A New Frontier Outpost, 1983–88
A New Frontier Outpost, 1983–88
The effort to design the SSC began at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in 1984, directed by Cornell accelerator physicist Maury Tigner. For five years the Central Design Group worked there with many other physicists to develop a conceptual design for the project and supervise superconducting magnet R&D. The SSC’s multibillion-dollar cost (in the $3-6 billion range) led to Congressional opposition in an era of growing federal deficits. Nevertheless, Reagan endorsed the SSC project in 1987, and the DOE began a national site-selection process that April. But problems in developing the superconducting dipole magnets led to increasing concern. The DOE tabled a laboratory management proposal offered by Universities Research Association (URA) and instead sought proposals from others for an SSC laboratory management-and-operating contractor. As the only bidder, URA was awarded the contract, after it had selected Harvard University physicist Roy Schwitters over Tigner to be the first SSC Laboratory Director.
Keywords: reference designs study, central design group, federal deficits, superconducting magnet, conceptual design report, Maury Tigner, URA management proposal, request for proposals, industrial partners, management-and-operations contract, SSC Director
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