The Formal update of the SOFIA Cycle 7 Call for Proposal has been released.
| Date | Update | Details |
|---|---|---|
| December 4, 2018 | Phase II Instructions released | Phase II instructions are available here . |
| October 12, 2018 | DCS server migration |
The DCS server has changed to https://dcs.arc.nasa.gov . Users should update their bookmarked pages accordingly. In addition, before November 15, 2018 the auto-update feature built-in to USPOT 3.5.0 will automatically download the new version of USPOT. After November 15, 2018, the latest version of the Unified SOFIA Planning Tool (USPOT) v4.0.0 must be downloaded manually from the new DCS server. |
| August 23, 2018 | SITE update for HAWC+ |
Previously, SITE was including overheads in Total Intensity and Chop-Nod Polarimetry calculations but has now been revised to only account for on-source time as USPOT will add the telescope overheads to the exposure times entered. Cycle 7 proposers are strongly encouraged to update their values for on-source time in USPOT using the values calculated with SITE since the changes. |
| August 7, 2018 | CfP v1.3 released | For normal proposals longer than nine pages and SOFIA legacy proposals longer than 16 pages, DCS will return a warning that the proposal document is too long. If all individual section limits listed in the Call for Proposals documents have been adhered to, this warning may be ignored. |
| August 3, 2018 | SITE sensitivities for HAWC+ and FIFI-LS |
Sensitivities for HAWC+ and FIFI-LS have been updated in SITE and the Cycle 7 Observer's Handbook to reflect final commissioning analysis based on Cycle 5 & Cycle 6 observations. Cycle 7 proposers are encouraged to verify their exposure time estimates. |
| July 3, 2018 | CfP v1.1 released | ROCs for GREAT and HAWC+ updated |
| July 3, 2018 | DCS v3.5.4 released |
ETCs for FIFI-LS and GREAT updated;
USPOT 4GREAT AOTs and Guide Star Overlay tables updated |
| June 1, 2018 | CfP v1.0 and SLP CfP v1.0 released | original releases |
Cycle 7 features two Calls for Proposals issued by the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) to solicit observing proposals from the U.S. and international astronomical communities. Proposals for both calls were due September 7, 2018 and observations are expected to begin April 27, 2019. Approximately 400 hours of observing time are available for regular observing proposals, with $4M in funding available to support guest observers based in the US. Thesis enabling proposals intended to enable and support PhD theses based on SOFIA data will be supported, with highly ranked proposals in this category eligible for up to two years of graduate student support.
In addition to the regular Call for Proposals, Cycle 7 will host a second call to premiere the SOFIA Legacy Program to enable programs spanning two cycles. Each cycle will utilize approximately 50 hours of the 100 total available hours for the Legacy Program for Cycle 7. $1M will be available to support Legacy Programs.
There is an additional call for those affiliated with German institutions administered by the German SOFIA Institute (Deutsches SOFIA Institut; DSI) on behalf of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt; DLR) that will offer an additional approximately 70 hours of observing time.
The Proposal Resources page contains all necessary documentation and useful tools for submitting proposals, including the following documentation for Cycle 7:
In addition, complementary sky positions derived from Cycle 6 proposal data are available here .