Contents: 1) New Procedures for Submitting the Cover Page for FUSE Proposals 2) Cycle 4 updates posted 3) CalFUSE v2.2.1 Is Here 4) Magnetic-Axis Controller Parameter Updates a Success 5) SPIE papers on two-wheel operations and zero-gyro mode plans available ************* Reminder: FUSE cycle 4 proposals are due October 10 ************* 1) New Procedures for Submitting the Cover Page for FUSE Proposals This year NASA Peer Review Services has implemented a new system for managing proposal submissions, including cover pages. This system (called SYS-EYFUS) is used by several offices at NASA HQ, not just the Office of Space Sciences. Potential FUSE proposers need to be aware of changes in cover page procedures. The most important items are summarized below. Complete details are available on the FUSE GI web site at: (http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu/fuse/c4_coverpage.html). a) PLAN AHEAD - DON'T LEAVE THE COVER PAGE TO THE LAST MINUTE All proposers (PI and Co-Investigators) need to be registered users of SYS-EYFUS (http://proposals.hq.nasa.gov). Please notify your Co-Is of the need to register with the new system. The cover page information can be edited as often as necessary up to the proposal submission deadline. b) PLEASE IGNORE THIS BOX The printed FUSE proposal cover page will contain a box for the name and signature of an institutional authorizing official. YOU MAY IGNORE THIS BOX FOR FUSE PROPOSALS. The FUSE NRA clearly states that no institutional signature is required until a budget is submitted following selection of scientific proposals. It was not possible to remove this signature box from the FUSE cover page for Cycle 4. c) WHAT'S THAT NUMBER? The NASA proposal numbering system is different from that in previous years. In particular, the FUSE cover page has the proposal number in bold print in the upper right hand corner (e.g. FUSE4-0000-0001, corresponding to proposal number 1). The NRA (Section C.2.2) describes the proposal numbering in the previous format (e.g. NRA-02-03-OSS-189 for proposal number 189). For the template file, please extract the last three digits of the proposal number (in the above case 001). The cover page must be printed, signed by the PI, and used as the first two pages of each submitted proposal. 2) Cycle 4 updates posted Please note that we have posted several clarifications and minor updates for the cycle 4 proposal process at http://fusegi.pha.jhu.edu/fuse/c4_mission_update.html. Note that the foreseen, possible, update to the NRA has not been necessary. Hence, the NRA as released on July 31 remains valid in its entirety. 3) CalFUSE v2.2.1 Is Here Version v2.2.1 of the CalFUSE pipeline is available for general use. This is the version now being used to process all FUSE data for delivery to MAST. The new version of CalFUSE is similar to v2.1.6, released in June. The principal changes are a time-dependent set of flux-calibration files, a jitter-correction module, and a new scaling algorithm that produces better background models. We've also corrected some bugs that troubled Linux users. For more information or to download the new pipeline, see the CalFUSE Home Page at http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/analysis/calfuse.html . 4) Magnetic-Axis Controller Parameter Updates a Success As we discussed in the June 2002 newsletter, the parameters controlling the pointing along the magnetically controlled axis required a modification in order to correct for a low-frequency component of motion with a period of half an orbit. We are pleased to report that updated parameter were uplinked to the spacecraft in early September and immediately resulted in the elimination of the unwanted motion. Jitter along the magnetic axis remains at ~0.6", but the larger excursions, complicating MDRS and HIRS observations , have been eliminated. 5) SPIE papers on two-wheel operations and zero-gyro mode plans available For those interested in learning more about how FUSE operates with only two reaction wheels, two new papers have been posted on the FUSE website (http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/papers/technical.html). The first of the two papers covers FUSE operations in general, and the second describes the technical aspects of two-wheel operations and our plans for operating without gyros. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Observer's Electronic Newsletter is published by the FUSE project and is aimed at the FUSE user community. Editor: B-G Andersson, FUSE Guest Investigator Officer. The FUSE Project is managed by Johns Hopkins University's Center for Astrophysical Sciences in Baltimore, MD, for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. The FUSE Principal Investigator is Dr. Warren Moos, the FUSE Project Manager at JHU is Mr. J.B. Joyce, and the NASA Project Scientist for FUSE is Dr. George Sonneborn. Further information about the FUSE Guest Investigator Program can be obtained from: Dr. George Sonneborn; sonneborn@stars.gsfc.nasa.gov ------------------------------------------------------------------------------