Hubble Space Telescope Primer for Cycle 17

1.3 Resources, Documentation and Tools

1.3.1 Phase I "Roadmap"

The Phase I Proposal Roadmap is a high level step-by-step guide to writing a Phase I Proposal. Links to the appropriate section of the various documents (Call for Proposals, Primer, etc.) are given for each step.

1.3.2 Cycle 17 Announcement Web Page

The Cycle 17 Announcement Web page contains links to information and documentation (including this Primer) that will be of use to you in the preparation of an HST proposal. It also contains any late-breaking updates on the Phase I process and answers to frequently asked questions.

1.3.3 Cycle 17 Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals discusses the policies and procedures for submitting a Phase I proposal for HST observing or Archival Research. It also provides a summary of the proposal process from proposal submission to execution of the observations. The Call for Proposals is accessible from the Cycle 17 Announcement Web page.

1.3.4 Instrument Handbooks

The Instrument Handbooks are the primary source of information for the HST instruments. You should consult them for any information that goes beyond what is presented in this Primer. Please use current versions when preparing your Phase I proposal. They are available for all instruments, including former instruments that may be of interest for archival research. The handbooks are distributed electronically and may be accessed from the HST Documents Web page. This page also provides links to more detailed technical information such as that provided in Instrument Science Reports.

1.3.5 The Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT) and the Aladin Sky Atlas

The Astronomers Proposal Tool (APT) is used to design all Phase I and Phase II proposal submissions for HST. The Cycle 17 version of APT due to be released mid-January, 2008, includes the new instruments, COS and WFC3, but is basically the same system that was used last cycle. See the What's New button in APT for details about any significant changes. The APT Web page contains information on the download, installation, and use of APT.

The Aladin Sky Atlas interface, which comes with APT, can be used to display HST apertures on images of the sky. This tool offers users access to a wide variety of images and catalogs, as well as more capabilities for displaying and manipulating images than the old VTT. Training documentation and videos can be found on the APT Training Materials page.

1.3.6 Exposure Time Calculators (ETCs)

This Primer, together with the instrument handbooks, provides a means of estimating acquisition times, exposure times, and other observational parameters. Proposers should realize that such tables and illustrations are only approximations, and that reliable calculations are best done with the software tools STScI provides: the Exposure Time Calculators (ETCs) and APT (Section 1.3.5). Those software tools fully embody knowledge of the complex operations of the instruments that can be confusing to describe in a handbook.

STScI provides ETCs for each of the HST instruments. Please use these Web-based electronic tools to estimate exposure times needed to achieve the signal-to-noise ratio required for your project. The ETCs provide warnings about target count rates that exceed linearity and safety limits. They can be accessed from the individual instrument Web pages which, in turn, are accessible from the HST Instruments Web page. Alternatively, they can be accessed from the Phase I Proposal Roadmap.

1.3.7 HST Data Archive

The HST Data Archive forms a part of the Multimission Archive at STScI (MAST). The HST Data Archive contains all the data taken by HST. Completed observations from both GO and GTO programs are available to the community upon the expiration of their proprietary periods. Observations taken under the Treasury program (see Section 3.2.5 of the Call for Proposals) and GO Pure Parallel program (see Section 4.2.2 of the Call for Proposals) types carry no proprietary period.

The MAST Web page provides an overview of the HST Data Archive as well as the procedures for retrieving archival data. Section 7.2 contains additional information about the HST Data Archive. A copy of the Archive is maintained at the Space Telescope - European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF) in Garching to which European requests should normally be addressed. The Canadian Astronomy Data Centre also maintains a copy of public HST science data only, and is the preferred source for Canadian astronomers.

The Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA) is a recent project to offer enhanced HST archive products. The HLA is a joint project of the Space Telescope Science Institute, the European Coordinating Facility, and the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre. It offers access to high level HST products including composite images and interactive tools for previewing data products. Section 7.3 contains more detailed information about the HLA.

An HST Duplication Checking Web tool is also available at MAST. Instructions for its use, and information about other tools for duplication checking are given in Section 5.2.2 of the Call for Proposals.

1.3.8 Data Reduction and Calibration

The HST Data Handbook describes the data produced by the instruments. Data Handbooks for each of the instruments will be made available to observers from the Documents Web page. The STIS and ACS Data Handbooks have been updated recently, and the WFPC2 Data Handbook will be updated in early 2008. COS and WFC3 Data Handbooks will be available once the cycle has begun.

The Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Software (STSDAS) Web page has links to the software used to calibrate and analyze HST data, and to documentation on its use. See Section 7.1 for details.

The HST Dither Handbook provides general information on dither patterns, drizzling, and various considerations that should be taken into account when designing dithered observations. More detailed information specific to each instrument should be obtained from the Instrument Handbook and Data Handbook relevant to a given instrument.