Application Procedure for the Keck 2008A and 2008B Semesters

All proposals should be sumbitted online following the instructions given below. Additional information can be obtained from Dr. Steve Ridgway at NASA Headquarters (stephen.t.ridgway@nasa.gov), or you may phone Dr. Dawn Gelino at (626) 395-1845 or e-mail her at dawn@ipac.caltech.edu. 

• PROPOSAL DEADLINE: All proposals for the the 2008A and 2008B semesters as well as the Exo-Zodiacal Key Science Project must be received at the MSC before September 24, 2007, 5pm PDT . The deadline to receive all proposal material is rigorously enforced. 
• Exo-Zodiacal Key Science Proposals
  • Scientific justification and proposal content: See the instructions in the Key Science call for detailed instructions on the requested justification and proposal format. Note that you SHOULD NOT fill out a Keck Observatory Cover Sheet for these proposals.

• All other 2008A and 2008B (or both) proposals
  • Proposal Justification: Proposers should clearly and succinctly discuss the scientific goals of the proposed observations following the Guidelines for the Scientific Case for NASA Keck Telescope Time.  Proposers are asked to indicate which of the four disciplines is addressed by their proposal.  
  • Proposal Content: Proposal packets (12-point font, 1-inch margin) will be limited to: 
  • Proposals requesting time for 2008A should fill out the Keck Observatory Cover Sheet. Please include a PDF of this cover sheet, generated after the proposal has been submitted on the WMKO web site.
  • Proposals requesting time only for 2008B should NOT fill out the Keck Observatory Cover Sheet, but should briefly describe their lunar phase and scheduling requirements in the proposal. Successful 2008B proposers will be asked to fill out the Cover Sheet when it becomes available for 2008B.
  • 2 pages of scientific justification (and additional mission support justification, in the case of mission support proposals.)
  • 1 page detailing instrument request 
  • 1 page of figures and tables 
  • 1 page of references and status of allocated time on large telescopes 
  • 1 page progress report for ongoing or recently completed NASA Keck projects 
  • List of target stars/objects (Epoch 2000)

• Electronic Submission: Electronic submission is required for 2008. Proposers should print their proposal packet to PDF (preferred) or PS file(s) and submit using our Online Submission Form.  Proposals submitted electronically will be acknowledged with an email within a few minutes upon their successful receipt.  If you do not receive this email, or if there are any other questions or problems with this process, please email Dawn Gelino at dawn@ipac.caltech.edu.
• Paper Submission: Paper submission is no longer supported.  Please contact Dawn Gelino at dawn@ipac.caltech.edu if you need an exception to this rule.
• Evaluation and Notification: NASA will follow the guidelines referenced above in assigning observing time.  Scientific justification will be the primary selection criterion, except in the case of mission support proposals, in which programmatic criteria may also be important. The review process will consist of a review by the CARA staff for technical soundness and a science review by the NASA Keck TAC.  Final selection is made by the selecting official, the MSC Executive Director, based upon the recommendations of the TAC.  Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications in June or December as appropriate. Successful applicants will be notified as early as possible and are strongly encouraged to set up communications with the CARA technical staff who are assigned to support NASA investigators. This will ensure that valuable Keck telescope time will be utilized efficiently on their first night on the telescope.
• Proposal Support: NASA will support the programs assigned time by the NASA Keck TAC.
• Travel support.  Within the constraints of federal guidelines, travel support to the observatory will be provided for all non-Key Science programs assigned time by the TAC.
• Research support.  Principal investigators of programs assigned time by the TAC will have the option to apply for limited research support.
• CARA will not offer any visitor instruments during 2008A.
• All PIs are advised to consult the Special Instrument Notes provided on the Keck Observatory web site.  Please note that Keck I and Keck II have different eastern and western telescope limits.  This affects the times that objects will be available for observing.