National Radio Astronomy Observatory
Fact Sheet

ORGANIZATION: National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

MISSION: The NRAO enables forefront research into the Universe. In partnership with the scientific community, the NRAO provides world-leading telescopes, instrumentation, and expertise; trains the next generation of scientists and engineers; and promotes astronomy to foster a more scientifically literate society.

PRINCIPAL LOCATIONS: The NRAO is headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, which also is the location of our NRAO Technology Center and the North American ALMA Science Center. Telescope operations are located in Green Bank, West Virginia, and Socorro, New Mexico.

FUNDING AND OPERATION: The NRAO is a research facility of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF is an independent agency of the U.S. Government, with an annual budget provided by Congress. The NRAO is operated for the NSF by Associated Universities, Inc., under a cooperative agreement. AUI is a nonprofit research corporation founded in 1946.

CURRENT TELESCOPES: The Very Large Array (VLA), near Socorro, New Mexico; the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), a continent-wide telescope system headquartered in Socorro, New Mexico; and the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT), in Green Bank, West Virginia.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION: The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international project being built on the Atacama Desert in northern Chile; and the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA), which uses the current infrastructure of the VLA but with updated systems that will vastly improve the scientific capabilities of the instrument.

RESEARCH: The NRAO is a national facility, open to use by all scientists. Observing time on NRAO telescopes is granted through a peer-review process. Scientists submit observing proposals that are peer-reviewed, and telescope scheduling committees award observing time based on the results of the reviews. In a typical year, more than 1,100 scientists from more than 250 different institutions will use more than 20,000 hours of observing time on NRAO telescopes.

RESEARCH RESULTS: In a typical year, more than 400 scientific papers will be published based on data produced by NRAO telescopes. Since NRAO's founding, research using our telescopes has produced some 9,000 peer-reviewed scientific papers. These papers cover nearly the entire range of astronomical specialties.

EDUCATION AND PUBLIC OUTREACH: The NRAO operates the Green Bank Science Center in West Virginia and the VLA Visitor Center in New Mexico for the general public, annually hosting more than 60,000 visitors. The NRAO produces and distributes press and image releases, designs and staffs exhibits at major exhibitions world-wide, and leads educational programs that serve teachers and students of all ages. Nearly 600 Ph.D dissertations have been based on data from NRAO telescopes.

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: Approximately 570 total employees, with approximately 140 in Charlottesville, approximately 130 in Green Bank, and approximately 300 in Socorro.

KEY DATES: The NRAO was established by NSF on 17 November 1956. The 85-foot Howard E. Tatel Telescope was dedicated in Green Bank, West Virginia, on 16 October 1958.
Complete NRAO Timeline.

ANNUAL BUDGET: Approximately $50 million for operations, plus funding for ongoing construction projects.