NEWSLETTER Volume 16 July 2009 SKA Project Development Office Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics 3rd Floor, Alan Turing Building The University of Manchester Manchester M13 9PL UK www.skatelescope.org 1 FROM THE SKA PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT OFFICE There is much to report about SKA On the policy side of things, I’m happy to activities in the last 6 months. report that the group of representatives of funding agencies and government The main focus has been, of course, on departments that have been gathering the science and engineering work that is informally on an annual basis for the last defining the telescope and its cost, as well three years to discuss SKA issues, as the additional site characterisation, both decided in Cape Town in February to form carried out under the umbrella of an Agencies SKA Group (ASG). The PrepSKA. The Science Working Group is primary aims of the ASG are 1) to deliver a working closely with the SPDO non-binding joint implementation engineering team to complete the Design agreement on the implementation of the Reference Mission, a key document that SKA by 2011-2012, 2) achieve sufficient describes the science requirements and consensus and make decisions on key resulting technical requirements for a set policy areas of the SKA Project, where of “envelope” components of the SKA appropriate, and 3) to prepare the Science Case. The system engineering groundwork for the subsequent approach to the design is taking shape establishment of a formally-constituted and a conceptual design review at system SKA Steering Group at an appropriate level is planned later this year. The sub- time. The ASG held a second meeting in system designs are undergoing rapid the Hague in early July and one of the development, with growing involvement actions they took on was to create a small from around the world via “design group” group to look at the SKA timeline from the telecons coordinated by the SPDO agencies’ perspective and report back at Domain Specialists and related their third meeting in October. In this documentation. general area are the three “policy” work packages in PrepSKA on governance, The Dish Verification Program is making procurement, and funding options led by good progress, with major input from the the funding agencies in the Netherlands, Technology Development Program in the Italy and the UK respectively. Good U.S., while the Aperture Array Verification progress is being made, and preliminary Program led by Europe is currently under results on these challenging issues were review for funding. Progress in developing reported at a series of short workshops in the costed system design for the SKA was the Hague. formally reviewed by the International Engineering Advisory Committee (IEAC) in Many people have had their heads down April. In their report to the SKA Science in the US and in the SPDO over the past and Engineering Committee (SSEC), the few months preparing material for IEAC approved the system engineering submission to the Decadal Review Panel approach being taken, and made many on behalf of the SKA. It has proven a very useful comments and suggestions on useful process to be required to write a specific aspects of the work. On the site succinct description of the project in all its front, preparations for the RFI facets at this stage of SKA development. measurement campaign are in full swing, and the first measurements are planned The Cape Town meetings in February early next year. Array configurations were a great success. Superb matched to the two candidate sites are organisation, good weather, captivating expected later this year. Peter Dewdney, subject matter, and a trip to the candidate Joe Lazio and Rob Millenaar’s SKA core site, all combined to make the 2 contributions in the following 3 sections weeks there unforgettable, if not describe the overall process in more exhausting. The SSEC spent 2 days detail, and provide the framework for much reviewing the project and debating some of the work reported from the SKA of the larger issues such as the schedule Collaboration partners later in this for developing the SKA, and engaging the Newsletter. community more closely in the project. In 2 one of its decisions, the SSEC settled on glad he remains very much involved in the designations for SKA activities: precursor international SKA scene at the policy level. – a telescope array on a candidate site, He has been replaced on the SSEC and pathfinder – SKA-related technology, XC by Dave Deboer who is ASKAP science and operations activity anywhere Director, and previously an ISSC member in the world, and design study – a study of from the U.S.. one or more major sub-systems of the SKA design. A highlight of the two weeks While on the subject of people, let me was the one-day International SKA Forum introduce two more appointees to the 2009 where politicians, business, science SPDO, Wallace Turner and Phil Crosby. representatives and the press came Wallace is the Domain Specialist in Signal together to talk about the SKA. Next Processing, and has a background in year’s International Forum will be held in industry, most recently working on sonar the Netherlands in June at the time of the arrays. Phil is our Manager of Industry LOFAR opening. Another highlight in Participation Strategy and is on Cape Town was a meeting on high secondment from a similar position in dynamic range imaging in the continuum CSIRO ATNF. Many of you will come in which attracted over 100 attendees from contact with them over the next few years. around the world. More prosaic, but no less important, were meetings of the Finally, I’d like you to note the future PrepSKA Board and some of its Work meetings calendar, and in particular the Package groups, and the Power SSEC3, WP2 and SKADS meetings in late Investigation Task Force. October/early November, and the SKA2010 meeting in March next year Brian Boyle stepped down from the SSEC which is a continuation of the annual and the Executive Committee in early science and engineering get togethers last February on his appointment as CSIRO held in October 2007. I hope to see many SKA Director. He is now a member of the of you at these meetings. Australian delegation to the ASG. Brian was a very active member of the SSEC and its chair for 2 years from June 2006 to Richard Schilizzi June 2008. I’d like to acknowledge all the Director, SPDO work Brian did for SKA development over the last few years, and to note that I’m 3 NEWS FROM THE PROJECT SPDO ENGINEERING ACTIVITIES The Domain Specialists have each set up is in the design of imaging sonar arrays, a one or more Design Groups, comprising field that uses many of the techniques also individuals from contributing institutions used in radio astronomy. who are actively involved in each area. We now have Design Groups in System International Engineering Advisory Committee Engineering, Antennas/Feeds/Receivers, Data Transport, and in progress for Digital The IEAC is a standing committee for the Signal Processing. Software and SKA project, established by the SKA Computing awaits some more progress on Science and Engineering Committee for problem definition. These groups conduct the purpose of providing advice on the regular telecons to plan design technical progress of the SKA project. approaches for the relevant aspect of the The theme of the first meeting, held in SKA system. In parallel with the Manchester in April 2009, was “planning “technology” design groups, the System and processes”: how technical Design group is planning the development requirements will flow from science input, of the SKA as an entire system, especially and how decisions will be made that result the management of the system design and in a set of science goals consistent with the interactions and interdependencies affordable technology deployed to support among sub-systems. Clearly the those goals. Clearly, it is too early to parallelism of system engineering and the make final decisions, but it is important to engineering of major sub-systems creates develop clear methods for doing so. A complexity, which we are just beginning to Design Reference Mission (see page 6), a fully understand. restricted set of science goals chosen to define the “envelope” of technical The SPDO has recently been heavily requirements, is used in conjunction with a committed to supporting the US Decadal technology assessment method. This will Review process (Astro2010), which result in elucidation of included two Requests for Information. science/technology/cost tradeoffs While the SPDO provided briefly described available, and will ultimately result in a estimates of cost and schedule for the first consistent science and technology request, the second request required selection. This work is also related to the much more supporting detail, including a System Engineering Management Plan, well described baseline system design, a which was also presented to the IEAC, detailed build schedule, and costs along with progress reports and plans for supported by basis of estimates. This specific areas, such as the Dish level of detail is essentially what is Verification Program DVP (see below). planned to be the output of PrepSKA WP2 and is not immediately available. The SPDO is currently carrying out an Nevertheless, the US decadal process intensive review of the Design Reference was a useful first iteration in a complex Mission (DRM), to make a first pass at process, and very helpful in focusing our extracting technical requirements. We are attention on key issues, particularly in the also looking for refinements, gaps and development of a more detailed schedule improvements in clarity. Both the DRM containing inter-connected milestones and and the system of trade-offs will begin to review points for implementing the be used while at the same time baseline design.