FGS Instrument Handbook for Cycle 11

Phase II Proposals: Introduction

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Required Information

The information required for Phase II proposals are:

• Precise target information: positions accurate to ± 3", and V magnitude. Including (B - V) color is strongly recommended, although not required in the proposal. The color, if available, is very important for two reasons: 1) archival identification; and 2) to help the FGS Instrument Scientist determine if the standard calibrations are appropriate for the proposal (especially if Transfer Mode is being used).
• Configuration and scheduling instructions for each exposure and visit, expressed in the specified proposal syntax.
• The relationship between the visits: scheduling, relative orientations, etc.
• Justification for special scheduling or configuration requirements.

Important: A clear explanation for: 1) the use of special requirements; 2) the special design of a logsheet; or 3) the calculation of an exposure time, orient angle, or target offset, etc., will help STScI during the review and verification process. Text can be included in the "Additional Comments" section of the proposal or in the justification for real-time and special requirements. If an action is critical for the successful implementation of an exposure line, a short one-line comment (in the comments syntax) should be placed on individual exposure lines.

STScI Resources for Phase II Proposal Preparation

• RPS2: The Remote Proposal Submission-2, is the STScI interactive graphical software interface. RPS2 provides proposal preparation tools and several verification and error-checking phases: proposal syntax, operational feasibility, and schedulability. Proposers are strongly encouraged to make full use of this friendly and helpful software. The software is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://presto.stsci.edu/public/rps2home.html

• Program Status: For proposal status, scheduling (visit level) information, weekly calendars, recent proposal listings (in RPS2 syntax and in a formatted listing), please consult the STScI web pages "Observing with HST":

http://www.stsci.edu/observing/resources.html

• Contact Scientist: After HST observing time has been allocated by the TAC, a Contact Scientist may be assigned to the proposal. The objective of the Contact Scientist is to ensure the scientific return of the observing program is maximized.