HST Call for Proposals and HST Primer for Cycle 24

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Table of Contents

Hubble Space Telescope Primer for Cycle 24

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 About this Document

1.2 What’s New This Cycle

COS/FUV

STIS/CCD

WFC3

1.3 Resources, Documentation and Tools

1.3.1 Phase I “Roadmap”

1.3.2 Cycle 24 Announcement Webpage

1.3.3 Cycle 24 Call for Proposals

1.3.4 Instrument Handbooks

1.3.5 The Astronomer’s Proposal Tool (APT) and the Aladin Sky Atlas

1.3.6 Exposure Time Calculators (ETCs)

1.3.7 HST Data Archive

1.3.8 Data Reduction and Calibration

1.4 STScI Help Desk

Chapter 2: System Overview

2.1 Telescope Design and Field of View

2.2 Orbital Constraints

2.2.1 Continuous Viewing Zone (CVZ)

2.2.2 South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA)

2.2.3 Predicted HST Position

2.3 Pointing Constraints

2.4 Orientation and Roll Constraints

2.5 Data Storage and Transmission

2.5.1 Onboard Data Storage

Chapter 3: Telescope Performance

3.1 Optical Performance

3.2 HST Guiding Performance

FGS - Dual Guide Star Acquisitions

FGS - Single Guide Star Acquisitions

3.3 HST Observing Efficiency

Chapter 4: Cycle 24 Scientific Instruments

4.1 Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS)

4.2 Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3)

4.3 Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS)

4.4 Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS)

4.4.1 Far-Ultraviolet Channel (COS/FUV)

COS Observations Below 1150 å

4.4.2 Near-Ultraviolet Channel (NUV)

4.4.3 COS FUV XDL Gain Sag

4.4.4 Optimizing the Science Return of COS

4.5 Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS)

Summary of STIS changes after SM4

4.6 Additional Observing Modes

4.6.1 Imaging Polarimetry

4.6.2 Slitless Imaging Spectroscopy

Ultraviolet

Optical

Near-infrared

4.6.3 Ramp and Quad Filters

Ramp Filters

Quad Filters

4.6.4 Coronagraphy

4.6.5 Observations with Two Instruments - Parallel Observing

Coordinated Parallels:

Pure Parallels:

Policies and Procedures:

4.7 Instrument Comparisons

4.7.1 HST Imaging

4.7.2 Spectrographs

Chapter 5: Observing Considerations

5.1 Bright-Object Constraints

5.1.1 ACS, COS & STIS

5.1.2 FGS

5.1.3 WFC3

5.2 Target Acquisitions

5.2.1 Target Acquisition without the Ground System

Blind acquisition

Onboard acquisition

Early acquisition

5.2.2 Target Acquisition with Ground System Support

5.3 Solar System Targets

5.4 Offsets, Patterns, and Dithering

5.5 Spatial Scans

Chapter 6: Orbit Calculation for a Phase I Proposal

6.1 Overview of an Observing Program

6.1.1 General Observer (GO) Programs

Definitions (HST Orbits, Orbital Visibility Periods, and Visits)

Components of a Visit

Preparing a Phase I Program

6.1.2 Snapshot Programs

6.2 HST Visits

6.2.1 Defining New Visits and Optimizing Scheduling Efficiency and Flexibility

6.2.2 Instrument Specific Limitations on Visits

ACS and WFC3: Data Volume Constraints

FGS: Astrometry

Coronagraphy

STIS: CCD and MAMA Observations in the Same Visit

6.3 The Orbital Visibility Period

Orbital Visibility Period for Pure Parallel Observations

6.4 Acquisition Times and Instrument Overheads

6.4.1 Guide Star Acquisition Times

6.4.2 Target Acquisition Times

6.4.3 Instrument Overhead Times

ACS

COS

FGS

STIS

WFC3

6.4.4 Telescope Repositioning Overhead Times

6.5 Constructing the Program

Coordinated Parallel Observations

Chapter 7: Data Processing and the HST Data Archive

7.1 Routine Science Data Processing

7.1.1 Space Telescope Science Data Analysis System (STSDAS)

7.2 The HST Data Archive

7.2.1 Web Access to the HST Data Archive

7.3 Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA)

7.4 Hubble Source Catalogs (HSC)

Appendix A: Orbit Calculation Examples

A.1 ACS Example

A.2 COS Examples

A.3 FGS Example

A.4 STIS Example

A.5 WFC3 Examples

Appendix B: HST Mission

B.1 Servicing Missions and Instrument Complements

SM3A

SM3B

Appendix C: Legacy Instruments

C.1 Faint Object Camera (FOC)

C.2 Faint Object Spectrograph (FOS)

C.3 Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph (GHRS)

C.4 High Speed Photometer (HSP)

C.5 Wide Field and Planetary Camera 1 (WF/PC)

C.6 Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2)

C.7 The Advanced Camera for Surveys High Resolution Channel (ACS/HRC)

C.8 Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS)

Appendix D: Internet Links

ACS Dither Website

ACS Dither Website

ACS Instrument

ACS Instrument Handbook

Aladin Sky Atlas

Anderson J. & Bedin, L. R., 2010, PASP, 122, 1035

APT Training Materials Webpage

APT Webpage

Astronomer’s Proposal Tool (APT)

BudavÀri, T. & Lubow, H.S., 2012ApJ...761..188B

Canadian Astronomy Data Centre (CADC)

COS Instrument Website

COS Instrument Handbook

Cycle 24 Announcement Webpage

Cycle 24 Call for Proposals

Digitized Sky Survey (DSS)

DrizzlePac Handbook

DrizzlePac Website

ESA Hubble Science Archive

Exposure Time Calculators Website

Fine Guidance Sensor Instrument

Fine Guidance Sensor Instrument Handbook

High Level Science Products

Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA)

Hubble Source Catalog (HSC)

HST Data Handbook

HST Documents Webpage

HST Dither Handbook

HST Instrument Handbooks

HST Online

HST Science Instruments

Image Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF)

MAST Discovery Portal (DP)

Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes (MAST)

MultiDrizzle

NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database (NED)

NICMOS Instrument

NICMOS Instrument Handbook

Parallel Observations

Phase I Proposal Roadmap

Phase II Program Preparation

PyRAF

Set of Identifications, Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data (SIMBAD)

Space Telescope - European Coordinating Facility

Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Software (STSDAS)

Space Telescope Science Institute

STIS Instrument

STIS Instrument Handbook

Tiny Tim

Visit Size Recommendations

WFC3 Instrument

WFC3 Instrument Handbook

WFC3 UVIS CTE Webpage

WFPC2 Instrument

WFPC2 Instrument Handbook

Instrument Science Reports

ACS ISR 06-04

ISR FOC-99

ISR GHRS-92

STIS ISR 2011-02

WFC3 ISR 2009-30

WFC3 ISR 2009-31

WFC3 ISR 2009-40

WFC3 ISR 2009-47

WFC3 ISR 2010-09

WFC3 ISR 2010-14

WFC3 ISR 2011-08

WFC3 ISR 2012-08

Appendix E: Glossary of Acronymsand Abbreviations