Документ взят из кэша поисковой машины. Адрес оригинального документа : http://www.stsci.edu/ftp/proposer/cycle8/cp8.pdf Дата изменения: Thu Aug 6 17:55:22 1998 Дата индексирования: Sat Dec 22 06:34:15 2007 Кодировка: Поисковые слова: mercury program

Hubble Space Telescope
Cycle 8
Call for Proposals
and

Phase I Proposal Instructions

Deadline: September 11, 1998, 8:00 pm EDT

Issued June 1998




STScI SC-02

This is the eighth Call for Proposals for astronomical observations with the Hubble Space Telescope by members of the international scientific community. The Call for Proposals was prepared by the Science Program Selection Office at the Space Telescope Science Institute, with input from the entire STScI staff. Comments and suggestions for improvement are invited, and should be addressed to: Mike Shara, Head Science Program Selection Office Space Telescope Science Institute 3700 San Martin Drive Baltimore, MD 21218 USA

Call for Proposals editors: Carla Cacciari and Letizia Stanghellini

Previous editors of the Call for Proposals and Phase I Proposal Instructions: Howard Bond, Kirk Borne, Piero Madau, Palle MЬller

To obtain copies of documentation or for other assistance of any kind, contact the STScI Help Desk at: help@stsci.edu or 1-800-544-8125 (long distance calls within the US only) 1-410-338-1082 (international and local calls)

Approved: ______________________________ Robert E. Williams Director

The Space Telescope Science Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract NAS 5-26555 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.


Table of Contents
PART I: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1 Technical Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Proposal Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1 General Observer Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.1 Scope of GO Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.2 Major Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.3 Long-Term Programs and Continuation Proposals 3.1.4 Surveys and Innovative Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1.5 Target-of-Opportunity Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.2 "Snapshot" Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3 Archival Research Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.4 Education/Public Outreach Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.5 Director's Discretionary Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 Guaranteed Time Observer Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. HST Observation Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1 Primary Observations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1.2 Time-Critical Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.1.3 Real-Time Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.2 Parallel Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Proposal Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1 Who May Submit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2 Endorsements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3 Funding of U.S. Observers and Archival Researchers . . . 5.4 Proposal Confidentiality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Policy Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.1 Duplications of Observations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.2 Data Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 Use of the Continuous Viewing Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4 Unschedulable or Infeasible Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 Special Calibrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 Failed Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.7 Publication of HST Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Phase I: Proposal Evaluation and Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.1 Technical Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2 Scientific Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2.1 Subdiscipline Review Panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2.2 Telescope Allocation Committee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.2.3 Selection Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.3 Allocation of HST Observing Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. Phase II Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. Data Processing and Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.1 Program Coordinator and Contact Scientist Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 .2 .2 .4 .4 .4 .4 .5 .5 .5 .6 .7 .8 .8 .9 .9 .9 .9 .9 10 10 12 12 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 15 15 15 16 17 17 17 17 17 18 19 19 19 20

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9.2 Routine Scientific Data Processing . . . . . . . . . . 9.3 Space Telescope Science Data Analysis System Facilities for Archival Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1 Browsing the STScI Data Archive Catalog . . . . 10.2 Archival Data Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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PART II: THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE 11. System Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.1 Telescope Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2 HST Maneuvering and Pointing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.3 Data Storage and Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Telescope Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.1 Optical Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.2 Guiding Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.3 Observing Time Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scientific Instrument Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.1 Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.2 Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) . . . . . . . . . . 13.3 Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.4 The HST Field of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.5 Bright-Object Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Orbital Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.1 Target Viewing Times and Continuous Viewing Zones . . . . 14.2 South Atlantic Anomaly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.3 Spacecraft Position in Orbit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guide Stars and Target Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.1 Guide Stars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2 Target Acquisitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2.1 Target Acquisition without the Ground System . . . . 15.2.2 Target Acquisition with the Ground System (OPUS) 15.3 Solar-System Targets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.3.1 Tracking Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 Offsets and Spatial Scans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PART III: PHASE I INSTRUCTIONS 16. How to Submit A Phase I HST Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.1 Proposal Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.2 Preparation and Submission Instructions . . . . . . 17. Instructions for Filling Out HST Observing Proposal Forms 17.1 Cycle 8 Observing Proposal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18. How to Calculate Orbits for Observing Proposals. . . . . . . . . 18.1 Visits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.2 How to Calculate the Number of Orbits . . . . . . 19. Instructions for Archival Research Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . 19.1 Opportunity for HST Archival Research . . . . . . 19.2 How to Fill Out Archival Research Templates . 19.3 Proposal Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 40 41 43 43 50 50 52 58 58 58 59 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 24 25 26 27 27 27 28 28 32 32 32 34 35 35 36 36 36 36 37 37 37 37 38 38 38

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19.4 Budget Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 APPENDICES A. STScI, ST-ECF, and CADC Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Funding Policies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.1 Eligibility for STScI Grant Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.2 Allowable Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.3 Budget Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.4 Preparatory Funding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.5 Grant Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.6 Award of Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B.7 Educational Supplements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. Scientific Instrument . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.1 Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.2. Wide Field/Planetary Camera2 (WFPC2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C.3. Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. Scientific Instruments not Offered in Cycle 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.1 Wide Field and Planetary Camera (WF/PC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.2 High Speed Photometer (HSP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.3 Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.4 Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.5 Faint Object Camera (FOC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D.6 Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) E. Target Naming Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F. Astronomical Symbols Available for Use in the Proposal Templates. . . . . . . . . G. Continuous Viewing Zone Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. Examples and Blank Worksheets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I. Blank Budget Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. Education/Public Outreach Proposals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J.1 Scope of Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J.2 Assistance for the Preparation of E/PO Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J.3 Programmatic Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . K . Acronyms and Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 62 62 63 65 65 65 65 66 66 66 66 69 72 73 73 73 74 74 75 75 77 77 78 78 78 78 79 80 81

List of Tables
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. HST Optical Characteristics and Performance . . HST Instrument Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nominal Effective Relative Aperture Locations. Flags for the Observation Summary . . . . . . . . . . Orbital Visibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Instrument Overheads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 30 35 49 53 55

List of Figures
1. The Hubble Space Telescope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2. HST Field of View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 iii


PART I. POLICIES AND PROCEDURES 1. Introduction
This document invites proposals for participation in the eighth round ("Cycle 8") of the General Observer (GO), Snapshot, and funded Archival Research (AR) programs of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). The telescope and its instruments were built under the auspices of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), and management of HST's scientific program has been assigned to the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). HST is a 2.4-m telescope that was carried into orbit on April 24, 1990, aboard the orbiter Discovery. The first HST servicing mission, carried out by the Endeavour astronauts in December 1993, improved its optical performance via the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) and Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2). The second HST servicing mission (SM2), carried out by the Discovery astronauts in February 1997, replaced the Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS) and the Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS) with two new science instruments: the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), and the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). NICMOS is working well, but the cryogen is expected to be exhausted well before Cycle 8 starts. A new Solid-State Recorder (SSR) and a refurbished analog tape recorder were installed, providing much improved data transfer capabilities; and a refurbished Fine Guidance Sensor, FGS1R, with improved optics and resulting greater sensitivity replaced FGS-1. The instruments continuing operations after the second servicing mission are the WFPC2, the Faint Object Camera (FOC), and the astrometric Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS-3). The principal capabilities of the present HST observatory include high-resolution ultraviolet, optical and near-infrared imaging and a broad range of spectroscopic capabilities over these wavelength domains. The third HST servicing mission (SM3) is currently planned for Spring 2000. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) will then replace the FOC, and the NICMOS may resume operations if a new cryo-cooling system is successfully installed. Part I of this Call for Proposals (CP) summarizes the policies and procedures for proposing Cycle 8 HST observations and for requesting funding to support research on archival HST data. Part II provides an overview of HST's current technical capabilities. Further detailed information about the telescope and each Scientific Instrument (SI) is provided on-line or in documents that are available from STScI, as described in §2. Part III of this document is the Phase I Proposal Instructions, including detailed instructions for obtaining the proposal templates, preparing and submitting them electronically. Although the proposal forms and submission procedures have been modified only slightly for Cycle 8, it is still important that all proposers, including those who proposed in previous Cycles, read this document carefully. Proposers should particularly note the following features of Cycle 8:

· Cycle 8 observing will commence nominally on June 1999, and have a duration of 1 year; it · ·
will include SM3. Cycle 8 observing proposals may only request use of FGS, STIS, and WFPC2. The FOC, NICMOS and ACS will not be available in Cycle 8. We are expecting to offer FGS1R as the astrometry FGS for Cycle 8, since it should offer better performance characteristics. However a final decision has not been made.The necessary

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analysis will be completed by July 1 and posted on the Web. If a switch to FGS1R is made, calibrations will not be maintained on FGS-3. · Data from HST observations are normally provided to the GO after application of full calibrations. The calibration and engineering test program can use up to 10% of the available orbits with HST. In order to obtain quality calibrations for a broad range of observing modes, yet stay within the available calibration time, only a restricted set - the supported modes - may be calibrated. Use of available but unsupported modes is allowed to enable potentially unique and important science observations, but is discouraged except where driven by scientific need. Observations taken using available but unsupported modes which fail due to the use of the available capability will not be repeated. Use of available but unsupported modes should be justified in the Special Requirements section of the proposal. See the individual Instrument Handbooks for more details. Any required calibration observations for these modes must be included in the request for observing time and the data reduction will be the responsibility of the observer. · As in recent Cycles, paper copies of the Instrument Handbooks will be mailed to Libraries only. All documentation is available via our Web server (see §2.1). Individuals may still obtain paper copies upon request. · As was done in Cycle 7, the Cycle 8 Telescope Allocation Committee (TAC) will give special consideration to three categories of proposals: ``Major Programs'' (defined in §3.1.2), surveys, and innovative ("scientifically risky") proposals. · In Cycle 8, there is the opportunity for U.S. GO/AR researchers to submit Education/Public Outreach (E/PO) proposals (Appendix J). Grants under this program will be awarded only to successful GO/AR proposers. Proposal submission for Cycle 8 is entirely electronic, except for Archival Research proposals where a partial paper submission is requested (see Part III, §16.1 and 16.2). The Cycle 8 deadline for GO/AR proposals is September 11, 1998, 8:00pm EDT The Cycle 8 deadline for E/PO proposals is January 18, 1999, 8:00pm EDT Late proposals will not be considered.

2. Getting Started
It is important that all proposers read the entire Call for Proposals in order to understand the policies and procedures for preparing and submitting observing proposals, and to gain an overview of the HST and its capabilities. Observing proposals must contain a summary of the proposed observing program, including the targets that are to be observed and their celestial coordinates, and the desired instrument modes and filters or dispersers. In addition, a calculation of the number of spacecraft orbits needed to accomplish the observing program must be carried out and summarized in the proposal. Thus it is important that proposers consult technical documentation about the capabilities and sensitivities of the instrument(s) that will be used to obtain the observations. Where necessary, proposers should discuss their requirements with appropriate STScI experts (contacts provided via the STScI Help Desk at help@stsci.edu) before submitting their proposals. The following subsections describe the various sources of information that are available to proposers.

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2.1 Technical Documentation The current set of technical documents is listed below: Call for Proposals and Phase I Proposal Instructions - Cycle 8 WFPC2 Instrument Handbook (Version 4.0, June 1996) plus updates on the Web (see address below) STIS Instrument Handbook (Version 2.0, June 1998) FGS Instrument Handbook (Version 7.0, June 1998) HST Data Handbook, Vol I and II (Version 3.0, October 1997) plus updates on the Web STSDAS User's Guide (Version 1.3, April 1994) HST Archive Primer (Version 6.1) HST Archive Manual (Version 6.0, September 1996) ACS Instrument Mini-Handbook (June 1998). The following manuals are of interest primarily for archival proposers: WF/PC Instrument Handbook (Version 3.0, April 1992) HSP Instrument Handbook (Version 3.0, April 1992) FOS Instrument Handbook (Version 6.0, June 1995) GHRS Instrument Handbook (Version 6.0, June 1995) FOC Instrument Handbook (Version 7.0, June 1996) NICMOS Instrument Handbook (Version 2.0, July 1997)

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Information for E/PO proposals is contained in Appendix J. Users will need to consult the Instrument Handbooks for detailed technical information on how to observe with the HST instruments. Users should be aware that the STIS and FGS handbooks have been rewritten for Cycle 8 and older versions should not be used. However, because the operational capabilities and performance of WFPC2 have not changed much, the handbook for WFPC2 is the same as was used in Cycle 7. There have been a few changes though, and therefore WFPC2 proposers are advised to read the Update to the WFPC2 Instrument Handbook that is posted on the Web. Although the Cycle 9 Call for Proposals will be the first opportunity to propose for the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), a preview of the expected performance of ACS is presented in the Instrument Mini-Handbook, which has been prepared for the Cycle 8 Call for Proposals. The STScI supports a broad range of WWW (the `Web') information pages which may be found under: http://www.stsci.edu/. Of particular interest for proposing for HST observing time are the Instruments pages which provide access to electronic versions of the Instrument Handbooks, extensive technical documentation, and the Web tools for estimating instrument count rates and exposure times. These tools also provide warnings about rates that exceed any linearity or safety limits. All may be reached through the individual instrument pages. An HST Data Handbook is available, describing the data that are produced by each of the current SIs. In addition there are documents describing the Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Software (STSDAS). For Archival Researchers, a "primer" and a detailed manual are available which describe how to gain access to the HST data Archive through StarView. There is also a catalog of the GO and Guaranteed Time Observer (GTO) programs that have already been accepted, which is available electronically (see §10.1). Proposers with no network access may obtain a hardcopy of this catalog from the STScI Help Desk.

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Proposers may find it convenient to order personal copies of the manuals they will be using extensively. To order documentation, please fill out the form on the Phase I Web Documentation Server available at URL http://www.stsci.edu/observing/proposing.html, or contact the STScI Help Desk (help@stsci.edu). Please note that documentation requested within 2-3 weeks prior to the deadline might not reach the requestor in time. Updates to the technical information contained in these documents are provided on the Web.

3. Proposal Categories
Proposals will be selected for General Observer (GO) programs, Snapshots and funded Archival Research (AR) programs through a competitive peer-review process. A portion of the observing time has been allocated for Guaranteed Time Observers (GTOs). It is also possible to submit requests at any time for Director's Discretionary time for extremely urgent observations. In addition, U.S. proposers are strongly encouraged to submit Education/Public Outreach proposals in conjunction with their GO/AR proposals. These various proposal categories are described in §3.1 through 3.6. 3.1 General Observer Proposals 3.1.1 Scope of GO Proposals Observing proposals may request any scientifically justified amount of observing time. In past Cycles the Space Telescope Advisory Committee (STAC) advised that the best scientific use of the HST required a mix of programs of different sizes, and that in particular ``Major Programs'' should be encouraged. However the TAC will monitor the overall distribution to ensure that a reasonable number of ``Medium'' programs is also selected. Major Programs are those requiring more than 60 orbits, and should be strongly justified, well-thought-out proposals that would lead to clear advance in our understanding. Smaller proposals will be classified according to the number of orbits requested per cycle as either "Small" (< 30 orbits), or "Medium" (30 to 60 orbits). The classification will be determined by the number of orbits requested in Cycle 8 (or, for long-term proposals, the largest number of orbits requested in any one Cycle). 3.1.2 Major Programs (> 60 orbits in Cycle 8) Major Programs must address important scientific questions which cannot be carried out in smaller time allocations and which utilize the unique capabilities of the HST. If scientifically justified, a Major Program may extend beyond the proposal Cycle subject only to review for progress by the STScI. The Major Programs will be evaluated for scientific merit by the appropriate Peer Review Panels, and all will then be forwarded to the TAC. The TAC will recommend the actual allocation of HST time, which will not be counted against any Panel's primary allotment. The STAC was confident that at least three Major Programs would be ranked sufficiently highly to be awarded time in Cycle 8 and beyond and, in the steady state, approximately 10-20% of the GO time would be devoted to such programs. The STAC did not identify particular Major Program topics to be targeted, primarily because it did not wish to restrict the creativity of the community in formulating imaginative new projects.

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Selection of a Major Program for implementation does not rule out acceptance of smaller projects to do similar science, although target duplication and overall program balance will be considered. 3.1.3 Long-Term Programs and Continuation Proposals GO programs will normally be completed within the current scheduling Cycle. However, long-term programs (i.e., observing programs having a duration of more than one Cycle) may also be accepted. Long-term