[asac] ASAC recommendations

[Ewine van Dishoeck]

Dear ASAC members,

Below please find the final version of our recommendations, taking the
various comments into account. Al/Peter: can you distribute them to the E-AEC
and E-ACC?

In other matters: remember to send any comments on the receiver
specification document to me by the end of this week.

Thanks for your efforts,

Ewine

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                 ASAC RECOMMENDATIONS
                 ====================


The ASAC, at its May 17 2001 telecon, was informed of the results from the
Paris three-way meeting May 10-11 2001 and the increased cost estimates. In
addition, the Japanese delegation outlined a proposal for components to be
included in their proposal to the MEXT ministry on May 18 2001.


The ASAC has the following recommendations:

1. The ASAC re-affirms the importance of the Atacama Compact Array and its
high scientific priority. It urges the project to continue to study its
feasibility, present an interim report at the face-to-face ASAC meeting in
Chile in September, and investigate ways to accommodate the ACA financially in
the project.

2. The ASAC re-emphasizes the unique scientific importance of Bands 1,
4 and 8, and requests continued consultation should further prioritization be
needed.

3. The ASAC concurs that the components proposed by the Japanese delegation
to their ministry MEXT -- including the enhanced/future correlator, Band 10
and one additional receiver band -- are among the enhancements of considerable
scientific importance to the baseline two-way project.

4. The ASAC urges the agencies to make sufficient funds available to allow for
substantial R&D and instrumentation investments in the operational period of
ALMA such that the full complement of receivers can be implemented within a
reasonable timescale and that upgrades to the receivers can be maintained on a
consistent schedule.