Aura and KPNO: The Evolution of an Idea,1952–58

The Chicago-Texas joint operation of the McDonald Observatory ended in 1962, when the contract signed in 1932 expired and the University of Texas established a PhD-granting Department of Astronomy in Austin. The arrangement between the California Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Institution of Washington for the joint operation of Mt Wilson and Palomar Observatories was terminated in 1980 for administrative reasons.

Otto Struve , “Cooperation in astronomy”, The scientific monthly , 1 (1940), 142–7.

Struve O. to Edmondson F. K. , 19 March 1940, F.K.E. personal files.

England Merton J. , A patron for pure science (Washington, D.C., 1982). This book is an excellent review of the history of the NSF from 1945 to 1957. The NSF start-up budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 1951 was $225,000, and the NSF law had set a ceiling of $15 million on later appropriations. The budget for FY 1952 was $3.5 million.

“Draft of proposal for the support of astronomy by the National Science Foundation”, Astronomical journal , lvi (1951), 147–8.

The name was changed to “Advisory Panel for Astronomy” at the second meeting on 5–6 February 1953.

Minutes, Ad hoc meeting of Astronomical Consultants, 1 August 1952, NSF History Files, NSF Headquarters, Washington D.C. A copy of the proposal from the University of Arizona in behalf of the three universities (“A search for a suitable location for a new astronomical observatory to be used jointly by the University of Arizona, Indiana University and Ohio State University”) was found in Leo Goldberg's personal files at KPNO. Copies had not been saved by the three universities, by the NSF, or by the surviving members of the Panel. The proposal followed publication of a paper by Irwin John B. , “Optimum location of a photoelectric observatory”, Science , cxv (1952), 223–6. Geoffrey Keller , Ohio State University, encouraged him to publish the talk he had given at a meeting of midwest astronomers the previous autumn. Edwin F. Carpenter's desire to move the 36-inch reflector of the Steward Observatory away from the lights of Tucson had been discussed when Carpenter visited the midwest the previous summer. Minutes, Ad Hoc Meeting of Astronomical Consultants, 1 August 1952, NSF History Files, NSF Headquarters, Washington, D.C.

A proposal from Bart Bok for a 24-ft radio telescope was also discussed at the Astronomical Consultants meeting, and this ended in a tie vote (with Whipple absent); however, Waterman had already recommended it favourably to the National Science Board. The Panel gave Seeger a hard time about this at the next meeting.

Paul Klopsteg to K. Aa. Strand, 19 November 1952, NSF History Files.

“Staff notes on meeting of advisory panel for astronomy”, 5–6 February 1953, NSF History Files.

On NSF support for the meeting see Waterman A. T. to Seeger R. J. , 16 March 1953, and N.S.F. Staff Meeting Notes, 11 May 1953, NSF History Files.

Whitford A. E. to McMath R. R. , 21 May 1953, Whitford Archives, University of Wisconsin Library.

Leo Goldberg to Joel Stebbins , 18 August 1953, Goldberg personal files (copy in Edmondson files).

Irwin John B. (ed.), Proceedings of the National Science Foundation astronomical photoelectric conference, held at Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, August 31 — September 1 , 1953, 107–8. The Proceedings were published in Bloomington, Indiana, in October 1955.

MPE Study S-9, November 1953, NSF History Files.

Seeger R. J. , Diary Note, 15 January 1954, NSF History Files.

McMath to Seeger, 15 January 1954, NSF History Files.

Seeger to McMath, 19 April 1954, NSF History Files.

Minutes, NSF Advisory Panel for NAO, 4–5 November 1954, Peter van de Kamp personal files; also in NSF History Files. The “McMath Panel” was appointed three months after a 4–7 January 1954 interdisciplinary conference on radio astronomy, sponsored by NSF, the Carnegie Institution of Washington (CIW) and the California Institute of Technology. The discussion at the conference led to the appointment of the NSF Advisory Panel for Radio Astronomy on 3 May 1954, a month after the McMath Panel was appointed.

Struve to McMath, 16 February 1954, Michigan Historical Collections, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan. AURA Box 1. The history of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is being published in a series of articles by Adriaan Blaauw, The messenger, starting with no. 54 (December 1988).

Waterman to McMath, 8 March 1954, NSF History Files, a copy also in Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box I.

More information about the NRAO story can be found in J. Merton England's excellent history of NSF, A patron for pure science (ref. 4); and an article by Allan A. Needell entitled “Lloyd Berkner, Merle Tuve, and the federal role in radio astronomy”, Osiris , 2nd ser., iii (1987), 261–88.

The NSF funds budgeted for panel and staff travel were so severely limited by Congress that direct reimbursement of the NAO Panel would have caused a fiscal hardship for these NSF activities. The solution was to change the NAO Panel to a contract panel funded by an eighteen-month grant of $9,700 to the University of Michigan.

op. cit. (ref. 18).

Minutes, NSF Advisory Panel for NAO, 29–31 March 1955, NSF History Files. The minutes were written by McMath using the notes of Meinel, who was employed by the NAO Panel as Executive Secretary.

Abt Helmut A. , Log book — National astronomical observatory site survey, 7 May 1955 to I June 1956, Kitt Peak National Observatory Archives.

Peter van de Kamp, MPE Study S-18, Third Draft, 3 May 1955, NSF History Files. The final draft, dated May 1955, was entitled “Inter-University Astronomical Observatory”. Operation by a group of universities was still recommended, but the question of ownership was not mentioned.

McMath to NAO-NSF Advisory Panel, 21 May 1955, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box 1.

Seeger, Diary Note, 2 June 1955, NSF History Files. This appears to be exactly what Waterman had already told McMath in a letter dated 8 March 1954 (ref. 20).

McMath to NAO-NSF Advisory Panel, 9 June 1955, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box 1.

Goldberg oral history interview with Edmondson, 6 September 1978.

Abt and Meinel learned that Edwin Carpenter had been looking at a site on the slopes of the Sierrita Mountains for a new location for the Steward Observatory 36-inch telescope. When he was told about the possible NAO interest in the Tucson area, he decided to postpone his decision about a site in the hope that some kind of arrangement could be worked out with the NAO.

The Papago Tribe is now called the Tohono O'odham Nation ( Arizona daily star , 9 March 1986).

University of Arizona anthropologists were very helpful in making the arrangements for the visit of Papago tribal officials to the Steward Observatory. Edmondson oral history interviews with: Harvill Richard A. , 30 August 1978; Spicer Edward H. , 25 January and 8 February 1979; Emil Haury , 16 March 1979.

Meinel to Hogg, 16 March 1956, NSF History Files.

Meinel, Final report on the site selection survey for the national astronomical observatory, 1 March 1958, Edmondson personal files, also in NSF History Files.

McMath to Hogg, 3 March 1956, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box 1.

Goldberg to McMath, 30 March 1956, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box 1. “I have just about come to the conclusion that the plan of organization proposed by the Panel is unworkable, and if I am not sold on it myself, it is going to be exceedingly difficult for me to convince the various university administrators of its workability.” Goldberg's proposals about ownership and administration of NAO were passed on in McMath's letter to Hogg cited below (ref. 40).

McMath to NAO-NSF Advisory Panel, 3 April 1956, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box 1.

McMath to NAO-NSF Advisory Panel, 7 April 1956, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, AURA Box 1.

McMath to Hogg, 28 April 1956, NSF History Files.

McMath to Waterman, 3 July 1956, NSF History Files.

Waterman to McMath, 16 October 1956, NSF History Files.

FY 1957 was a good year for Astronomy. The NSF appropriation was $40 million, an increase by a factor of 2.5 from the previous year. $5.0 million of this was for Astronomy: $4.0 million to start the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, $345,000 for the final Michigan site survey grant, and $455,000 for university research grants. This was one-eighth of the NSF budget, or one-fifth of the increase.

Minutes, NSF Advisory Panel for NAO, 25–26 February 1957, NSF History Files. Cal Tech, Case, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Yale each had three or more staff, but were not invited. Dr Bowen had indicated that Cal Tech probably would not wish to be included in the operating organization. It was agreed, at McMath's request, to make Goldberg (previously a Consultant) Vice Chairman of the Panel. Presumably this was to give him official status to convene the meeting of university representatives.

Edmondson represented NSF. Goldberg wrote to Edmondson on 2 April, saying: “I hope you are as pleased as I am with the outcome of last Friday's meeting.” He sent a summary of the results of the meeting to Waterman, and told him: “The meeting was called by the University of Michigan in the aftermath of your letter of October 16th to Dr. McMath.”.

Goldberg to 19 persons, 12 April 1957, Indiana University Archives, Office of Vice President and Treasurer. The name of the proposed Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) was first suggested in July 1956 by Pollard William G. , Director of the Oak Ridge Institute for Nuclear Studies (ORINS). He had been encouraged by Merle Tuve to set up an organization to compete with Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) for the management of the radio astronomy observatory. Goldberg was one of the twelve persons invited by Pollard to incorporate under this name. Pollard's organization did not come into being, and Goldberg recalled many years later: “I saw at once that Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy spelled AURA, and I think I proposed that name at one of the meetings of the organizing committee, but the idea came unwittingly from Pollard at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.” Goldberg oral history interview with Edmondson, 6 September 1978.

Goldberg to Waterman, 3 May 1957, NSF History Files. He also enclosed a copy of the proposed plan of organization that would be discussed at a meeting on 1 July. Waterman included this letter and the enclosure in the agenda material for the 20 May meeting of the National Science Board. Edmondson was invited to “attend the discussion” of this agenda item, and was shocked when Waterman, without prior warning, asked him to make the presentation to the Board.

Minutes, National Science Board, 20 May 1957, NSF History Files.

Minutes, Goldberg and NSF officials, 27 June 1957, NSF History Files.

Minutes, Organizing Committee for AURA, Inc., 1 July 1957, Edmondson personal files.

The major change in the material presented to the NSB was a revised budget, sent by Goldberg on 28 August. Geoffrey Keller became the NSF Program Director for Astronomy on 1 September 1957. Edmondson stayed until 6 September, the date of the National Science Board Meeting.

Goldberg to Organizing Committee for AURA, Inc., 12 September 1957, Edmondson personal files.

Minutes, Incorporators of AURA, 28 October 1957, Edmondson personal files.

Harvard University .

Menzel D. H. , Director, Harvard College Observatory.

Reynolds Edward , Administrative Vice President.

Indiana University .

Edmondson F. K. , Chairman, Department of Astronomy.

Franklin J. A. , Vice President and Treasurer.

Ohio State University .

Keenan P. C. , Professor of Astronomy.

Miller C. F. , Controller.

University of California .

Miller J. M. , Assistant Vice President — Business Affairs.

Shane C. D. , Director, Lick Observatory.

University of Chicago .

Harrell W. B. , Vice President — Business Affairs.

Kuiper G. P. , Director, Yerkes Observatory.

University of Michigan .

Lee G. L. Jr , Controller.

McMath R. R. , Director, McMath-Hulbert Observatory.

University of Wisconsin .

Peterson A. W. , Vice President.

Whitford A. E. , Director, Washburn Observatory.

Minutes , Board of Directors of AURA, Edmondson personal files. As a result of its meeting on 27 October at 10 p.m., the Nominating Committee presented the following report:

For Officers of AURA:

President McMath Robert R. .

Vice President Edmondson Frank K. .

Secretary Miller James M. .

For Membership on the Executive Committee of AURA:

McMath Robert R. Term of three years.

Peterson A. W. Term of three years.

Frank K. Edmondson Term of three years.

Menzel D. H. Term of two years.

Miller C. F. Term of two years.

Harrell W. B. Term of one year.

Shane C. D. Term of one year.

For Director-at-Large.

van de Kamp Peter , Swarthmore College (3 years).

Carl K . Seyfert, Vanderbilt University (2 years).

For Consultants:

I. S. Bowen.

Otto Struve.

Leo Goldberg.

Minutes , Board of Directors of AURA, Edmondson personal files. The late Carl Hayden, then Senator from Arizona and Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, played a major role in getting these funds approved in the NSF budget.

Minutes , AURA Scientific Committee, Edmondson personal files.

Minutes , Board of Directors of AURA, 8 December 1958, Edmondson personal files.

Waterman McMath , 3 February 1959, reported in AURA Board Minutes, 3 March 1959, Edmondson personal files.

Dedication Program, 15 March 1960, Edmondson personal files. Edmondson served as chairman of the planning committee for the Dedication, and was also chairman of the planning committee for the 25th anniversary celebration.