NASA Seeks Proposals for Keck Telescope Access – Deadline Sept 13, 2012

NASA is soliciting proposals to use the Keck Telescopes for the 2013A observing semester (February 2013 – July 2013).

NASA intends the use of the Keck telescopes to be highly strategic in support of on-going space missions and/or high priority, long term science goals.  NASA Keck time is open to a wide range of disciplines including exoplanets and solar system topics, galactic, and extragalactic topics, cosmology and high energy astrophysics.

This semester and continuing into future semesters, there is limited time available for observations of targets based on public Kepler data or data obtained through the Kepler Guest Observer programs.  Proposals are also sought in the following discipline areas: (1) investigations in support of EXOPLANET EXPLORATION science goals and missions; (2) investigations of our own SOLAR SYSTEM; (3) investigations in support of COSMIC ORIGINS science goals and missions; (4) investigations in support of PHYSICS OF THE COSMOS science goals and missions; and (5) direct MISSION SUPPORT.

The proposal process is being handled by the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at Caltech and all proposals are due on 13 September 2012 at 4 pm PDT.  Please see the website http://nexsci.caltech.edu/missions/KeckSolicitation/index.shtml for further information and the proposal submission site.