DRAFT
13 June 2002
Dr. James B. Breckinridge
Program Director
Advanced Technology and Instrumentation
Division of Astronomical Sciences, MPS/AST
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22230
Re: Request for Extension of Encumbered Funds Payment
Award # AST-962272: MAESTRO: The MMT Advanced Echelle Spectrograph
Expiration Date: 7/31/02
Dear Dr. Breckinridge:
Our work on Maestro: The MMT Advanced Echelle Spectrograph is progressing well. The optical design and tolerance analysis are complete, and manufacturing of the major optics is underway. All of the large lens blanks are in hand, and the optician has completed tooling and begun work. The grating has been ordered, and we are in the queue for manufacture in the next few weeks. The major mechanical parts, including lens cells, initial alignment system and focus mechanism, are moving through the final stages of drafting. The major components of the detector package (dewar, controllers, CCD and miscellaneous electronics) have also been designed and are being built. The initial tests on the potential CCD array shows very low read noise, and so we are optimistic that we will end up with a superb detector.
We have a question about the award accounting procedures. As you know the award has an expiration date of 31 July 2002. Several items on this project have very long lead times for ordering and manufacture. For example, two expensive items, the echelle grating and the lenses/fused silica prism are being fabricated and are only partially billed although the total costs have been encumbered against the University account for this project. The vendors mayl not be issuing the final billing on these items for approximately 6 months.
While we recognized that we cannot obtain a no-cost extension for this award, we request that NSF not initiate final administrative close-out until all payments are made to the vendors providing materials to us.
I would appreciate your assistance in any way so that the goals of this project can be achieved. If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact me at 520-621-6533 or . Joy Facio (; 520-621-2371) in our Business Office or Anna Spitz (; 520-621-9379) are also available to provide information about this award.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Jill Bechtold
Professor