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Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
AURA, a non-profit corporation chartered under the laws of the State of Arizona, was formed in 1957. Its corporate office is located at
Suite 450
1212 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005.
As a university management group, AURA has been responsible for the operation of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), which was founded in 1981, the National Optical Astronomy Observatories (NOAO) and the Gemini Observatory. NOAO, located in Tucson, Arizona, is comprised of: Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona; Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile; and the National Solar Observatory with facilities in Sacramento Peak, New Mexico and Kitt Peak, Arizona, US Gemini Program, and WIYN Observatory. The Gemini Observatory, with headquarters in Hilo, Hawaii, is an international partnership to operate twin 8.1m telescopes in Mauna Kea, Hawaii and Cerro Pachón, Chile.
STScI is operated by AURA under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NOAO and Gemini are operated under cooperative agreements with the National Science Foundation (NSF).