From: Tony Spadafora (ALSpadafora@lbl.gov)
Date: Thu Apr 25 2002 - 09:21:09 PDT
SCP Colleagues:
Please note that the deadline for the next HST proposal (for cycle 12)
has been delayed to next January (instead of the early September
deadline in past years.)
-- Tony Spadafora ALSpadafora@lbl.gov Physics Division Tel: (510) 495-2316 Lawrence Berkeley National Lab FAX: (510) 486-6738 1 Cyclotron Rd., MS 50-232 Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
attached mail follows:
Dear Colleagues,
During the course of last year we have discussed within the
STScI and with the members of the ST Users Committee the desirability
of shortening the time interval between the submission of observing
proposals and the scheduling of the observations. While there are
some natural limits, set by the yearly cycle and the availability of
targets, we all agree that it is highly desirable to allow proposers
to write their observing programs as close as possible to the beginning
of the observing cycle. The obvious advantages include the possibility
of writing proposals that are based on data obtained during the current
observing cycle, thus making cogent follow up proposals more likely.
Furthermore, changes in instrumental performance can be better understood
and taken into account. Last but not least, the pace of discovery in
astronomy has quickened and the possibility of writing proposals very
close to the beginning of the observing cycle will allow these late
developments to be fully folded in the current round of proposals, thus
making the HST science program even more cutting edge.
During the last several months we have worked very hard to
improve our methods and procedures and we have reviewed every aspect of
the timeline between proposal submission and execution. We are happy to
inform you that we are confident that we can decrease the time between
proposal submission and the beginning of the cycle by as much as 4
months! Furthermore we are confident that we will be able to support this
significant reduction beginning with Cycle 12.
We are therefore planning a Cycle 12 whose observations begin in
July 2003, the normal one year interval from the previous cycle, but with
a deadline for proposal submission on January 24, 2003. The TAC will meet
during the week of March 24 and the Phase 2 deadline will be in mid May
2003; thus the time available to the selected proposers to provide their
Phase 2 information after selection will be effectively the same as that
in Cycle 11.
We expect to issue the Call for Proposals in mid-October thus giving
you ample time to prepare your submission.
We are confident that this effort on our part will meet with your support.
Best regards,
Duccio Macchetto
Head, Science Policies
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