Subject: Cycle 12 HST Phase I Panel/TAC Comments
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 11:24:31 -0400 (EDT)
From: blacker@stsci.edu
To: saul@lbl.gov
CC: williamj@stsci.edu, galdering@lbl.gov, reynald.pain@in2p3.fr,
     imh@astro.ox.ac.uk, fruchter@stsci.edu, robert.a.knop@vanderbilt.edu,
     gerson@lbl.gov, ALSpadafora@lbl.gov, ragibbons@lbl.gov,
     valp@panisse.lbl.gov, BCLee@lbl.gov, lifan@panisse.lbl.gov,
     sburns@coloradocollege.edu, clidman@eso.org, sedeustua@aas.org

Saul Perlmutter
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
1 Cyclotron Road BLDG 50R5032
Berkeley, CA  94720-8160
USA

April 07, 2003

Dear Saul,

Attached you will find the comments from your Hubble Space Telescope Cycle
12
proposal that resulted from the deliberations of the Panel/TAC review
panels.

    Title:  Exploration of the SN Ia Hubble Diagram at z > 1.2
    ID:     9727

   60     Primary Spacecraft Orbits in Cycle 12

Sincerely,

Science Policies Division

Panel Review Comments:

   Strengths:        Goal of this program is to observe the deceleration of
   the Universe at high redshift.  The large UDF program coming up and the
   possibility of a large treasury program offers an opportunity to select a
   significant sample of distant SNe.  A sample of distant SNe will be
   identified from large and Treasury ACS programs. TOOs will then be
   activated to obtain NICMOS light curves.          HST is clearly the only
   currently viable means for measuring light curves of SNe at redshifts
   above one. The test proposed is clean and should reveal any issues the
SNe
   evolution or selection effects that impact the acceleration measurements
   at lower redshift.

   Weaknesses: N/A

   Reasonableness of Resources: N/A

   Additional Comments: MANDATORY:   While the TAC was quite disappointed by
   the low degree of cooperation between the two competing distant SNe
   groups, particularly in light of the recommendations of previous TACs, it
   recognized the advantage  of two independent approaches to this important
   topic. The TAC recommends that both groups receive equal amounts of time,
   sufficient to follow-up 5 distant SNe each, in cycle 12 and that they
   precisely follow the "right of first refusal" arrangement discussed in
the
   proposals.  The PI is directed to coordinate with Scoville and Riess on
   the optimum search strategy and agree with Riess on who will observe the
   first SN.