Table of Contents

• 3.   Phase I: Proposal & Basic AOR Submission
  • 3.1   Creating Proposals
    • 3.1.1   PDF Requirements
  • 3.2   Creating AORs
    • 3.2.1   Editing AORs
    • 3.2.2   Tools
  • 3.3   Instrument-Specific AOTs and Required Fields
  • 3.4   General Instructions for Common Phase I Fields
    • 3.4.1   Target Priority
  • 3.5   Advanced User Instructions
    • 3.5.1   Visualizing Guide Stars

Return to the Table of Contents for this section at any time by selecting Return to Table of Contents. Users may also navigate through the entire USPOT Manual by using the complete Table of Contents menu to the right.

3.   Phase I Proposal & Basic AOR Submission

After launching USPOT, note the Proposal and Observations tabs at the bottom of the main screen which launch their independent sub-windows. Users may toggle between these two windows as needed until all necessary information is entered for submittal. The user should then validate their proposal using the Validate button (check mark icon). If the validation is successful, the user would then select the Submit Proposal button (paper plane icon). Upon successful submission, a unique identifier is returned for later reference and a confirmation email will be sent to the address provided in the proposal. Proposals that have been submitted to the SMO Director can be resubmitted using USPOT at any time up to the proposal deadline; note, however, that a resubmitted proposal replaces all previously submitted versions, and therefore only the most recent version will be saved by the SMO Director. Users only need to log in to the DCS to upload saved .aor files to the DCS server.

Summary tables containing the reserved observations for each instrument are included as appendices in the Call for Proposals. Generally, these may not be proposed for in the upcoming observing cycle. Duplications of existing observations, or of observations approved for the currently ongoing observing cycle but not yet executed, need to be justified explicitly. Proposers should search the SOFIA Science Archive for completed observations and the AOR Search page for approved observations in the currently ongoing observing cycle to check for potential duplications.

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3.1   Creating Proposals

The Proposal window is accessed via the Proposal tab at the bottom of the main screen. Within the Proposal window are two tabs which require data entry: Proposal Info and Investigators.

The Proposal Info tab contains several internal tabs where further information should be entered if applicable: Proposal Abstract, Related Proposals, Status of Observations, and Special Instructions. The Related Proposals tab should be used to list any active or pending proposals at SOFIA or other facilities that are directly related to the science objectives of the current SOFIA proposal. In the Status of Observations tab, include a brief description of the status of any accepted SOFIA proposals or SOFIA observations within the last two years that contain either the same PI as the current PI and/or relevant proposals where the current PI is a CO-I if directly relevant to the proposed science.

The Investigators tab contains an Investigators blue folder, where the information for the PI and CO-Is must be completed (the blank PI form is populated within the Investigators blue folder by default; CO-Is may be added by selecting Add CO-I and completing the required fields). Note that USPOT does not offer the feature to reorder CO-I entries, so ensure that they are initially added in the desired order of appearance.

All entries required for an initial proposal submittal are denoted with a red asterisk. Attempts to submit proposals without this information will result in an error message listing the empty fields. One exception is the DCS User Account Email field, which is only required for the PI and designated CO-Is, and will not generate an error message if not completed for general (i.e., non-designated) CO-Is.

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3.1.1   PDF Requirements

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3.2   Creating AORs

The Astronomical Observation Requests (AORs) window is accessed via the Observations button at the bottom of the main window. To create a new AOR, use the menu option Observation to select the desired AOT or select the Create AOR icon

in the toolbar to launch a window displaying all available AOTs and choose one. USPOT will create an AOR populated with default values defined in the AOT; many of these values may be left as the default until Phase II: refer to the instrument specific pages in this document for a list of the required data for Phase I for individual instruments.

After selecting an AOT, a main AOR window will launch. Specify the target by selecting New Target at the top of the main AOR window, which will launch the Target window. The Target window contains two tabs, Fixed Single and Moving Single, the latter of which contains tabs labeled Standard Ephemeris and User Defined Ephemeris. Moving single must be used for non-sidereal sources (typically Solar System Objects). For all other sources, select Fixed Single. At the top of the Target window, enter the Target Name in the field and select Resolve the Name to search SIMBAD or NED for the target's known parameters.

Select Ok in the bottom right to add the AOR to the Observations window. Add more AORs if desired by the same method.

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3.2.1   Editing AORs

The first time a proposal is saved, a dialogue window will appear with a prompt to choose a name and desired location for a local copy of the proposal as an .aor file. Submitting a proposal will automatically save a local copy to the last accessed folder. After a proposal has been submitted, the title of the Proposal Window should always read “Proposal xx_xxxx (Pending)”. Once the proposal has been submitted, then either downloaded from DCS server (recommended) or uploaded from a local file to make edits, the Proposal Window should still read “Proposal xx_xxxx (Pending)”—if it does not, the result will be the user submitting multiple proposals.

To minimize errors resulting from file duplications, the following procedure is suggested:

Step 1: Complete the proposal and AORs, based on the instrument-specific fields required for Phase I.
Notice at this time the Proposal window simply reads as “Proposal”.

Step 2: Save a local copy of the proposal.
The purpose of this step is to set the last accessed folder to one of your choosing. Notice that the Proposal window now reads “Proposal (New)” and there is no ID assigned at this time.

Step 3: Submit the proposal.
This will save a copy of the submitted proposal to the location and name chosen in Step 2, in addition to a xx_xxxx.pdf file. Notice that the Proposal Window now includes a proposal ID, reading “Proposal xx_xxxx (Pending)”.

From this point on, the Proposal Window should always read “Proposal xx_xxxx (Pending)”.

When you are ready to edit the submitted proposal:

Step 4: Download the .aor file from the DCS server and edit it:
This will also save a local copy with the file name xx_xxxx_Downloaded_Proposal.aor, in addition to a xx_xxxx_propDoc.pdf file. As the downloaded version of the proposal is edited and manually saved, it will overwrite the existing xx_xxxx.aor file, and the xx_xxxx_Downloaded_Proposal.aor file can be kept as a backup in case it becomes necessary to revert to the previous version at a later time. If the .aor file is uploaded from a local file instead of downloaded from the DCS server, a xx_xxxx_backup.aor file will be produced instead of the xx_xxxx_Downloaded_Proposal.aor file.

Step 5: Resubmit the proposal.
This will overwrite any existing xx_xxxx.aor and xx_xxxx.pdf files.

Only one AOR can be edited at a time. To work on a different AOR, any currently opened AOR must first be closed. Double click on an AOR to bring up an AOR editor window to edit the filters, nod type, exposure time, and any other available fields (i.e., that are not grayed out). After editing, select the OK button for the changes to take effect.

To copy an AOR, select an AOR from the list and duplicate it using the Copy AOR icon

. A large number of new AORs can be created by selecting the AOR Replication Tool... function in the Tools drop-down menu. The newly created AORs will be assigned unique IDs when this set is saved and uploaded to the DCS server.

Use the Target List icon to add, modify, or delete a target (also accessible via the main menu option Targets then Target List from the drop-down menu).

USPOT automatically adds Guide Stars to each AOR whenever a new target is created or an existing target is modified.  The user only need be concerned if no guide stars are found for a target, in which case they should contact the SMO to discuss whether the observations will be feasible.

The Dither Offset frame in the AOR's editing window is activated by changing the Dither Patt... frame selection from None (the default) to any other option (that is, 3 point, 5 point, 9 point, or custom). A list of offset positions will be automatically generated according to a specified pattern but all of them can be edited by double clicking except for the first point in the pattern, which remains at 0.0, 0.0. Note that in the FORCAST C2NC2 Chop/Nod style, the off position does not dither. For FIFI-LS, customized map positions can be loaded in some modes. An example map position definition file is included in the downloaded installer.

An AOR can be deleted by selecting it in the summary table then clicking the Delete icon in the toolbar or by using the menu option Edit then Delete all AORs from the drop-down menu. The latter command will clear the AOR summary table. Selecting the Undo icon in the toolbar will restore deleted AORs as long as they are not deleted by the Delete all AORs command.

To work on a set of AORs from a different .aor file saved on a local disk or downloaded from the DCS database, the current AOR summary table must first be cleared by selecting Edit then Delete All AORs from the drop-down menu, then load the new set of AORs into USPOT by selecting File then either the Open or Download AORs from DCS option. Only AORs that have a status of New or Problem can be modified. AORs that are Done, Pending, or Approved cannot be modified or deleted: USPOT will allow these to be opened in the detailed AOR dialog so that values may be altered and visualized—however, USPOT will not allow any modifications to be uploaded to the DCS database and will discard any changes when the editing window is closed. Note that an AOR that is not editable may be duplicated, and this duplicated AOR will be fully editable.

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3.2.2   Tools

Estimations of exposure times for SOFIA instruments can be made using the SOFIA Instrument Time Estimator (SITE), a web-based tool that provides total integration time or S/N for a given instrument, filter(s), source type (point, extended, emission line) and water vapor overburden. Algorithms and assumptions used are given in the help link on the SITE webpage. 

The atmospheric transmission as a function of wavelength may be obtained using the on-line tool ATRAN developed and kindly provided to the SOFIA program by Steve Lord. The use of ATRAN is necessary for planning SOFIA high-resolution spectroscopic observations.

The target visibility for SOFIA can be determined using the Visibility Tool (VT), which is now available both within USPOT and as a standalone tool as a Java Applet or for download. Note that the use of VT is not a requirement, since detailed flight planning is done by the SMO staff.

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3.3   Instrument-Specific AOTs and Required Fields

The following is a list of all currently available AOTs listed under the Observation drop-down menu:

Specific requirements for required USPOT fields are listed under each respective instrument's chapter within this manual and are typically highlighted in USPOT with a red asterisk and bold black font. The full details on instrument capabilities are available within the Observer's Handbook, which is cycle-specific, so be sure you are using the correct version of the handbook.

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3.4   General Instructions for Common Phase I Fields

Table 3-1 provides general descriptions for some commonly required Phase I fields.

Table 3-1: Common Phase I Fields

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3.5  Advanced User Instructions

As users submit their AOR required specifications for both Phase I and Phase II, advanced users (in other words, users who have previous experience with submitting AORs with SOFIA) can proceed to enter their technical details for Phase II in USPOT during Phase I. Instructions for Phase II can be found in Chapter 4 and its internal instrument-specific sections.

3.5.1   Visualizing Guide Stars

Four categories of guide stars are utilized by telescope operators (TOs): Wide Field Imager (WFI), Fine Field Imager (FFI), Focal Plane Imager - TO (FPI-TO), and Focal Plane Imager - Science (FPI-SCI). WFI has the widest field of view (FOV), followed by FFI and both FPI FOVs. WFI and FFI are therefore used by TOs to find the brightest guide stars with which to locate the observational object of interest, after which the FPI guide stars are used to track the object. FPI-TO and FPI-SCI have maximum brightness detecting capabilities of V = 14 and V = 16, respectively. USPOT can plot up to five of the brightest guide stars for each of the four categories. Overlaps occur when not enough guide stars are available with brightness characteristics unique to each category.

To view guide stars, first create an AOR and define the target. From the Images drop-down menu, select the desired background image (WISE Image..., for example). A pop-up window will allow the user to accept or adjust the default values, then select Ok to generate the image. (Note: to view WFI and FFI guide stars and the FFI FOV, the Size field may need to be increased in the pop-up window. USPOT will allow the Size parameter to vary between 0.010 and 1.500 degrees; other values will generate an error.)

Once the image has been produced, select Options followed by Visualizations: Show Guide Stars. Select the Draw current AOR on footprints images icon

 and choose the desired AORs to overlay. (Note: if the current AOR was drawn on the image prior to selecing Visualizations: Show Guide Stars, the user will need to enable the guide stars, then overlay the AORs again by simply reselecting the Draw current AOR on footprints images icon

.) The column on the right side of the window contains a toolbar frame for each layer displayed on the image: one for each AOR type (for example, one for FORCAST Imaging and another for GREAT Single Point, if both AORs were chosen to be mapped in the previous step) and one for the Base Image.

   Hide/Show Layer

   Delete Layer

   Pointing Table

   Configure the Focal Plane

   Hide/Show Layer

   Delete Layer

   Show Image Opacity Control

   Change Color Table or Stretch

   View Fits Headers for Images

The Configure Focal Plane icon

 generates a pop-up window that allows different categories of image features to be toggled on/off, whereas the Pointing Table icon

 launches a pop-up window that allows for individual image features to be toggled on/off and provides animation capabilities to assist with distinguishing between features on the image. Among others, these features include the WFI, FFI, FPI-TO, and FPI-SCI guide stars and their FOVs. For overlaps, multiple features may need to be toggled to add or remove the feature (e.g., the user would have to use the Configure Focal Plane icon

to deselect both FPI-TO and FPI-SCI to toggle-off a guide star with a brightness value of V = 14).