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26-06-2009
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the Arecibo Science Advocacy Partnership

Submitter: Marijke Haverkorn
Description: The Arecibo Observatory is the largest single-dish telescope in the world with a 305m diameter dish, built into a karst sinkhole in Puerto Rico. Its large collecting area, sensitivity to extended structure, and broad frequency coverage make it an excellent instrument for e.g. pulsar timing, detection of faint galaxies, studies of extended HI and continuum emission, and molecular lines.

Arecibo is part of the European VLBI Network (EVN), as is JIVE. In addition, ASTRON astronomers are involved in several of the large surveys in HI, polarized continuum, radio recombination lines and pulsars being done with Arecibo's recently installed seven-feed Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA).

In 2006, the future of the Arecibo telescope became uncertain due to the US National Science Foundation Senior Review Report, which prioritized funding for existing and new astronomical facilities in the US for the near future. Arecibo is threatened by closure if it partners cannot be found who will contribute personnel or financial support to its operation by 2011.

A number of active Arecibo users have taken the initiative to start a support group for the telescope named ASAP, the Arecibo Science Advocacy Partnership. Quoting its website: ASAP "seeks to advance the scientific excellence of Arecibo Observatory research and to publicize its accomplishments in astronomy, aeronomy and planetary radar.

To fulfill this mission, the ASAP Board has set these overall goals:
- Showcase the broad impact and far-reaching implications of the science currently carried out with this unique instrument;
- Promote the potential of Arecibo for groundbreaking science, and suggest the paths that will maximize it into the foreseeable future;
- Provide a forum for the Arecibo research community and enhance communication within it; and
- Mobilize the existing broad base of support for Arecibo science within the fields it serves directly, the broad scientific community, and the general public."

A number of ASTRON astronomers are already members, and ASAP invites everyone who is interested to become one too. More information can be found at the ASAP website.
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