Dear Colleagues,

We are making good progress in the recovery of the FUSE mission following the reaction wheel failures late last year. The purpose of this communication is to bring you up to date in several important areas. You will shortly receive a memo from the FUSE Project at JHU outlining the procedures for submitting new targets discussed below. This message is being sent to all Cycle 3 GIs, the FUSE PI Team, and the PIs with Cycle 1 and 2 observations awaiting scheduling.

1. Target selection. Targets have been successfully observed almost 30 degrees from the orbit pole. But many unanswered questions remain about the conditions under which FUSE can successfully complete observations between declinations of about +40 deg to -40 deg. Low declination observations are difficult to plan because the satellite's performance is so uncertain at this point in time. Targets at low declinations are not currently being considered for normal scheduling of science observations. The FUSE Project estimates that it will take another two months to better quantify our capabilities in this zone.

In the mean time, we are opening a period when target lists may be revised. All programs with observations awaiting execution should review their targets to see if a switch to higher declination objects would be practical. A list of all targets with pending observations may be found at

http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/users/observe_prog.html

If such a switch seems viable, then please follow the procedures to be outlined in a forthcoming memo from the FUSE Project at JHU. For planning purposes, any new targets should be at DEC > 40 deg or DEC < -40 deg.

There are two major advantages of higher declination targets, a) these observations are ones that we can do right now and are therefore more likely to be scheduled sooner, and b) these are the most efficient regions of the sky for FUSE so they help maximize our science return each month. I will collect all proposed new targets for two weeks, resolve any potential conflicts, then approve them by March 20, 2002, for observation.

Any new target must be unconstrained and consistent with the program's original scientific objectives and time allocation. If this is an area of concern, then please write directly to me (sonneborn@gsfc.nasa.gov) to discuss the details.

At this time, constrained observations (specific time requirements, monitoring, roll angle, coordination with other telescopes, etc) are being handled on a case-by-case basis, but we are not letting such observations drive the schedule. Please contact fuse_support@pha.jhu.edu for more information.

2. Supplementary Targets. To further enhance our scientific output, we are instituting an Observatory Program of targets at high declinations that are not currently allocated to any approved program. This pool of supplementary targets presently contains about 100 objects and will be used to fill any gaps in the observing schedule only when no regular approved target is available. These targets will have program ID Z9nn. Any data obtained for these programs will have no proprietary period and will be placed in the public archive immediately after processing. The FUSE web site listed above will contain an up to date list of all such targets. If a target on this list is added to a GI program, it will be removed from the supplementary target pool. Suggestions of targets to be added to this list should be sent to fuse_support@pha.jhu.edu. We planned to institute a program of supplementary targets in the Extended Mission starting in Cycle 4, but we are doing it now in response to the current mission conditions.

3. Cycle 3 GI grants. In order to cover the costs of the FUSE mission recovery and attitude control system development, NASA has decided to delay the funding of some of the Cycle 3 GI grants. Data analysis funds used for operations this year will be returned next fiscal year (starting Oct. 1, 2002). Data analysis is the only source of FUSE funds that is not already committed to mission and science operations. We estimate that about two-thirds of the Cycle 3 grants will be funded this fiscal year, with the balance to be funded in Fall 2002 (FY2003). Priority for Cycle 3 funding this year will be for a) the few Cycle 3 programs that obtained data prior to the reaction wheel failure (Dec. 10, 2001) and b) programs that have high declination targets that are ready to be scheduled. Programs with only low declination targets will not be funded until we have better knowledge of their schedulability. If you feel that funding of your grant could be delayed until Fall 2002, please let me know.

4. Cycle 4 Call for Proposals. NASA plans to release the Research Announcement for FUSE Cycle 4 in Summer 2002, posibly in July. Proposals will be due in Fall 2002. This schedule balances the desire to better understand the mission's capabilities with the need to have a list of new targets ready about one year from now.

George Sonneborn
FUSE Project Scientist

Dr. George Sonneborn      
FUSE Project Scientist                                Telephone: 301-286-3665
Laboratory for Astronomy and Solar Physics                  Fax: 301-286-1753
Code 681                                email: george.sonneborn@gsfc.nasa.gov
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center           FUSE site: http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu
Greenbelt, MD 20771                GI pgm: http://fusewww.gsfc.nasa.gov/fuse/