The Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Frequently Asked Questions about Swift Cycle 5

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Topics

Questions

Foreign PIs (PIs at non-U.S. institutions)

  1. Do you have to be a PI at a U.S. Institution to Propose?
  2. Do I need to do anything special to be a PI on a non-GRB observing proposal if I am at a non-US institution?
  3. Can non-US PIs propose a non-GRB observing proposal and have a US co-I receive the funding?

Funding-only Proposals (GRB Science)

  1. How does the "2-Phase Review" process apply to funding-only proposals?
  2. What types of proposals are allowed?
  3. Does the $40K budget ceiling apply to funding-only proposals?
  4. Are there any exceptions to the $40K budget ceiling?
  5. How accurate does my "anticipated total budget" for Phase 1 have to be?
  6. Do I submit my proposal to NSPIRES, or to ARK/RPS?

Proposals for non-GRB Observations

  1. What types of non-GRB proposals are allowed?
  2. Will the observations be proprietary?
  3. What is the difference between "AKBAR/RPS", used in Cycle 3, and "ARK/RPS", used in Cycles 4 & 5?
  4. Do I have to submit anything to NSPIRES for Cycle 5?
  5. Can I combine TOO and non-TOO observations in one proposal?
  6. Can I combine Fill-in and non-Fill-in targets in one proposal?
  7. What constitutes a monitoring program? What constitutes periodic monitoring?
  8. What are the restrictions on observation length?

    New Fill-in Target observations

  1. What are Fill-in Targets?
  2. Are there any restrictions on Fill-in Target observations?
  3. How much time will be allocated to Fill-in Targets?
  4. What priority will Fill-in Targets have in Swift's observing schedule?
  5. Will all my accepted Fill-in Targets be observed?

    6. Non-TOO pointed observations (not Fill-in)

  1. How much time will be allocated to non-GRB non-TOO observations?
  2. Will Swift slew to my non-GRB, non-TOO source autonomously?
  3. What priority will non-GRB, non-TOO observations have in Swift's observing schedule?
  4. Am I assured of obtaining all awarded observing time on my non-GRB, non-TOO target?
  5. What rules and limitations should I be aware of for non-GRB, non-TOO Swift observations?

    6. TOO proposals

  1. How much time will be allocated to non-GRB TOO observations?
  2. Will Swift slew to my non-GRB TOO source autonomously?
  3. How many High and Highest priority TOOs can be accepted in Cycle 5?
  4. What rules and limitations should I be aware of for non-GRB TOO Swift observations?
  5. What should I put for RA, Dec, and object name if I am proposing observations of a 'yet-to-be-discovered' object?
  6. The target form asks for a "trigger probability" - what should I put?

Proposal Format and Submission

  1. Do I have to fill out an NOI (Notice of Intent to propose)?
  2. Do I submit the proposal to NSPIRES, or to ARK/RPS, or both?
  3. What are the page limits for the proposal text?
  4. How accurate does my "anticipated total budget" for Phase 1 have to be?
  5. What is "NASA FTE Commitment"? Do I have to fill it out?
  6. Is there a template for the Scientific Justification part of the proposal?
  7. How do I submit the PDF file containing my Scientific Justification?

NRA Reference Materials

  1. Where can I find the ROSES-2008 Announcement and its amendments, including the appendix describing Swift Cycle 5?
  2. Where can I find the NASA Proposers Handbook, and its supplementary material?

Other/Help

  1. Who do I write to if I still have questions?


Answers

Foreign PIs (PIs at non-U.S. institutions)

  1. Do you have to be a PI at a U.S. Institution to Propose?

    No. PIs at non-US institutions may submit proposals for observing time only. PIs at non-US institutions are not eligible for funding. (And therefore may not submit "funding only" proposals, even if they would have US Co-Is.)

  2. Do I need to do anything special to be a PI on a non-GRB observing proposal if I am at a non-US institution?

    No. There is no need to "affiliate" with the Swift Science Center, as in previous years. On both your NOI (submitted to NSPIRES) and your proposal (submitted to ARK/RPS), you may give your home institution and submit the forms, yourself. For further instructions on submitting a Swift Cycle 5 proposal, see our Cycle 5 Guest Investigator Program Web page.

  3. Can non-US PIs propose a non-GRB observing proposal and have a US co-I receive the funding?

    No. The US collaborator must be the PI, in order for him/her to receive funding.

Funding-only Proposals (GRB Science)

  1. How does the "2-Phase Review" process apply to funding-only proposals?

    Proposals for funding only will submit a cover page, general form, and scientific justification to Swift ARK/RPS for Phase 1 of Swift Cycle 5. The general form asks for the "anticipated total budget" and the scientific justification should include a paragraph describing at a high level how funds would be spent and the scale of workforce needed for the project. No other budget information is required for Phase 1. The Phase 1 proposal will be reviewed for scientific merit (the main budget consideration will be whether the anticipated budget falls below the $40K budget ceiling). The Phase 1 review will determine the accepted Swift Cycle 5 program. PIs with successful Phase 1 proposals will then be invited to submit a detailed budget proposal for Phase 2. The Phase 2 review will finalize the funding for all accepted proposals. (Note that the budget proposed for Phase 2 cannot exceed the anticipated total budget submitted in Phase 1.) See our Swift Cycle 5 Web page for further details.

  2. What types of proposals are allowed?

    The Swift project will provide funds for three broad areas of research: theoretical investigations of GRBs, new GRB projects, and follow-up GRB observations. In Cycle 5, Swift would especially like to encourage the development of rapid IR ground-based response to potentially high redshift GRBs, therefore special consideration will be given to such projects. Proposals to develop these capabilities will be allowed to exceed the $40K budget ceiling imposed for all other proposals. See the ROSES-08 Amendment for Swift Cycle 5 for further details.

  3. Does the $40K budget ceiling apply to funding-only proposals?

    Yes. All Cycle 5 proposers must plan an investigation that can be accomplished within a budget ceiling of $40K for the total cost to NASA (including overhead). The only exception is for development of rapid IR ground-based response to potentially high redshift GRBs (see next question).

  4. Are there any exceptions to the $40K budget ceiling?

    Yes, but only one: proposals to develop rapid IR ground-based response to potentially high redshift GRBs receive special consideration for Swift Cycle 5; they alone are allowed to exceed the $40K budget ceiling. Budgets for such projects may be in the $100K range of previous ROSES APRA awards, provided they are strongly justified. (Note that "$100K range" is very broad, and could include such things as $200K for outfitting a telescope with an IR spectrograph.)

Proposals for non-GRB Observations

  1. What types of non-GRB proposals are allowed?

    Any non-GRB proposal should have mild impact on the GRB detecting and follow-up schedule. This means it should not be too close to the Sun, not require uninterrupted viewing or highly specific start or stop times.

    HEASARC's Viewing tool can help you detemine the Sun angle for your source, and other observational parameters.

    Proposals for non-GRB Swift observations fall into three categories:

      TOO observations
      non-TOO observations
      Fill-in targets

    Each type has their own specific restrictions - see the sections in this FAQ on each for further details, or consult the ROSES-2008 Amendment for Swift Cycle 5. In addition, there are limits on monitoring proposals and limits on the length of an observation.

  2. Will the non-GRB observations be proprietary?

    No. Swift does not perform proprietary observations. All observations will be publically available immediately. Non-GRB proposers are eligible for funds to help analyze the observations they propose, however.

  3. What is the difference between "AKBAR/RPS", used in Cycle 3, and "ARK/RPS", used in Cycles 4 & 5?

    Only the name. It is literally the same software and Web site, and your login and associated information remains the same, if you registered with AKBAR/RPS. For more information on using ARK/RPS, see our Swift Cycle 5 GI page.

  4. Do I have to submit anything to NSPIRES for Cycle 5?

    Only a Notice of Intent (NOI). Proposal submission will be entirely through ARK/RPS for Swift Cycle 5 Phase 1, including cover page, general form, target forms, and upload of proposal text. Successful Phase 1 proposers will then be told where to submit budget proposals for review in Phase 2. For more info on submitting proposals, see our Swift Cycle 5 GI page.

  5. Can I combine TOO and non-TOO observations in one proposal?

    No. A proposal must be either TOO or non-TOO; it cannot be both. If you wish to perform both non-TOO and TOO observations of the same source, you must submit two separate proposals. Please make sure the proposals have different titles, so they can be easily distinguished. (Eg., "TOO observations of SRC-XYZ" and "non-TOO observations of SRC-XYZ") Also, if the proposals should be reviewed together (e.g., if you will trigger the TOO based on results from the non-TOO), then please state in your abstract that one proposal is the companion to the other, and specify the title of the other proposal. We will use that information to make sure they are reviewed by the same panel.

  6. Can I combine Fill-in and non-Fill-in targets in one proposal?

    No. A proposal for observation must be one of three types: TOO, non-TOO, or Fill-in. Targets in a proposal must all be of the given type. The ARK/RPS cover page form requires you to select one of these proposal types, and your targets will then be considered in that category.

  7. What constitutes a monitoring program? What constitutes periodic monitoring?

    A monitoring program is 3 or more observations of the same target. No more than 20 monitoring programs will be accepted in Cycle 5. Note that a proposal which contains requests to monitor 5 different targets constitutes 5 monitoring programs, not one. Requests for periodic monitoring cannot be accommodated in Swift's schedule, and will be rejected. Periodic monitoring is defined as, "monitoring that requires observation on specific regularly-spaced days for the expected science return. Proposals are allowed if the observation times can be changed by +/- 1 day and will still be scientifically useful if some observations are missed."

  8. What are the restrictions on observation length?

    Requested observing time is limited to between 1 ks (minimum) and 20 ks (maximum) per observation. The total time requested for the source may consist of several observations. Use the "Number of Observations" field on the ARK/RPS form to state how many observations, and put the total time (ie., adding up all observations) in the target form. Don't worry if you don't want the total time divided evenly among the observations. For example, suppose you want the first observation of your source to be 20ks, and 3 later observations of 5 ksec each. On the ARK/RPS target form, you would put "num_obs" as 4 (4 total observations); "Total Observation Time" as 35 ksec (20+5+5+5); and in the "Remarks" section, you would put "First observation should be 20 ksec, followed by 3 observations of 5 ksec each." If the observations are to be constrained by time, phase, or other criteria, fill out the Constraints section of the form. Then, in the scientific justification, you should explain why this observing strategy is necessary for your science.

    Also note that a single observation may be broken up over several orbits, and involve multiple pointings, in order to accommodate Swift's schedule. Proposers should not assume continous, uninterrupted viewing of their targets for any observation longer than 1 ksec.


New Fill-in Target observations

  1. What are Fill-in Targets?

    Fill-in targets provide a set of peer-reviewed targets to be used to fill in gaps in the pre-planned science timeline. They are new for Cycle 5, and are a separate proposal category, distinct from TOO and regular non-TOO observations. Please see the next two questions for further details.

  2. Are there any restrictions on Fill-in Target observations?

    Yes.

    Fill-in Targets:

    • cannot be TOO observations
    • must have no observational constraints
    • are limited to no more than 50 targets per proposer (ie., among all fill-in target proposals for that proposer)
    • will be scheduled as needed, after GRB follow-up, TOO, and regular non-TOO observations (ie., they are lower priority than all of these)
    • will be added to the observing program at the discretion of the science operations team, to maximize the Swift science program
    • are not guaranteed to be observed; PIs should have no expectation that their entire list of accepted fill-in targets will be observed

    Funding will be contingent upon at least one target being observed for no less than 80% of the requested time.

  3. How much time will be allocated to Fill-in Targets?

    1000 ks. A total of one million seconds of observering time will be made available for Fill-in targets in Cycle 5.

  4. What priority will Fill-in Targets have in Swift's observing schedule?

    The lowest. See the last three bullets in the restrictions on Fill-in Targets question, above.

  5. Will all my accepted Fill-in Targets be observed?

    There is no guarantee that Fill-in Targets will be observed. See the last bullet in the restrictions on Fill-in Targets question, above.


Non-TOO pointed observations

  1. How much time will be allocated to non-GRB non-TOO observations?

    2000 ks. A total of 2 million seconds of observing time will be made available to the non-TOO GO program during Cycle 5. Note that the Fill-in Target program is separate, and has its own time allocation.

  2. Will Swift slew to my non-GRB, non-TOO source autonomously?

    No. Swift GO observations will be performed only as the result of an uploaded ground command through the normal planning process and will not be slewed to autonomously.

  3. What priority will non-GRB, non-TOO observations have in Swift's observing schedule?

    Low. GO observations will have a lower scheduling priority than GRBs or TOOs and will be observed on a best-effort basis when time is available in the observing schedule.

  4. Am I assured of obtaining all awarded observing time on my non-GRB, non-TOO target?

    No. Because of Swift's observing restrictions, successful GO PIs should be aware that they are not assured 100 percent of the time awarded. Every effort will be made to observe 80 percent or more of an accepted program within schedule limitations of the mission.

  5. What rules and limitations should I be aware of for non-GRB, non-TOO Swift observations?

    • There are limits on observation length. Please see our FAQ question "What are the restrictions on observation length?" for further details.

    • There are restrictions on monitoring programs, where "monitoring" is defined as 3 or more observations of the same target. Please see our FAQ question about monitoring, above.

    • No more than 500 ks of observing time will be allocated to GO targets in each 6-hour range of right ascension (RA) in order to ensure that GO targets are distributed pseudo-uniformly on the sky.

    • No more than 20% of the accepted GO time will be awarded to time-constrained proposals. This includes phase-constrained proposals, coordinated observing campaigns with ground-based or satellite-based facilities, monitoring campaigns, etc. Note that the unique scheduling requirements of Swift put severe constraints on monitoring programs, and in particular, proposals requesting periodic monitoring will be rejected. Please see our FAQ question about monitoring for further details.

    • You may NOT combine TOO and non-TOO observations in a single proposal. If you wish to perform both TOO and non-TOO observations, please see the guidelines in the answer to our FAQ question, "Can I combine TOO and non-TOO observations in a single proposal?".

    • There is no carry-over time from Cycle 5 to Cycle 6. Therefore, GOs whose observing programs are not completed in Cycle 5 will be required to repropose in Cycle 6 if they wish to acquire more observing time on their targets of interest.


TOO Proposals

  1. How much time will be allocated to non-GRB TOO observations?

    800 ks. A total of 800 ks of observing time will be made available to TOO proposals.

  2. Will Swift slew to my non-GRB TOO source autonomously?

    No. See the explanation for "Will Swift slew to my non-GRB, non-TOO source autonomously?", above.

  3. How many High and Highest Priority TOOs can be performed in Cycle 5?

    No more than 6 Highest Priority and no more than 50 High Priority TOOs can be performed for Cycle 5. The priorities are defined as:

    PriorityDefinitionCy5 Limit
    HighestObservation should be performed within 4 hours6
    HighObservation should be performed within 24 hours50
    MediumObservation can be performed within days to a weeknone
    LowObservation can be performed within weeksnone

  4. What rules and limitations should I be aware of for non-GRB TOO Swift observations?

    • Clearly describe how your proposal capitalizes on the unique capabilities of Swift.

    • Give exact, detailed trigger criteria. There is a text box on the ARK/RPS proposal form for this.

    • Give an estimated trigger probability for each target. The probability should be a fraction, from 0.0 to 1.0, and represent the chance that the target will meet the trigger criteria during Swift Cycle 5 (assume April 2009 - March 2010). This is a required field on the Swift ARK/RPS form.

    • There are limits on observation length. Please see our FAQ question ""What are the restrictions on observation length?"" for further details.

    • There are restrictions on monitoring programs, where "monitoring" is defined as 3 or more observations of the same target. Please see our FAQ question about monitoring, above.

    • You may NOT combine TOO and non-TOO observations in a single proposal. If you wish to perform both TOO and non-TOO observations, please see the guidelines in the answer to our FAQ question, "Can I combine TOO and non-TOO observations in a single proposal?".

    • There is no carry-over time from Cycle 4 to Cycle 5. Therefore, PIs with accepted Cycle 4 TOO proposals which have not yet triggered should repropose for Cycle 5, if they still wish to have the observation carried out in Cycle 5. Please include a statement in your proposal text about how the proposal should be reviewed if it triggers in Cycle 4 between the proposal submission time and the end of Cycle 4. For example, if your TOO triggers in the remaining Cycle 4 time, would you like the corresponding Cycle 5 proposal to remain, or to be withdrawn? If you would like it to remain, please explain why a repeat of the completed Cycle 4 observations would be scientifically meaningful for the Swift program.

      Similarly, proposers should be aware that any TOO proposals accepted for Cycle 5 will not be carried over into Cycle 6, if they are not triggered during Cycle 5.

  5. What should I put for RA, Dec, and object name if I am proposing observations of a 'yet-to-be-discovered' object?

    Please use 0.0 for the coordinates and "new transient" or similar for the target name.

  6. The target form asks for a "trigger probability" - what should I put?

    See the 3rd bullet in the answer to our "What rules and limitations should I be aware of for non-GRB TOO Swift observations?" question, above.

Proposal Format and Submission

  1. Do I have to fill out an NOI (Notice of Intent to propose)?

    NOIs are not required, however we would really appreciate it if all proposers filled out NOIs, since that lets us know how many proposals to expect (which helps with planning the review). Here's where and how to fill out an NOI (see second bullet).

  2. Do I submit the proposal to NSPIRES, or to ARK/RPS, or both?

    All proposals for Phase 1 of Swift Cycle 5 go to ARK/RPS. Unlike in previous Swift Cycles, ARK/RPS will be the sole proposal submission site for all proposals (both those for funding-only and those which include observations). There is no NSPIRES proposal submission for Phase 1 of Cycle 5. Only Notices of Intent go to NSPIRES.

  3. What are the page limits for the proposal text?

    4 pages total for scientific justification, figures, tables, and references. The page limits are discussed in Appendix D.6 of ROSES-08 "Swift Guest Investigator - Cycle 5". There is no requirement for a PI Vita for Phase 1 of Cycle 5. Please note: if you are requesting funding should your proposal be accepted, please include a brief overview (about a paragraph) describing at a high level how the funds would be used and the scale of the workforce needed to carry out the proposed work.

  4. How accurate does my "anticipated total budget" for Phase 1 have to be?

    You may not exceed the Phase 1 "anticipated total budget" in your detailed budget for Phase 2. If your proposal is accepted in Phase 1, you will be asked to submit a detailed budget for Phase 2. This detailed budget cannot exceed the anticipated total budget you input on your Phase 1 general proposal form. Keep in mind, also, that there is a $40K budget ceiling for all proposals, except for special cases of correlative (IR) observations of high redshift GRBs.

  5. What is "NASA FTE Commitment"? Do I have to fill it out?

    The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) NASA civil servants that would be supported by this proposal, if approved. This may be a fraction or zero. It is collected for NASA records, and does not affect acceptance of the proposal. This is required for proposal submission.

  6. Is there a template for the Scientific Justification part of the proposal?

    Yes. While not mandatory, we highly encourage the use of this LATEX template for the scientific justification part of the proposal. (I.e., the written text component of the proposal).

  7. How do I submit the PDF file containing my Scientific Justification?

    After you hit "submit" in ARK/RPS, you will see a button that says "upload your PDF". Please do not upload a CV or any other supporting documents, just the Scientific Justification as described in the proposal submission guidelines on the Swift Cycle 5 GI Information Web page.

NRA Reference Materials

  1. Where can I find the ROSES-08 Announcement (NRA) and its amendments, including the appendix describing Swift Cycle 5?

    The ROSES-08 NRA and the specific amendments for Swift Cycle 5 are available from NSPIRES's Swift Guest Investigator - Cycle 5 Web page.

  2. Where can I find the NRA Proposers Handbook, and it's supplementary material?

    The NRA Proposers Guidebook and any clarifications are found on the NRA Proposers Guidebook page.

Other

  1. Who do I write to if I still have questions?

    If you have questions about any of the above, or similar, items, write to the Swift Science Center via our Feedback form.

    If you have questions about how to submit a proposal for Swift Cycle 5, please see our Cycle 5 Guest Investigator Program Web page. It contains instructions, links, supporting materials, and help desk addresses for support with proposal submission.