TESS
The TESS Cycle 3 proposal call was released in October. Proposals are due on January 16, 2020 at 4.30pm EST.
We encourage those interested in submitting a proposal to carefully read the Call for Proposals and the information available on our website regarding proposing investigations.
We remind proposers that in Cycle 3, two new observing modes will potentially be available and collected at "shared risk": 10-minute cadence full-frame images and 20-second cadence postage stamps. A 2-minute cadence mode will also be available as in previous cycles. There is also a new Key Project proposal category, and ground-based observing focused programs are also solicited. We also emphasize that in the extended mission, all postage stamp targets will be selected via this Guest Investigator Program or via the Director's Discretionary Targets Program.
TESS Cycle 3 observations will be collected during the first year of the extended mission, running from July 2020 until June 2021. All Cycle 3 fields are in the Southern Ecliptic Hemisphere. The Web TESS Viewing Tool has been updated to include the Cycle 3 pointings, so that proposers can determine when a target is expected to be observed by TESS.
Proposers may also be interested in the templates we have created to assist in putting together a proposal. The templates can be found on our website.
Proposers requesting short-cadence target slots (either 20-second or 2-minute cadence) need to submit a target list along with the proposal. Information on how to create a target table can be found on our website, which also includes a link to a tutorial provided by the MAST.
Any questions regarding proposing to the TESS Cycle 3 call should be addressed to tesshelp@bigbang.gsfc.nasa.gov.