1.2 Resources, Documentation and Tools

1.2.1 Phase I "Roadmap"

The Phase I Proposal Roadmap is a high level step-by-step guide to writing a Phase I Proposal. Links to the appropriate section of the various documents (Call for Proposals, Primer, etc.) are given for each step.

1.2.2 Cycle 16 Announcement Web Page

The Cycle 16 Announcement Web page contains links to information and documentation (including this Primer) that will be of use to you in the preparation of an HST proposal. It also contains any late-breaking updates on the Phase I process and answers to frequently asked questions.

1.2.3 Cycle 16 Call for Proposals

The Call for Proposals discusses the policies and procedures for submitting a Phase I proposal for HST observing or archival research. It also provides a summary of the proposal process from proposal submission to execution of the observations. The Call for Proposals is accessible from the Cycle 16 Announcement Web page.

1.2.4 Two-Gyro Mode

The Two-Gyro Science Mode Web Page provides information and tools on schedulability issues for two-gyro operations.

1.2.5 Instrument Handbooks

The Instrument Handbooks are the primary source of information for the HST instruments. You should consult them for any information that goes beyond what is presented in this Primer. Please use current versions when preparing your Phase I proposal. They are available for all instruments, including former instruments that may be of interest for archival research. The Handbooks are distributed electronically and may be accessed from the HST Instrument Handbooks Web page. This page also provides links to more detailed technical information such as that provided in Instrument Science Reports.

1.2.6 The Astronomer's Proposal Tool (APT)

The Astronomers Proposal Tool (APT) was introduced in Cycle 12 as the interface for all Phase I and Phase II proposal submissions for HST. The Cycle 16 version of APT has some minor bug fixes and enhancements included, but is basically the same system that was used in Cycle 15. See the What's New button in APT for details on the changes. The APT Web page contains information on the installation and use of APT.

1.2.7 Visual Target Tuner (VTT) and Aladin

The Visual Target Tuner (VTT), used to preview HST observations against sky images, has been replaced by a new tool based on the Aladin Sky Atlas interface. This change gives us more options for future enhancements, and brings a variety of benefits to users including access to a wide variety of images and catalogs, as well as more capabilities for displaying and manipulating images. Detailed information about the new Aladin based tool can be found on the APT Web page.

1.2.8 Exposure Time Calculators (ETCs)

STScI provides Exposure Time Calculators (ETCs) for each of the HST instruments. Please use these electronic tools to estimate how long you need to integrate to achieve the signal-to-noise ratio required for your project. The ETCs will also issue warnings about target count rates that exceed linearity and safety limits. Exposure time calculators are available to calculate exposure times for two-gyro observations. The ETCs can be accessed from the individual instrument Web pages which, in turn, are accessible from the HST Instruments Web page.

1.2.9 HST Data Archive

The HST Data Archive (see the HST Data Handbook) forms a part of the Multimission Archive at STScI (MAST). The HST Data Archive contains all the data taken by HST. Completed HST observations from both GO and GTO programs are available to the community upon the expiration of their proprietary periods. Observations taken under the Treasury (see Section 3.2.5 of the Call for Proposals) and GO pure parallel (see Section 4.2.2 of the Call for Proposals) programs carry no proprietary period.

The MAST Web page provides an overview of the HST Data Archive as well as the procedures for retrieving archival data (see also Section 7.2). A copy of the HST Data Archive is maintained at the Space Telescope - European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF) in Garching to which European requests should normally be addressed. The Canadian Astronomy Data Centre also maintains a copy of public HST science data (only) and is the preferred source for Canadian astronomers.

1.2.10 Data Reduction and Calibration

The HST Data Handbook describes the data produced by the instruments. The Space Telescope Science Data Analysis Software (STSDAS) Web page has links to the software that is used to calibrate and analyze HST data, and to documentation on its use. See Section 7.1 for details.