Far Ultraviolet
Spectroscopic Explorer
Guest Investigator
Program Description
and Proposal
Instructions - Cycle 8
Updated August 2, 2006
The changes are in Section 1.3
"Sky Coverage" and "Low Declination Observations" and
Section 2.1.3 in the item on the Feasibility section of the proposal (Pages
13-14). Also, there was a typo
corrected in Section 1.2 under Type D targets.
These instructions supplement Appendix D.9 of the 2006 ROSES NRA (NNH06ZDA001N-FUSE) which solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite. FUSE provides high-resolution (R ~20,000) spectroscopy at far ultraviolet (FUV) wavelengths (905-1187 Å) with sufficient sensitivity to study a wide variety of objects, including many extragalactic lines of sight. FUSE was launched on June 24, 1999. This solicitation is for Cycle 8 of the FUSE Guest Investigator (GI) Program, to be carried out beginning on or around April 1, 2007, and lasting up to 18 months. Cycle 8 proposals are for new observations, but the data analysis may utilize previous observations to help achieve the scientific objectives. Section 2 contains instructions for proposal preparation. A brief description of the FUSE mission and current capabilities is provided in Section 3.
The FUSE mission is currently funded for operations through September 30, 2008. Consequently, Cycle 8 could be the final proposal opportunity of the FUSE mission, particularly for longer exposures. If there is a Cycle 9 solicitation, it would cover only the final 6 months of the mission.
In general, targets for Cycle 8 must be at absolute declinations greater than 50º. However, for Cycle 8 there is a special category for a number of lower declination observations that may be proposed (see Section 1.3 guidelines). The 50º declination constraint is a result of a reaction wheel failure in December 2004 that generally limits the ability of FUSE to observe at lower declinations. One objective of Cycle 8 is to define new observing programs that increase the number and areal density of targets at high declinations.
Proposals submitted in response to this NRA constitute the first phase of the FUSE GI proposal process. Information required during this proposal phase includes the scientific justification, observation descriptions, astronomical target data, and exposure times. After selection by NASA, successful proposers must submit detailed observing plans to the FUSE Science Center at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) so that planning, feasibility assessment, and observation scheduling can be performed. Section 1.3 describes some important capabilities and constraints that affect how GI programs will be evaluated and implemented in Cycle 8.
FUSE observing time is allocated in on-target exposure time in units of kiloseconds (ksec). Proposals should request only the time needed for scientific exposures.
Observing Program Categories - Each FUSE observing proposal must be designated in one of two proposal categories at the time of submission, Standard or Survey, and this category must apply to all proposed targets in the proposal.
Type A targets correspond to those observations of the highest scientific merit for which scheduling priority and resources will be devoted. NASA estimates that ~3 Msec (~160 ksec/month) is available for Type A targets in Cycle 8. NASA expects that a significant fraction of Type A observing time will be allocated to long observations.
Type B targets are the somewhat lower priority observations for Standard proposals. NASA expects that ~4 Msec (~220 ksec/month) may be allocated to Type B targets. Following the allocation of time to the highest ranking Type A targets, other Type A proposed targets may be allocated time as Type B targets. A Standard proposal can contain a mixture of Type A and B targets.
Type C designates very high scientific merit targets that lie at low declinations (i.e. -50º < Dec < +50º). See Section 1.3 for details. Approved targets in this category will be scheduled on a best-effort basis.
Type D targets correspond to the Survey program category. NASA estimates that ~6 Msec (~300 ksec/month) can be allocated to Type D targets.
Type B targets (Standard programs) will receive higher scheduling priority than Type D targets (Survey programs). There is no assurance that all Type B or D targets in a given observing program will be observed, although NASA expects that data will be obtained for many targets in these categories.
Observing Program Size - Due to the overhead associated with carrying out very small programs, each proposal must request a minimum of 10 ksec of on-target exposure time. If the proposal has only one target, the total exposure time on that object must be at least 10 ksec. A proposal having multiple targets can have exposure times of less than 10 ksec per target provided the total exposure time for the proposal is at least 10 ksec.
Short Exposures - If a target has an exposure time less than 4 ksec, the program will be charged 4 ksec for that observation to account for the extra overhead associated with short-duration observations. Short exposures should not be arbitrarily extended to 4 ksec if the required signal-to-noise ration (S/N) is expected to be reached in a shorter time.
Observing Program Duration - Standard and Survey proposals may request observations to be executed during the 18-month period of Cycle 8 (April 2007 – September 2008).
Program Execution and Carryover - Standard program observations will be carried over into Cycle 8 if they are not executed prior to April 2007. GI's do not need to repropose for these observations, and they will be given priority for scheduling in the next cycle. Similarly, unobserved Survey program targets will be carried over into Cycle 8, provided the target in question is not proposed by and allocated to a Cycle 8 GI program. However, Target of Opportunity (ToO) programs (Section 1.7) will not be carried over into the next Cycle. ToO programs that are not activated and executed within the nominal one-year observing cycle must repropose in order to be considered in the next observing year.
This section highlights several recent developments that should be considered by all FUSE proposers. Most aspects of the FUSE instrument are unchanged from previous observing cycles, including channel coalignment, spectrograph apertures, and spectral resolution. The sensitivity of the FUSE instrument remains high, but has decreased somewhat since early in the mission. These sensitivity changes have been included in the online Exposure Time Calculator available for Cycle 8 proposal preparation. Complete information on these and other topics is available from the FUSE Observer's Guide at http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/support/guide/obsguide.html. Proposers should consult this web site to obtain the most up-to-date information on the mission's capabilities for the preparation of Cycle 8 proposals.
Sky Coverage and Target Visibility – Operational constraints imposed by
controlling the satellite with magnetic torquer bars and one reaction wheel
favors observations at high declinations (see Section 3.3). Cycle 8 targets must be at absolute
declinations greater than 50º, except for certain lower declination targets
(see below, this section). The
amount of observing time that can be obtained at a given RA & DEC during
Cycle 8 can be estimated from the sky maps of available
observing time. Targets below
an absolute declination of 55º are generally considered to have marginal
visibility. The polar plots show
an asymmetry in the visibility at a given declination. Some regions (e.g. 18h)
at declinations just less that +50º have slightly better, but still marginal,
visibility than at 08h and declinations greater than +50º, for example. See Section 2.1.3 for further
instructions on proposing observations of targets in these marginal visibility
regions.
Low-Declination Targets – The FUSE Project expects to be able to carry out observations of a number of high scientific merit targets at lower declinations during Cycle 8. The exact nature of this capability and the amount of observing time that might be obtained are not yet determined. NASA will therefore consider Cycle 8 proposals for a limited number of high scientific merit observations outside the primary declination range (|dec|>50º), but the approval of any Type C targets (low declination – see Section 1.2) for observation is conditional on the adequate demonstration of this capability and would then be scheduled on a best-effort basis. Analysis indicates that there is useable target visibility in the approximate RA range 00h±07h and within about 20º of the celestial equator (|dec |<20º) - see equatorial observing time plots – as well as some areas in the range 40º < |dec| < 50º. Current analysis indicates that 4-6 orbits per day for a few consecutive days could be obtained on a single low-declination target (20-40 ksec total integration time).
Solar System Observations – Moving target observations are not supported in Cycle 8.
Long Observations – Cumulative integration time achievable on an individual target field is limited by target visibility, not by detector performance. Targets with the best visibility, those at (|dec | >60°), have been observed recently for up to ~150 ksec in a one-week interval. Additional exposure time could be obtained on the same target during subsequent visibility windows (~60 day periodicity). Given the competing demands for northern and southern hemisphere observations, NASA estimates that single-target integration times greater than ~70 ksec could be obtained on a significant number of targets during Cycle 8.
Special Requirements – The following observation special requirements are available for Cycle 8 proposals: Target of Opportunity, FPSPLIT procedure for high S/N observations, snapshot short exposures, and safety snapshots for verifying the FUV flux of bright targets. Other observation special requirements (e.g. ephemeris, roll angle, contiguous orbits, monitoring, etc.) that were available in Cycles 1-6 are incompatible with the capabilities of FUSE in Cycle 8. However, some of these capabilities may be achievable for certain observing programs by taking advantage of repeating visibility at high declination without imposing specific requirements. Any such requirements should be discussed fully in the Feasibility text section of the proposal. See Section 1.2.1 of the FUSE Observer's Guide for more information.
Target Acquisition and Guiding – In July 2005 the backup Fine Error Sensor (FES-B) became the default system for target acquisition and offset guiding. FES-B uses the LiF2 optics. As a result, the LiF2 channel is now the channel with the most reliable target centering. See the FUSE Observer's Guide for more information.
Sensitivity Limits - There are fundamental detector performance limitations for both faint (Fl ¾ 5x10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 Å-1) and bright (Fl > 3x10-11 erg cm-2 s-1 Å-1) targets.
Faint Object Observations: Observations of objects as faint as ~1x10-15 erg cm-2 s-1 Å-1, depending somewhat on wavelength, have been successfully observed (see the FUSE Observers Guide sections 3.1.2 and 2.5.1). However, as described above, observation times during Cycle 8 are limited by target visibility. Use the Exposure Time Calculator and visibility tools provided to assess any faint target feasibility issues.
FUV-Bright Targets: The nominal brightness limit for Cycle 8 observations is 1x10-10 erg cm-2 s-1 Å-1. However, the brightness limit is increased to 5x10-10 erg cm-2 s-1 Å-1 for LiF2 channel observations in the HIRS aperture and for SiC-only observations in the LWRS aperture (no LiF data). Observations of brighter targets will not be supported in Cycle 8. Further information about bright object observations can be found in the FUSE Observer's Guide Section 3.6.2.
High-Count-Rate Observations – The LWRS aperture is the default aperture for high-count-rate observations (HISTOGRAM mode); this is a change from Cycles 6 and 7 where these observations had to be done in the MDRS aperture to minimize detector charge depletion.
An observation of a bright target in the MDRS aperture requires approximately twice the exposure time as the same target in the LWRS aperture due to MDRS point-source throughput and alignment shifts during the exposure. Proposers should take this effect into account when estimating exposure times for Cycle 8. For MDRS observations requiring ONLY data in the LiF2 channel, this doubling of exposure time is not valid or needed. See the FUSE Observers Guide sections 2.3 and 3.2.2 for details.
Proposals submitted in response to this NRA must provide the scientific justification and feasibility analysis, which form the basis for selection by NASA. Proposals that are awarded observing time based on the evaluation process described in Section 1.9 will subsequently be required to submit observation specifications following guidelines provided by the FUSE Project. These data will provide the FUSE Science Center with the detailed definition of each observation to be executed for the program. In addition, U.S. proposers will be invited to submit a budget based on funding guidelines provided by NASA - see Section 1.10.
Proposal submission steps and schedule are summarized in Section 2.4.
Participation in the FUSE GI Program is open to all categories of U.S. and non-U.S. organizations, including educational institutions, industry, nonprofit institutions, NASA Centers, and other Government agencies. Each FUSE GI proposal must identify a single Principal Investigator (PI) who assumes full responsibility for the conduct of the scientific investigation. Proposal Co-Investigators must have well-defined roles in the investigation, which will be evaluated as part of the proposal review process. Following selection by NASA, the FUSE Science Center at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) will communicate formally only with the PI (or his/her designee) of each proposal. It is this person's responsibility to provide JHU with the necessary data that defines each observation in a timely manner and to respond to any questions concerning observational constraints or configurations.
As part of their participation in and contribution to the FUSE mission, Canada and France each receive a minimum of 5% of the mission's observing time as defined in Letters of Agreement between NASA and their respective space agencies. This observing time is selected competitively via the GI proposal peer review process.
Consistent with NASA policy, a late proposal may be considered only if it is judged to be in the best interests of the Government. However, a proposal submitted after the published deadline is unlikely to be considered of uniquely greater value to NASA than the proposals that are submitted on time. A proposal is considered to have been submitted on time only if all necessary components, including electronic material, have been received by the published deadline. Finally, note that processing delays at the proposer's home institution, the method of shipment of the proposal, or Internet delays do not excuse the late submission of a proposal.
Data rights for FUSE GI observations (Legacy, Standard and Survey programs) reside solely with each observing program's Principal Investigator six months following delivery of the processed data to the FUSE archive (http://archive.stsci.edu/fuse). GI's will be notified electronically when their data are available from the archive. After this period, the data become available for public access through the FUSE data archive (see Section 3.4).
Observations of calibration targets generally have no proprietary period and will be released through the FUSE archive as soon as the processed data products are available. The FUSE Project reserves the right to use any FUSE observation to assist in assessing the performance of the instrument, but the confidentiality of data obtained for scientific programs will be maintained.
Proposals for Targets of Opportunity (ToO) will be supported in Cycle 8. However, target visibility restrictions could render many transient events unobservable by FUSE. Scientists wishing to observe such targets should prepare and submit proposals according to the procedures for Standard programs (see Section 2). Note that a proposal must not contain a mixture of ToO targets and non-ToO targets. Target of Opportunity status should be noted in the Special Requirements section of the proposal. The proposals will be reviewed in the regular review cycle, and successful proposals will be approved but will not be allocated specific amounts of observing time. (However, the review panels may recommend a maximum amount of observing time that should be allocated to a given ToO program.)
The FUSE response time for ToO events is expected to be no less than 7 days during Cycle 8, but could be 60 days (orbit precession period) or more. ToO proposals must clearly state the required response time. It will be the GI's responsibility to notify the FUSE Project Scientist and the FUSE Science Center at JHU when any approved opportunity has occurred. The Project Scientist will consult with the GI, the FUSE PI, and other members of the FUSE Project to determine the feasibility of observing the particular event and the impact of disrupting ongoing observations before deciding whether or not to activate the ToO program and approve the observation.
Project Scientist's Discretionary Observing Time (DOT) is intended for observations of an urgent nature for which no approved observing program exists, which are of sufficiently high scientific merit and priority that they should not be delayed to the next observing cycle. The amount of DOT available during Cycle 8 is extremely limited and will be considered only for observations of very high scientific merit. See the FUSE GI web site for further information.
The Cycle 8 proposal opportunity primarily seeks to identify new targets for observation with the FUSE satellite. A list of all previously observed science and calibration targets (as of 29 June 2006) and those Legacy and Standard program targets planned for observation is available from the FUSE GI Program home page. This listing does not include pending observations for Survey programs because there is no assurance that a given Survey target will actually be observed. There is, however, a separate listing of all Survey program targets on the FUSE GI web site.
Target Duplication - Any duplication of targets between Cycle 8 GI programs and those observed in previous Cycles must be justified in the proposal. The review panels will receive a summary of any duplication between pending and existing observations and those proposed for Cycle 8. The panels will also receive a summary of target duplications between different Cycle 8 proposals. In general, a given target will be allocated to only one observing program. Failure to provide accurate target data in the proposal may result in disallowing a target if a conflict with another program is discovered after proposal acceptance and the target conflict was missed as a result of the inaccurate target data. Unobserved targets for Survey programs will not be considered a target duplication.
Proposers should bear in mind that FUSE has essentially one observational mode. Aside from small differences resulting from the choice of aperture, the exposure time alone defines the achievable signal-to-noise ratio for a given spectral resolution for observations of point sources. A target's name and celestial coordinates (right ascension and declination in epoch J2000) will be considered when judging any potential target duplications.
Target List Modifications - Changes to a program's target list may be made with the approval of the FUSE Project Scientist. Any new target must be consistent with the program's scientific objectives and must not already be allocated to another program.
Calibration Targets - Astronomical targets are used for photometric, flat-field, and wavelength calibration. Most, but possibly not all, of the calibration targets identified on the GI web site (http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu. Click on Target Lists) will be observed for calibration purposes. Proposers may include calibration targets as scientific targets in their programs. The FUSE Project may continue to use these objects for calibration, even if the target is allocated to a GI program.
Proposals submitted to NASA in response to this opportunity will be evaluated in a competitive peer review conducted by NASA Headquarters using review panels organized by research area. The panel membership will include scientists from the U.S., Canada, and France. Upon completion of the review by the individual panels, a final cross-discipline panel review chaired by a NASA HQ representative will synthesize the results of the individual panels.
Based on these results, the FUSE Program Scientist will then develop a recommendation for the total program to be submitted to the Selection Official. The final proposal selection will be made by the Director, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate.
The following factors, listed in descending order of importance, will be used in evaluating proposals for their scientific and intrinsic merit and technical feasibility for the FUSE Guest Investigator Program.
1. The overall scientific merit of the proposed investigation;
2. The suitability of using the FUSE observatory and data products for the proposed investigation;
3. The degree to which the investigation uses FUSE's unique capabilities;
4. The feasibility of accomplishing the objectives of the investigation;
5. The feasibility and suitability of the proposed data analysis techniques; and
6. The competence and relevant experience of the Principal Investigator and any collaborators to carry the investigation to a successful conclusion, including timely publication of the research in peer reviewed journals.
The scientific review panels will be given an assessment of the technical feasibility of each proposal as determined by the FUSE Project. After acceptance of an observing program by NASA, successful proposers must prepare detailed observing plans for submission to JHU, which are required for scheduling purposes. These plans, referred to as "Phase 2" plans, will again be assessed for feasibility. Should there be any question regarding the safety or feasibility of individual observations, the FUSE Project Scientist, in consultation with FUSE Project personnel, will make the final decision as to whether or not to attempt or postpone a particular observation, based on the latest information available regarding the satellite's on-orbit performance.
NASA reserves the right to offer to select only a portion of a proposer's investigation, in which case the investigator will be given the opportunity to accept or decline such partial selection.
Limited funds (~$1.2M) are expected to be available for FUSE Cycle 8 awards to investigators at U.S. institutions subject to the annual NASA budget cycle. Successful proposers at U.S. institutions, including U.S. Co-Investigators on successful non-U.S. proposals, will be eligible for funding. However, budgets should not be submitted with research proposals submitted in response to this NRA. Instead, the selected investigators will receive a funding guideline from NASA based on the scope of the approved observing program and the available budget for the FUSE GI program. The primary factor for the funding guideline is a program's total time allocation. Secondary factors include proposal ranking, scope of data analysis plans, and the number of targets or observations. A budget summary and narrative description of how these funds will be used must be submitted after the receipt of the guideline. An institutional signature will be required when a budget is submitted.
The policy of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) strongly encourages the participation by the space science community in education and public outreach activities with the goal of enhancing the nation's formal education system and contributing to the broad public understanding of science, mathematics, and technology. A significant national program in space science education and outreach is now underway, and SMD's demonstrated contributions to education and outreach have now become an important part of the broader justification for the public support of space science (for further details open "Education and Public Outreach" on the SMD homepage). Education is also one of the core missions of NASA.
Proposers awarded observing time for FUSE Cycle 8 will have an opportunity to submit a supplemental E/PO element to their research proposal in conjunction with the budget phase of the proposal process. These E/PO proposals will be due 60 days after the date of the selection letter for the Cycle 8 scientific proposal. Complete information about and instructions for preparing and submitting E/PO proposals is available in Section I(b) of the ROSES 2006 NRA.
Proposals must be concisely written in English. The length of each section of the proposal should not exceed the page limits indicated below, using single-spaced 8.5x11 inch or A4 format paper with 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins. Proposals must be printed with a font size no smaller than 11 points (about 6 characters per cm). Reviewers will be instructed to base their review only on the portion of each proposal that complies with the page limits given below in this NRA.
There are important differences from previous FUSE cycles in the proposal procedures for Cycle 8. All proposers must use the NSPIRES system to electronically submit the proposal cover page and the complete scientific proposal (text and figures). The scientific proposal is to be uploaded to NSPIRES in .pdf format and may be produced using the LaTeX template described below. Hard copy proposal submissions will not be accepted.
Submittal of the filled-in LaTeX proposal form to the FUSE Science Center at JHU is still required (Sec. 2.2-2.4 below).
All proposers must use the NSPIRES web-based system to enter proposal Cover Page information, to attach the formatted scientific proposal in pdf format, and submit the proposal to NASA. Note that submission of the Cover Page and proposal to NASA is performed in NSPIRES by an Authorizing Official at the PI's institution, not the PI. For non-U.S. PIs, whose home institutions are not registered in the NSPIRES, NASA created a special proposal organization, the "FUSE GI Support Center," to be the formal submitting organization. In this case the Authorizing Official is the FUSE Project Scientist. More information about using the NSPIRES system for FUSE Cycle 8 proposals is available on the FUSE GI web site http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu.
Institutional and investigator registrations, entry of the Cover Page data, uploading of the formatted proposal, and submittal to NASA is done through the NASA Research and Education Support Services web site:
Please note that the formatted proposal must be submitted by the Authorizing Official at your institution. This can not be done by the PI. Your institution must register with NSPIRES before the PI can enter Cover Page data. This process can take several days. Please make sure that sufficient time is allowed before the proposal deadline to accomplish the required set-up and review/administrative steps. The PI and Co-Is must also register with NSPIRES.
The Cover Page/Proposal Summary information includes the Proposal title (both abbreviated and full length); PI name, institution, address, and telephone number; Co-I name(s) and institution(s); proposal summary, or abstract, (restricted to about one-half page of text).
Budget information for the FUSE GI program is not required until after proposal selection. If necessary, proposers should enter a placeholder value of $0 for the proposed cost of the proposed investigation in order to allow submission of the Cover Page.
The proposal identification number assigned to your proposal by NSPIRES must also be included in the required LaTeX proposal form. This identifier is displayed on the Web page and printed at the upper right-hand corner of the Cover Page/Proposal Summary. The NASA proposal identifier for US proposals has the format "06-FUSE08-xx." The full 11-12 character identifier should be supplied in the LaTeX template.
NASA encourages foreign institutions that submit proposals
to NASA to register with the NASA proposal database system. However,
registration is not required for foreign institutions submitting FUSE
Cycle 8 proposals. Therefore,
proposers from non-U.S. institutions have a choice: they may electronically
submit the Cover Page / Proposal Summary
and formatted proposal via their home institution if the proposing institution
is registered, or via the "FUSE GI Support Center" if the proposing institution
is not registered. Note that this requirement does not depend on whether or not
there are Co-Investigators from U.S. institutions who would request funding
from NASA if the proposal were accepted.
Further information about FUSE proposal submission is available from the
FUSE GI web site.
In order for a non-U.S. PI to use the FUSE GI Support
Center as the submitting organization, the PI must first change his/her
"affiliation" in NSPIRES to the FUSE GI Support Center." The PI should use his/her regular
institutional affiliation in the LaTeX proposal form.
The FUSE proposal form uses an ASCII LaTeX file that allows the proposer to supply important information via keywords, including the proposed target list. Some keywords are required (e.g., proposal title, NASA proposal ID number, PI name and address, abstract, total observing time requested, target type, etc.). For proposers familiar with LaTeX, the proposal form may also be used to format the final proposal. Electronic submission of the LaTeX proposal form (without figures) is required of all proposers, since this information, in particular the target list, will be part of the database used to support the proposal review. Instructions for obtaining the proposal form are given in Section 2.2, and submission procedures are described in Section 2.4.
The FUSE LaTeX proposal form defines a number of sections, or subject areas, including the proposed target list and exposure times. These proposal sections are listed below and should be contained in the proposal in the order indicated.
Summary Information - Proposal summary information, the same as that submitted to the NASA Research and Education Support Services Web site, must also be supplied in the LaTeX proposal form. In addition, the proposal identification number (e.g. 06-FUSE8-xx) is required for the proposal form. Non-U.S proposers should list their official home institution in the LaTeX proposal form, and not the "FUSE GI Support Center"
Scientific Category - Each proposal must identify one of nine primary research areas as listed below that is used to guide assignment of the proposal to the appropriate scientific review panel. These nine research areas (and some examples) are:
Proposal Sections -
The proposal must contain the following Sections and be addressed in the order
indicated for each proposed observing program. The page length limits are indicated. Please do not use
any colons (:) in the proposal text (sections 1-6
below), as
this character is used by the FUSE proposal parser as a special character.
The Feasibility section of the proposal must include an assessment of the visibility of the proposed targets. For targets below an absolute declination of 55° or requiring more than 25% of the total visibility at the target's location, this discussion should include the fraction of the available visibility the observation requires plus the number of opportunities available for the observation.
The total observing time available for any point on the sky can be estimated from the sky plots of available observing time provided on the FUSE GI web site (http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu/fuse/c8_viz_info.html). The polar plots show an asymmetry in the available time at a given declination. For example, in the northern sky the visibility is generally lower at 06h-10h and larger at 18h-22h.
For an observation of a target at |dec| < 55° or where the 25% requirement applies, the proposer should consult the "observing time histogram" (http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu/fuse/exptime_hist_table.html) for the location closest to the target. These histograms show the number of windows of a given duration. The total available observing time is indicated on each histogram figure. Under the above conditions the proposer should use these plots to:
1) Determine the fraction of the total available observing time required for the
proposed observation and provide this fraction in the Feasibility section
of the proposal.
2) Estimate the number of available windows required to obtain the desired exposure time, assuming the longest windows are used.
An observation requiring more than 4 separate windows, or more than 25% of the available exposure time, to obtain the necessary integration time will be difficult to schedule and must have very strong scientific justification. Such observations may be at risk for not being completed during Cycle 8.
The FUSE LaTeX proposal form and style file may be retrieved automatically via E-mail by sending a message to fuseprop@pha.jhu.edu with the word "help" as the subject of the message. The necessary files will automatically be sent by E-mail. These files, plus the instructions for preparing the proposal form, are also available electronically from the FUSE GI web site (http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu).
In order to expedite the proposal review process and the timely selection of scientific peer review panels, investigators intending to submit proposals for FUSE Cycle 8 are encouraged to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI) to propose for by
August
4, 2006.
The NOI is submitted via the NASA Research and Education Support Services web site (http://nspires.nasaprs.com). The NOI page will request the title of the investigation, name and affiliation of the PI and any Co-I's, and a brief summary of the objectives of the proposed investigation.
The NSPIRES FUSE Cycle 8 Cover Page and proposal submission web site will begin accepting proposals approximately one week after the NOI deadline.
A complete proposal submission consists of the following steps.
1. Supply the proposal Cover Page information and attach the formatted proposal (pdf format) through the NASA Research and Education Support Services Web site (http://nspires.nasaprs.com). Note that the complete proposal ID number (e.g. 06-FUSE8-xx) must be inserted it in the LaTeX proposal form in the \nasapropno keyword.
2. Release the completed proposal to the institution's Authorizing Official, who will then electronically submit the proposal to NASA.
3. E-mail the completed LaTeX proposal form (without figures) to fuseprop@pha.jhu.edu. An acknowledgment of receipt will be sent to the proposal submitter by return E-mail.
The above proposal submission steps must be completed by
4:30
pm EDT on Friday September 15, 2006
in order to be included in the proposal review for this cycle of the FUSE Guest Investigator program.
FUSE is a PI-class mission, developed by NASA in collaboration with the space agencies of Canada and France. The FUSE Principal Investigator, Dr. Warren Moos of the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) in Baltimore, Maryland, is responsible to NASA for the mission design, development, and operations. FUSE is controlled from the FUSE Satellite Control Center located on the JHU campus in Baltimore, Maryland.
The spectral window covered by FUSE permits the study of many astrophysically important atoms, ions, and molecules that cannot otherwise be investigated. This wavelength range is extremely rich in spectral lines arising within the interstellar gas. Proposers are encouraged to take full advantage of the capabilities of FUSE to address important problems in astrophysics. The FUV spectral range provides an opportunity for unique studies of many types of astrophysical objects, such as AGN's and quasars, massive stars, supernova remnants, nebulae, the outer atmospheres of cool stars, planets and their satellites, and comets, as well as interstellar and intergalactic material.
FUSE obtains spectra in the 905-1187 Å far-UV band with high resolving power (R~20,000) and high throughput. FUSE has four optical channels, each of which is fed by separate off-axis parabolic mirrors that serve as the primary mirrors for four co-aligned telescopes, all of which simultaneously view the same astronomical field at the same magnification. A Focal Plane Assembly (FPA) is at the focus of each mirror and consists of a flat mirror mounted on a precision two-axis micromotion stage. There are three entrance apertures built into each FPA. The combined effective area of all four channels ranges from ~20 cm2 to ~70 cm2, depending on the wavelength.
The high throughput results from the use of an efficient multichannel optical design and reflective coatings optimized for wavelength coverage in the FUSE range. The spectrograph gratings disperse and refocus the light onto two 2-dimensional delay-line microchannel plate detectors. The entire wavelength range is simultaneously covered on each detector by combining data from two optical channels. Two of the optical channels (one LiF and one SiC) feed one detector, the other LiF and SiC channels feed the other detector. The channels with SiC-coated optics cover ~905-1100 Å, and the channels having LiF-coated optics cover ~990-1185 Å. The resulting spectral images are highly astigmatic in the cross-dispersion direction.
Further details on the FUSE instrument can be found the FUSE Observer's Guide, available online at http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/support/guide/guide.html .
FUSE is in a nearly circular orbit with a mean altitude of 768 km, an orbital inclination of 25°, and an orbital period of ~100 minutes. The plane of the orbit precesses with a period of ~60 days. Typically, FUSE is in contact with the ground station for 10-12 minutes per orbit for seven consecutive orbits, followed by eight orbits (~12 hours) with no contact. All FUSE scientific observations are conducted autonomously by the onboard instrument data system.
The attitude control of the spacecraft is accomplished through a combination of one reaction wheel and three orthogonal magnetic torquer bars (MTB). In the original spacecraft configuration the attitude control was fully accomplished by the four on-board reaction wheels, with the MTBs serving to keep the reaction wheels from spinning up to unacceptably large rotation speeds. After the loss of the first two reaction wheels in December 2001, a hybrid attitude control scheme was designed with the MTBs serving both their original purpose as well as being used directly for attitude control, but with the remaining two reaction wheels still the primary control mechanism. Following the loss of the third reaction wheel in December 2004, a further modification of the attitude control scheme was implemented. However, with this latest anomaly, the planning constraints on the observatory have changed significantly.
While the available beta angle range, defined as the angle between the anti-Sun direction and the telescope boresight, has been expanded to values between 15š and 115š, the main planning constraints for the current spacecraft configuration consist of the requirement for instantaneous torque-authority (i.e. the need for sufficient control torque to counter-balance the external disturbances on the spacecraft) and the requirement to keep the remaining reaction wheel from spinning up to saturation speeds. These two requirements limit both the short-time sky availability and the duration and cadence of allowable pointings.
The primary area of instantaneous torque-authority consists of an irregularly shaped and quite dynamic region in the vicinity of the FUSE orbital pole (at declination ±65š). Over the 60 day precession cycle these regions combine to cover the equatorial polar caps down to about |Dec.|=50š. Combined over a year, this recurring pattern can allow substantial amounts of potential observing time for targets at high declination. Localized areas of torque authority nominally exist also at lower declinations, particularly close to the celestial equator. See Section 1.3 for a summary of low-declination target constraints for Cycle 8.
The requirement to manage the rotation speed on the remaining reaction wheel imposes further planning and scheduling constraints, which limit the length and absolute timing of individual observations. Therefore, ephemeris-specific observations will not be considered in Cycle 8 and while substantial total exposure times can be achieved, such long observations may have to be executed as a series of multiple, moderate length, individual integrations.
See Section 1.3 and the FUSE Observer's Guide for further information.
The FUSE data processing pipeline corrects the two-dimensional raw data for instrumental effects and produces one-dimensional, calibrated, extracted spectra. Each exposure produces independent SiC and LiF spectra on each of four detector segments (two segments for each FUSE detector) for a total of eight independent spectra. The data processing system is described on the CalFUSE web page
(http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/
analysis/calfuse.html).
The wavelength calibration maps pixel coordinates into the wavelength domain. The relative wavelength accuracy is ~10 km s-1, depending on the channel. There is a zero-point shift in the wavelength scale, which depends on the relative locations in the aperture of the science target and the calibration object used to calculate the dispersion solution. For observations made in the LWRS aperture this offset can be as large as 50 km s-1. The FUSE photometric calibration has an absolute accuracy of ~10% and a rms relative uncertainty of no more than 5%. However, the accuracy realized during an observation depends critically on the stability of the target within the aperture of a particular channel.
The FUSE data are archived at the Multi-mission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST) at http://archive.stsci.edu/fuse. Access procedures for proprietary and public data are similar to those for Hubble Space Telescope data. Only the PI of each GI program (and their designees) can access that program's data during the proprietary period. The distribution of FUSE data is made by electronic file transfer from the FUSE archive. Observations of calibration targets generally have no proprietary period. See Section 1.5 for additional information about FUSE data rights.