SOLICITATION FOR THE ROSAT GUEST OBSERVER PROGRAM - AO5
(Paper versions of this announcement will be mailed around January 15.)
This announcement solicits basic research proposals for participation in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) program to analyze scientific data from the Roentgensatellit (ROSAT). The ROSAT mission is a cooperative X-ray astronomy program between the United States (U.S.) and the Federal Republic of Germany. ROSAT was launched successfully on June 1, 1990, and is conducting its scientific observing program nominally. During the current pointed phase of ROSAT observations, 50 percent of the observing time is allocated to the U.S. and will be made available in its entirety to observers. This announcement is the fifth for ROSAT guest observations and solicits proposals for observations to be carried out during the U.S. observing time beginning about September 1994 and lasting for 12 months. This period is referred to by the international ROSAT team as the "AO5" observing period.
Participation in this program is open to all categories of organizations, both domestic and foreign, including educational institutions, NASA Centers, profit and nonprofit organizations, and other Government agencies. Proposals may be submitted at any time during the period ending March 31, 1994. Proposals received after that date will be held for the next review cycle, which is planned for approximately one year after the present cycle. Proposals will be evaluated by scientific peer review panels and other national and international review committees with a goal of announcing selections by July 1994.
Investigators whose proposals are selected will have proprietary use of their data for 12 months after receipt of the data in a form suitable for analysis, after which time the data will be made available to other interested investigators.
NASA funding for Mission Operations and Data Analysis is highly constrained. Given ROSAT's limited lifetime and its unique capabilities, continued observations must be considered the highest scientific priority. Initial processing of these new observations and revised processing of prior data constitute the next priority. Only after these primary needs have been accomplished might we provide funds for guest observers.
Therefore, NASA asks that you not submit a budget request with your proposal. If funds should become available for this program, NASA will contact selected investigators. Foreign proposals accepted under this announcement will be implemented on the customary no exchange of funds basis in which NASA and the sponsoring foreign agency will each bear the cost of discharging their respective responsibilities.
One very important change in the ROSAT mission has taken place. The PSPC gas supply has been exhausted. Thus, only the HRI will be available for observations. This "HRI only" mission phase provides observers with an unprecedented opportunity for performing detailed, extensive high resolution X-ray imaging studies. In order to maximize the scientific return ROSAT as it nears the end of its operating life, we encourage observers to consider proposing large programs that fully utilize this unique capability.
Further details relevant to the ROSAT Observer Program are included in the appendices. Appendix A is a description of the ROSAT observing opportunity. No appendix B is used with this announcement. Appendices C and D provide additional information on the submission of proposals and their evaluation, selection, and implementation. Appendix D also contains copies of mandatory proposal information forms. Appendix E is an overview of the RPS software for electronic forms submission. Appendices F, G, H, and I are large documents which are not included with this announcement. Appendix F is a detailed description of the ROSAT mission and gives information on using ROSAT as an astronomical observatory. An addendum to Appendix F contains an up-to-date description of the HRI performance. Appendix G describes the ROSAT mission planning and information system. Appendix H describes the ROSAT data analysis system (PROS) that is available to ROSAT data users. (Appendices F, G, and H are unchanged from the issuance of January 1991.) Appendix I contains lists of targets which were observed during the calibration and verification phase, pointed observations, and scheduled targets through September 1993, and approved targets not yet scheduled; an up-to-date version will be available by February 1, 1994.
There are two ways of obtaining these appendices. All the appendices contained in this mailing and appendix I can be obtained electronically. The older appendices, F, G, and H, are available as printed versions only. Requests for these printed appendices should be submitted as soon as convenient in order to receive them early in the proposal preparation period.
Proposers should note that if information contained in Appendix F is found to contradict Appendices A, C, or D, then the information and instructions contained in Appendices A, C, and D take precedence over Appendix F.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION (Appendices F, G, H, and I) is available from the ROSAT Science Data Center, Code 666 (Building 2, Room W230, Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771), or may be found in the anonymous FTP account heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov, in the directory rosat/nra_info. If necessary,printed versions may be obtained from:
- Dr. Alan N. Bunner
- Astrophysics Division
- Code SZ
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- 300 E Street, SW
- Washington, DC 20546 USA
- Telephone: (202) 358-0370
- Astrophysics Division
SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO:
- ROSAT "AO5" Program
- Astrophysics Proposal Control Office
- 9705 Patuxent Woods Drive
- Columbia, MD 21046 USA
- Astrophysics Proposal Control Office
SUBMIT PROPOSALS BY:
- March 31, 1994
NUMBER REQUIRED:
- 20 Copies
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED FROM:
- Dr. Alan N. Bunner
- Astrophysics Division
- Code SZ
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- 300 E Street, SW
- Washington, DC 20546 USA
- Telephone: (202) 358-0370
- Astrophysics Division
Your interest and cooperation in participating in the ROSAT Guest Observer Program are appreciated.
- Robert Petre
- U.S. ROSAT Project Scientist
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