This planning visit is under the direction of Dr. Charles Alcock, Smithsonian Institution Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), in cooperation with Drs. Salah Mahmoud and Hamed Ismail, from the National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics in Helwan, Egypt. The purpose of the planning visit is to undertake a thorough evaluation of the optics and support system of the Kottamia Telescope and to make recommendations for its repair and restoration.
The SAO proposes to partner with The Kottamia Astronomical Observatory for the purpose of advancing astronomy and astrophysical collaboration between the United States and Egypt. Specifically, SAO will undertake an engineering planning visit to the site of the Kottamia Astronomical Observatory (KAO), home to the 1.8-meter Kottamia Telescope, south of Helwan, Egypt. The KAO is the largest telescope in North Africa and Middle East. The purpose of this site visit is to assess how best to bring the Kottamia Telescope, which has not provided stable astronomical images for ten years, back to its full capabilities. In addition to this NSF award, the Egyptian Science and Technology Development Fund has allocated resources for the telescope repair.
Once the necessary repairs have been completed and the telescope has been re-commissioned, the SAO and KAO partners will explore avenues for continued research collaboration, which may include joint observing programs with the telescope, graduate student exchanges, and joint workshops and conferences.
The project is funded under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to undertake cooperative research.
