Space Telescope Science Institute   7.1.1 Identify Science Requirements and Define ACS Configuration  7.1.3 Determine Exposure Time and Check Feasibility

7.1.2 Use of Available-but-Unsupported Capabilities


A set of core ACS capabilities to support scientific observations has been established. In addition there are a few capabilities with ACS, some of which are mentioned in this Handbook, for which limited access is available. These capabilities are "available-but-unsupported," but, in consultation with an ACS Instrument Scientist, may be requested. These include a few apertures, limited interest optional parameters, some GAIN options, and filterless (CLEAR) operation. If you find that your science cannot be obtained using fully supported modes, or that it would be much better with use of these special cases, then you may wish to consider use of an unsupported mode.

Use of unsupported modes comes at a price; they should only be used if the technical requirements and scientific justifications are particularly compelling. The following caveats apply:

Phase I proposals that include use of unsupported ACS capabilities must include the following:

During the Phase II proposal submission process, use of available-but-unsupported modes requires formal approval from the ACS Team at STScI. To request permission for use of an available-but-unsupported mode, please send a brief e-mail to your Program Coordinator (PC) that addresses the above four points. The PC will relay the request to the contact scientist or relevant ACS instrument scientist, who will decide whether the use will be allowed. This procedure ensures that any potential technical problems have been taken into account. Note also that archival research may be hindered by use of these modes. As a result, requests for use of unsupported modes which do not adequately address the above four points, or which will result in only marginal improvements in the quality of the data obtained, may be denied, even if the request was included in your approved Phase I proposal.

The current list of available-but-unsupported items are:


 7.1.1 Identify Science Requirements and Define ACS Configuration  7.1.3 Determine Exposure Time and Check Feasibility
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