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News: 2000 |
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SIRTF Legacy Science Program Selected (17 November 2000)The SIRTF Science Center (SSC) at the California Institute of Technology, on behalf of NASA and the SIRTF Project Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, announces the selection of projects that will comprise the SIRTF Legacy Science Program. Six investigations were chosen following a competitive scientific review held at the SSC in October. These projects will utilize 3160 hours of SIRTF observing time, primarily in the first year of the mission, to conduct large and coherent science investigations. The processed data and post-pipeline data products from these projects will create substantial databases that will be invaluable for archival research, and in planning subsequent programs on SIRTF or on other space-borne, airborne, and ground-based observatories.See also the Legacy information page.
New Launch Date Set (2 November 2000)NASA has announced July 15, 2002 as the new launch date for SIRTF. See the press release.
SSC Receives Legacy Science Proposals (22 September 2000)The SSC received 28 proposals in response to the Legacy Science Call for Proposals. Investigators requested a total of 16,885 hours of SIRTF observing time, an over-subscription of 5.6. The selection of approved projects will be announced in mid- to late November, and the teams will be established and funded by December 2000. A post-selection Legacy Science Workshop will be held at the SSC on January 12-13, 2001 and is timed to immediately follow the semi-annual American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in San Diego. The approved teams will have until April 2001 to submit revisions to their proposed projects, based upon recommendations of the Time Allocation Committee and the SSC Director. The SSC will be submitting a request to the AAS to host a special session at the June 2001 summer meeting in Pasadena, in which the approved teams will describe their observing plans and any post-pipeline data products to be developed for use by the general community.See also the Legacy information page.
SIRTF Launch Delay (31 August 2000)The late delivery of the InfraRed Array Camera (IRAC), one of the three science instruments aboard SIRTF, will necessitate an extension to the Project's development phase. The flight instrument has been completed, and the control software is presently being tested and 'debugged' at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The launch of SIRTF will be delayed beyond December 2001. The extent of the delay cannot yet be determined with certainty, and each Project element is presently engaged in an aggressive replan of the SIRTF development schedule. It is currently anticipated that a new schedule and launch date will be known by the end of September.
Stage One of Legacy Science Program Extended (31 August 2000)Stage One of the SIRTF Legacy Science Program, as outlined in the Call for Proposals issued by the SIRTF Science Center (SSC) on June 30, extends from December 2000 through the completion of the 60-day In-Orbit Checkout, a nominal duration of 14 months. The SIRTF Project has determined that the planned launch date of December 2001 cannot be met (see above news item). The SSC and SIRTF Project Office, in consultation with NASA Headquarters, have decided to proceed with the current schedule for the proposal submission and selection of Legacy Science projects. The goal remains to have the approved teams established in December 2000. The extent of the launch delay cannot be ascertained prior to the September 15 deadline for submission of Legacy Science proposals. For planning purposes and resource allocation, investigators should assume that the duration of Stage One is extended to 20 months. While the NASA funding available to eligible Legacy Science investigators for the entire duration of the Program will remain fixed, the funding levels for Stage One will be adjusted so as to remain commensurate with the currently planned annual rate.See also the Legacy information page.
Legacy Science Program Letters of Intent (3 August 2000)The SSC received 33 Letters of Intent (LoI) from Principal Investigators proposing to participate in the SIRTF Legacy Science Program. Of this total, 28 teams are led by U.S.-based PIs, although most of the proposing teams include international participation. Legacy Science proposals are due at 5:00 p.m. (PDT), September 15, 2000. Additional details pertaining to the Legacy Science program are available within the online Proposal Kit. The selection of approved projects will be announced in November, and the teams will be established and funded by December 2000. A post-selection Legacy Science Workshop will be held at the SSC on January 12-13, 2001 and is timed to follow the semi-annual American Astronomical Society meeting in San Diego.See also the Legacy information page. Go back to the News page.
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