A Five-Year Proposal (2005-2009) for Technology Development at NRAO

In the course of its deliberations, the OTC noted that the NRAO R&D program has been reduced virtually to zero. ALMA development had become the prime new technical development for the observatory, but the development phase of ALMA is now over. It is particularly important, for the continuing health of the observatory and in order to maintain a modest degree of technical leadership, that at least the Priority 1 items in this R&D plan be funded; without at least a minimal level of R&D activity the observatory is not fulfilling its mission. We are already seeing talented senior engineers leaving the observatory – its pool of high-level talent is the observatory’s biggest resource.