; Complete front surface heating;

Complete enclosure, Chile; IR wavefront sensors procured

Deliver telescope structure, Chile; Complete coating plant site acceptance,

Complete polishing primary mirror, Chile. Chile.

FY 2000 Milestones

Acceptance of control system, Hawaii; Implement mirror cleaning, Chile

Handover of operations, Hawaii;

Install acquisition guiding unit, Chile;

Install primary mirror, Chile;

Install chopping secondary assembly, Chile;

FIRST LIGHT, Chile.

FY 2001 Milestones

Final acceptance of first instrument, Chile;

Acceptance of control systems, Chile;

Hanover of operations, Chile.

LASER INTERFEROMETER GRAVITATIONAL WAVE OBSERVATORY

Funding of the construction phase of the The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) project was completed in FY 1998 at a total cost of $271.9 million. LIGO will be a national user facility for research in gravitational physics, serving many U.S. faculty, students, and other researchers. The LIGO construction project is being carried out through a Caltech-MIT collaboration. Construction of the major facilities at the two LIGO sites, one at Hanford, Washington and one at Livingston Parish, Louisiana, is nearing completion. Each LIGO detector is an L-shaped interferometer, 4 km on a side. Support for LIGO operations began in FY 1997, provided through the Physics Subactivity of the Mathematical and Physics Sciences Activity. Operations support ramped up to $20.8 million in FY 1999. Additional support of $2.3 million was provided for advanced R&D for improving the sensitivity of LIGO as an astrophysical observatory. The total funding for LIGO in FY 2000 is $23.7 million, of which $21.1 million is for operations.

The primary objectives of LIGO are to detect gravitational waves, to test dynamical features of Einstein’s theory of gravitation, and to study the properties of intense gravitational fields. LIGO will detect the passage of gravitational radiation that originated from catastrophic stellar events such as supernova, binary star coalescence, or possibly even echoes from the formation of the universe itself. LIGO thus represents a new observational window on the universe and stellar phenomena. New gravity wave detectors, modeled after LIGO, are planned or are under construction by a number of other countries, providing opportunities for important international scientific cooperation.

Civil construction at both LIGO sites is completed, including the large vacuum systems which contain the interferometer. Contracts have been awarded for the lasers and optical elements. Delivery of optical elements and interferomenter installation began at both sites in FY 1999. The overall control system is at an advanced stage. A final design review for critical elements, including the laser, length-sensing and controls, alignment, and environmental monitors has been completed. The project remains on schedule and on budget, with first scientific observations planned for FY 2001.

NSF Support For LIGO

(Millions of Dollars)

¹ Funded through the Physics Subactivity within the R&RA account.

LIGO Milestones are outlined below:

FY 2000 Milestones:

Begin coincidence tests at both detector sites.

FY 2001 Milestones:

Begin scientific observations at both detector sites.