RELATIVISTIC HEAVY ION COLLIDER STATUS AND PROSPECTS.

The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) is the centerpiece of the nuclear physics program at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The physics program encompasses both heavy ion physics and spin physics with polarized protons. A series of three accelerators provide the ions for injection into the two counter-rotating RHIC accelerator-collider rings. A fourth machine, the proton linac, provides polarized protons to the injector chain. RHIC has been designed to accelerate and collide all ion species from protons to uranium. We are presently limited to a mass of gold by the tandem preinjector limitations. RHIC has accelerated and stored gold ions for data taking from the injection energy of 10 GeV/nucleon to a maximum of 100 GeV/nucleon. Polarized protons have been delivered at 100 GeV for physics data taking. Most of the design parameters of RHIC have been achieved. The number of beam bunches, emittances, energy, bunch length and inter-section region optics parameters have been achieved. Beam intensity is routinely available at 75% of design and the average luminosity is presently at 30% of design value