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News: 2001 |
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Cycle-1 Call for Proposals (October 2001)The SIRTF Cycle-1 Call for Proposals (CP) will be issued by the SSC on November 8, 2002. This CP will solicit proposals for General Observer investigations and for Archival Research limited to data from the SIRTF First-Look Survey.SIRTF Science Center (SSC) Dedication (October 2001)Images are now available from the SSC dedication on October 22, 2001. The dedication was followed by a reception and open house, with demonstrations, exhibits, and tours. The SSC, located on the campus of the California Institute of Technology, is responsible for SIRTF science operations and serves as the primary interface between the Observatory and the science research community.Legacy Science Extended Abstracts Available (October 2001)A booklet of Extended Project Abstracts is now available online in PDF format.
SIRTF Postdoctoral Fellowships (20 August 2001)The SIRTF Science Center, California Institute of Technology announces the inauguration of the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The program provides opportunities for postdoctoral research that will enhance the overall scientific return from the SIRTF mission. This can be accomplished through a proposal to conduct new observations with SIRTF, through exploitation of SIRTF archival databases, or through research that aids in the interpretation of SIRTF results, including theoretical investigations and laboratory astrophysics. Research must be conducted at a U.S.-based Host Institution chosen by the Fellow. The program is open to applicants of any nationality, who have earned (or will have earned) their doctoral degrees after 1 January 1999, in astronomy, physics, or related disciplines.
New Version of SPOT Available (14 August 2001)A SOFTWARE PATCH has been added to this version of SPOT. For more information about what has changed please go to the SOFTWARE PATCH RELEASE text.Version 5.0 of the SIRTF Planning Observations Tool (SPOT), which includes several new features, is now available. We have implemented visualization capabilities for moving targets. You may now overlay AORs or astronomical catalogs onto a sky image for a moving target by specifying the observation date. For catalog overlays we have added the 2MASS Extended Source Catalog. NED searches can also be performed. AOR overlays are now available for MIPS Scan Mapping AORs, in addition to IRAC Mapping and IRS Staring modes. We have added a diffraction spike overlay as well as the ability to overlay user-specified square or circular fields of view. For IRAC Mapping, a new two-second frame time has been added. For MIPS Scan Mapping, a 'map center offset' can be specified. For IRS Staring the full peak-up target coordinates can now be entered. We have completed the front-end in SPOT for the IRS Spectral Mapping AOR though it is not yet supported by AIRE. SPOT also will now calculate sky background estimates for a list of targets in batch mode. Legacy Science teams should use this new version of SPOT to submit their completed AORs.
New Version of SPOT Available (23 July 2001)Version 5.0 of the SIRTF Planning Observations Tool (SPOT), which includes several new features, is now available. We have implemented visualization capabilities for moving targets. You may now overlay AORs or astronomical catalogs onto a sky image for a moving target by specifying the observation date. For catalog overlays we have added the 2MASS Extended Source Catalog. NED searches can also be performed. AOR overlays are now available for MIPS Scan Mapping AORs, in addition to IRAC Mapping and IRS Staring modes. We have added a diffraction spike overlay as well as the ability to overlay user-specified square or circular fields of view. For IRAC Mapping, a new two-second frame time has been added. For MIPS Scan Mapping, a 'map center offset' can be specified. For IRS Staring the full peak-up target coordinates can now be entered. We have completed the front-end in SPOT for the IRS Spectral Mapping AOR though it is not yet supported by AIRE. SPOT also will now calculate sky background estimates for a list of targets in batch mode.Legacy Science teams should use this new version of SPOT to submit their completed AORs.
Vibration/EMI Testing Completed (11 July 2001)The cryogenic telescope assembly (CTA), which includes the telescope and three science instruments, successfully completed vibration and EMI testing at Ball Aerospace. Additional testing will continue through August. The CTA is presently undergoing thermal and vacuum testing, and additional performance tests will continue through August. The CTA is scheduled to be delivered to Lockheed Martin for integration with the spacecraft in October.
Legacy Science Extended Abstracts Available (11 July 2001)A 40-page color booklet of Extended Project Abstracts is now available online in PDF format. A six-page description of each approved project is included. These abstracts describe the scientific goals of the investigations, and provide information about the nature of the SIRTF data sets and other ancillary data from ground-based observatories and space-borne telescopes. Moreover, details are provided about the post-pipeline data products being developed by the selected teams for eventual dissemination to the community.
SIRTF Fellowship Program (11 July 2001)The SIRTF Fellowship Program will provide an opportunity for highly qualified and recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research towards the goal of enhancing the overall scientific return from SIRTF. Application guidelines for the inaugural three-year appointments, to start in autumn 2002, will be issued by the SSC on August 24. The deadline for applications will be November 14. The SSC will select up to five Fellows in this inaugural round, and anticipates announcing the selections in late January 2002.
SIRTF at the 198th AAS Meeting (11 June 2001)The 198th metting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) was held in Pasadena on June 3-7, 2001. SIRTF Project Scientist Dr. Michael W. Werner presented an Invited Talk, "SIRTF's First Year: Science Plans and Science Opportunities," on Monday, June 4 at 11:40 am. Dr. Werner presented an overview of the SIRTF mission, and a preview of the investigations already approved for execution in the first year of the mission. These include the Legacy Science Program, the First-Look Survey , and a portion of the Guaranteed Time Observer investigations. Between these programs, about three-fourths of the observing time in the first year following the July 2002 launch has now been defined.Later that same day, a Special (Oral) Session was devoted to the Legacy Science projects selected in November 2000. During this 90-minute session starting at 2:00 pm, each of the six Legacy Science teams described the scientific goals of their project, and the databases and data products that will be developed and delivered to the community for archival research and for subsequent planning of follow-on SIRTF investigations.
SPOT Version 4.0 Released (1 February 2001)We have released a new version of SPOT, the SIRTF Planning Observations Tool. The new features in this release include the first implementation of our visualization tools in SPOT. You can download images from multiple sky surveys including IRAS, 2MASS, DSS, and images available through NED. SPOT can now overlay IRAS and 2MASS catalogs on your images as well as overlays of the area covered by IRAC and MIPS AORs. The observing time estimates for moving targets and IRS observations are now of higher fidelity because they are determined from complete command expansions instead of algorithms.Check out the new SPOT on the Proposal Kit web page
Solar System Observations Section Updated (1 February 2001)"The Solar System Observations section of the Proposal Kit Website has been updated. The updates include a 5-page overview document for Solar System observers who would like to apply for SIRTF observing time. This overview highlights SIRTF Solar System capabilities and features, and provides descriptions and links to available documentation and planning tools. In addition to providing this new document, we have updated the SPOT NAIF ID - name resolution list, and the list of core-set ephemerides available for planning SIRTF Solar System observations with the new S4 SPOT release."Check out these Updates on the Proposal Kit web page
Legacy Workshop (30 January 2001)The SIRTF Science Center (SSC) hosted a January Workshop for the recently selected Legacy Science teams. This was the first opportunity to bring together the Legacy Science investigators, the SIRTF Instrument Teams, and SSC science and technical staff to discuss areas of mutual interest. The goal was to facilitate exchanges of information that could reduce costs and increase the effectiveness of all participants. Meanwhile, Caltech is starting the final renovation of the Spalding Building on campus. Most of the SSC will relocate to this new facility in mid-2001.
Archival newsGo back to the News page.
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