Previous
abstract 
Next
abstract
Session 3 - SIRTF.
Display session, Monday, January 13
Metropolitan Ballroom,
The SIRTF project is developing a science planning tool to help the observers scope and plan their observations in preparation for submission of their proposals for observing time on the SIRTF Observatory. Its primary focus is to help the scientist design feasible astronomical observations, such as estimating overall execution time, determine the appropriate SNR or exposure time, provide the required parameters and format for their observation. The tool will be web based and will be capable of interfacing with other tools used as part of a science tool set as well as scheduling and modeling tools used as part of preparation for uplink to the observatory for observation excecution.
The SIRTF project has been working on a first prototype of the science planning tool. The scope of the current prototype is limited, but does provide insight into the possible ways of using the telescope by allowing a choice of seven modes of operation (will be eight in the future) and gives rough estimates of the sensitivity and wall clock calculations.
The modes available through this prototype are the IRAC deep survey, the IRS spectral map mode and staring mode, and the MIPS scan map mode, photometry mode, spectral energy distribution mode and super-resolution mode.
The demonstration of the early science planning prototype will give the user the opportunity to see and "feel" the instrument sensitivity capabilities, the spacecraft wall clock estimates as well as the web interface. In addition valuable input will be obtained from the astronomy community for future development.
