3.6 Calibration Proposals

HST is a complex observatory, with many possible combinations of observing modes and spectral elements on each instrument. Calibrations and calibration software are maintained by STScI for all of the most important and most used configurations. However, STScI does not have the resources to calibrate fully all potential capabilities of all instruments. On the other hand, the astronomical community has expressed interest in receiving support to perform calibrations for certain uncalibrated or poorly calibrated modes, or to develop specialized software for certain HST calibration and data reduction tasks. In recognition of this, STScI is encouraging outside users to submit proposals in the category of Calibration Proposals, which aims at filling in some of the gaps in our coverage of the calibration of HST and its instruments.

Calibration proposals should not be explicitly linked to any specific science program, but should provide a calibration or calibration software that can be used by the community for existing or future programs.

Successful proposers will be required to deliver documentation, and data products and/or software to STScI to support future observing programs.

Funding is available to support calibration proposals in the same manner as for normal science programs. However:

Scientists affiliated with STScI are not eligible for any funding to support their role (as PI or CoI) in a Calibration Proposal.

Calibration programs will be reviewed internally by the Instrument Division. The internal review will provide the TAC with an assessment of the feasibility of the proposal, how the proposal complements/extends the existing calibration program, and the type of science impacted by the proposed calibrations.

Note that a specific science program that has special calibration requirements is not a Calibration proposal; such a proposal should be submitted as a normal GO or SNAP proposal and the necessary calibration observations should be added to the science program as described in Section 4.3.

Investigators interested in the submission of a Calibration proposal are encouraged to study the Instrument Handbooks to determine the level at which STScI provides calibration and characterization, and to discuss ideas for extending these calibrations with STScI staff. Examples of the kinds of topics that have been addressed by calibration outsourcing programs of the type discussed here are:

• Calibration of faint photometric standards for WFPC2
• Creation of a coronagraphic PSF library for STIS/CCD
• Characterization of the spectroscopic PSF for STIS/CCD
• NICMOS polarimetric calibrations
• ACS photometric zero point verification
• Calibration of the ACS emission line filters

For a complete description of the instrument calibration plans/accuracies, and for other potential topics, please see the Scientific Instruments Web Page.

A Calibration Program can be a GO, SNAP or AR Program, and should fall in one of these categories. For GO and SNAP programs, the data obtained will be non-proprietary, as is the case for regular calibration observations. Proposers may request a proprietary period (which should be explained in the 'Special Requirements' section of the proposal; see Section 9.3), but such a request will be subject to panel and TAC review and will be granted only in exceptional circumstances if exceedingly well justified. Archival Research proposals may be appropriate in cases where the necessary data have already been taken, or for programs that do not require specific data but aim to develop specialized software for certain HST calibration and data reduction tasks.

All proposers are strongly encouraged to contact the appropriate instrument group to discuss their program prior to submission.

Calibration Proposals must be identified in the 'Special Proposal Types' section of the proposal (see Section 8.10).