|
|
News: 2002 |
|
SIRTF launch rescheduled (27 November 2002)The SIRTF launch has been moved to no earlier than April 15th, 2003. GO Cycle-1 proposals are still due 5 months after launch.
Cycle-1 Call for Proposals Issued (8 November 2002)On behalf of the SIRTF Project and NASA, the SIRTF Science Center (SSC) at Caltech has issued the Cycle-1 Call for Proposals (CP), soliciting research proposals for the General Observer (GO) and Archival Research (AR) programs. GO investigators may propose in one of two categories: small (up to 50 hours) and medium (50-200 hours). It is anticipated that 3700 hours of SIRTF observing time will be available to GO investigators in Cycle-1. In addition, approximately $15.5 million of NASA data analysis support is available to eligible GO researchers.AR proposals are to be submitted only if investigators are seeking NASA data analysis support, and are limited to analysis of data from the SIRTF First Look Survey (FLS). It is anticipated that up to $750,000 of NASA support will be made available to support analysis of FLS data in Cycle-1. If no supporting funds are required, no Cycle-1 proposal should be submitted. Once the SIRTF Science Archive opens (about eight months after launch), any investigator may access and utilize SIRTF data in the public domain by contacting the SIRTF Helpdesk (sirtf@ipac.caltech.edu) to obtain an access account and password. The Call for Proposals is accompanied by a Letter from the Director and supporting programmatic and technical documentation. All of these documents can be found in the Proposal Kit section of the SSC public Web site.
New documentation (8 November 2002)In addition to the Call for Proposals, new versions of complementary documentation for SIRTF have been released. In the Proposal Kit area, one can also find new versions of the SIRTF Observer's Manual (SOM), Reserved Observations Catalog (ROC), and the SIRTF Observing Rules, as well as the SPOT Users Guide for the current release of SPOT (6.2) and other documentation.
Cycle-1 Duration Changed (September 2002)The duration of Cycle-1, nominally scheduled to begin about 7 months after launch, has been extended from nine months to twelve months. Hence, there will be 3700 hours of available time for General Observers (GO), to be solicited through a Call for Proposals (CP) to be issued by the SSC on November 8, 2002. The CP will offer GO investigators the opportunity to propose medium-size programs of 50-200 hours duration, in addition to small programs. For additional details, please see this Letter from the Director.SPOT V6.2 Released (September 2002)SIRTF Planning Observations Tool (SPOT) V6.2 has been released. There is also an updated SPOT User's Guide (v3.2) and a whole slew of new SIRTF tools.All of these items can be downloaded or accessed from the Proposal Kit area on the SSC website. The automatic update feature will work to go from version 6.1 to this version, but if you are running a version earlier than 6.0, we urge you to download the software directly from this site, as the file is quite large. Some of the new features in this release are:
SIRTF Postdoctoral Fellowships (15 August 2002, updated 4 Oct 02)The SIRTF Science Center, California Institute of Technology announces the 2003 call for proposals for 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 2000, in astronomy, physics, or related disciplines. A small discrepancy in the requested length was found in October; the correct version is now posted and the correct limits are 4 (text) + 2 (references, figures, tables). Applications are still due 8 Nov 02.
SPOT V6.1 Released (July 2002)SIRTF Planning Observations Tool (SPOT) V6.1 has been released. Along with it, there is an updated SPOT User's Guide (V3.1), as well as a new Reserved Observations Catalog (V2.1).All of these items can be downloaded from the Proposal Kit area on the SSC website. The automatic update feature will work to go from version 6.0 to this version, but if you are running a version earlier than 6.0, we urge you to download the software directly from this site, as the file is quite large. Some of the new features in this release are:
Observations Planning Workshops Scheduled (May 2002)The Science User Support Team at the SSC is organizing three observation planning workshops in Pasadena, CA. These are set for November and December 2002, shortly after the first GO call for proposals. More information about the workshops and a registration page can be found at Observation Planning Workshop.
SPOT V6.0 Released (April 2002)SIRTF Planning Observations Tool (SPOT) V6.0 has been released. Along with it, a revised SIRTF Observer's Manual (V2.2), SPOT User's Guide (V3.0), and Reserved Observations Catalog (V2.0) are now available.All of these items can be downloaded from the Proposal Kit area on the SSC website. This SPOT release contains an upgrade in the JAVA to v1.4. The user is urged not to use the 'automatic update' feature in SPOT to download this version - the JAVA part is quite large. Some of the major upgrades in this release are:
Telescope and Spacecraft Integration (March 2002)Mechanical attachment of the CTA to the SIRTF spacecraft was completed as of 15 March 2002. The observatory is now operational for testing and verification, and launch is expected to proceed on schedule on 9 January 2003 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.Telescope Delivered (March 2002)The Cryogenic Telescope Assembly (CTA) has been delivered from Ball Aerospace to Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, California. A JPL press release provides additional details. Integration of the CTA with the SIRTF spacecraft has begun. SIRTF will launch from NASAs Kennedy Space Center on January 9, 2003.Inaugural SIRTF Fellows Announced (March 2002)Three SIRTF Fellows have been selected for three-year appointments, starting with the 2002-03 academic year: Pieter van Dokkum (California Institute of Technology), Yanga Fernandez (University of Hawaii) and Francisca Kemper (UCLA & University of Amsterdam). The Fellows were selected, from among 57 applications, in a peer-reviewed competition. You can learn about their research programs.Launch Date Established (February 2002)A new launch date of January 9, 2003 has been established for SIRTF. The previously scheduled July 2002 date became infeasible because of delays in flight software development. Other technical issues, including increased testing of the cryogenic telescope assembly and the spacecraft, also played a role in the decision to re-schedule the launch. With the new date set, the SSC intends to issue the Cycle-1 Call for Proposals on November 8, 2002. The revised science schedules are available here.SIRTF First Look Survey -- Ancillary Data Release (February 2002)The SSC will conduct a First Look Survey very early in the SIRTF mission to provide a "first look" at the mid-infrared sky at sensitivities that are ~100 times deeper than previous systematic large-area surveys. The extragalactic component is composed of a survey with IRAC and MIPS covering 5 square degrees in the SIRTF continuous viewing zone at J1718+5930.The first supporting ancillary data set is now available. These data are VLA observations taken with the B-array at 1.4 GHz. The observations cover approximately the central 3 square degrees of the FLS field and represent the first half of the VLA observations. The remaining VLA observations of the extragalactic FLS region are planned for 2002. The web-based data service providing public access to the data is provided by the InfraRed Science Archive.
Archival news |
help@spitzer.caltech.edu http://ssc.spitzer.caltech.edu/news/news2002.html
