US Ambassador to Chile Visits Rubin

Rubin Observatory hosted a very special visitor in early December: the US Ambassador to Chile, Bernadette Meehan. Ambassador Mehan's trip to Rubin and nearby Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) was part of a yearlong celebration marking 200 years of official relations between Chile and the US.

Ambassador Meehan admired the progress made since her last visit in 2017, and expressed excitement at the discoveries and scientific advances on the horizon with Rubin. Her visit came at an exciting moment—the telescope mount has been moving around quite a bit as dynamic testing continues, and preparations are underway for the first-time-ever installation of Rubin's 8.4-meter glass primary mirror and 3200-megapixel camera in just a few months.

While at Rubin, Ambassador Meehan presented Chuck Claver, Rubin Systems Scientist and Commissioning Manager, with a coin commemorating the bicentennial anniversary of US-Chile relations. She also documented her visit--and her enthusiasm—on social media.

Rubin is proud to be an example of the US and Chile working together to achieve amazing things. We thank Ambassador Meehan for visiting!