8.10 Calibration Plan Summary

Table 8.3 summarizes the nominal proposal cycle boundaries. The dates are intended as a rough guideline only, since in reality, of course, there are no sharp cycle boundaries. Some GO proposals are identified as candidates for early execution while other proposals take longer to complete due to various scheduling constraints. Additional observatory restrictions factor in as well, for example, the acceleration of the NICMOS observations in Cycle 7 (due to the limited lifetime of the NICMOS cryogen) caused many WFPC2 and other programs to be delayed. Cycle 7, initially set to span July 1997 to July 1998 was initially extended to October 1998 (due to Servicing Mission requirements), then later extended to July 1999, due to acceleration of NICMOS programs and the additional NICMOS programs solicited during the "Cycle 7N - NICMOS only" call for proposals.