Frequently Asked Questions

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When will GLAST be launched?
GLAST is scheduled to be launched May 16, 2008. NASA's launch schedule can be found here.

Will GLAST be renamed after launch?
Yes, and you can propose the new name!

What will the GLAST GI program provide to successful proposers during Cycle 1?
During the first GLAST GI program cycle investigators may receive funding and also observing time on facilities available through the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the National Optical Astronomy Obervatory (NOAO).

What GLAST data will be available during Cycle 1?
The LAT instrument team will release fluxes, spectra and lightcurves for at least 23 sources of scientific interest and transients that exceed a threshold flux of 2x10^-6 ph/s/cm²(E>100 MeV). During Cycle 1 event data from the LAT will not be released.

The LAT instrument team will release a list of detected sources approximately six months after the beginning of Cycle 1 to assist investigators prepare Cycle 2 proposals; this list is not meant for research purposes during Cycle 1.

All GBM scientific data will be public from the beginning of Cycle 1.

What is the status of the GI program?
Cycle 1 scientific proposals were due September 7, 2007, and underwent peer review December 17-19. Based on this review rejections and requests for budgets were sent out January 24, 2008, with budgets due February 29. Final Cycle 1 funding decisions will be made in early May.

What aspects of multiwavelength research will the GLAST GI program support?
The GLAST GI program will support all multiwavelength research that is relevant to the GLAST mission. Such multiwavelength programs are NOT restricted to the 23-source Cycle-1 LAT data release list or to transients that may be appended to that list. The GI program will fund the personnel costs of scientists engaged in analyzing data from GLAST and other astronomical facilities, including travel and page charges. The GI program WILL pay for facilities, detectors or computers dedicated to the collection and archiving of the data. Note that the GLAST GI program also awards observing time on facilities available through NRAO and NOAO.

Will the GLAST GI program fund facilities, detectors or computers for GLAST-relevant observations?
Yes.

When and how do I submit a budget for my GLAST proposal?
You will submit a budget only if you were requested to do so because your first phase proposal was successful. If you are requested to submit a budget, you should do so through the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). Additional instructions are provided.

What information should I provide for the second and third years of my tentatively-accepted large program?
Please provide a detailed budget for the first year, and simplified budgets and budget justifications for the second and third years.

Are there limitations on the total budgets I can request for the second and third years of a large program?
Yes, you may request no more than the total budget for the first year.

Must the total budget for a Phase 2 proposal be submitted as a separate file?
No, all information that is not submitted through a webform may be uploaded in a single PDF file. Note that this supercedes the instructions on p. 14 of ROSES 2007.

In preparing my budget for the Phase 2 proposal submission, what time period should I use?
Because of the uncertainties of Cycle 1's start and end dates, and the availability of funding in FY09, please use October 1, 2008, until September 30, 2009, in preparing budgets.

What is the proposal number for the Phase 1 proposal I submitted?
The proposal number is '0' plus the five digit number in the e-mail providing the results of the Phase 1 review. Therefore the proposal number is six digits beginning '011.'

What should be included in the budget submission?
If you are requested to submit a budget, please include the following:

The abstract only of the investigation as submitted in Phase 1 (i.e., do not resubmit the entire science proposal)

A summary of the budget justification (10pt minimum font with reasonable margins), not to exceed two pages for "regular," or three pages for "large" proposals and including: a) a breakdown of the work assignments for all funded investigators, including a justification of any major purchases including workstations, b) a list with justification of proposed scientific travel, c) publication costs, and d) any cost sharing applied to this project. Please be specific when requesting funds for travel, giving the proposed destination as well as the estimated costs for registration fees, airfare, lodging, meals, etc. for each trip

Commitment letters from any unfunded but essential personnel and from any necessary observing facilities on which time is not granted through the GLAST Cycle 1 process

A listing of any current and pending support, noting grant/contract titles, and a short synopsis of currently ongoing work

A budget prepared according to the guidelines of the PI or Co-I institution, detailing the requested itemized expenditures

All required government certifications

A 1-2 page CV for each PI or Co-I requesting support.

Note that all submissions are electronic!

Can NASA make grants to different institutions to fund a successful GLAST GI program proposal?
NASA will make only one grant to a single non-Federal government institution to fund a successful proposal. However, investigators at Federal institutions will receive their funding through transfers internal to the Federal government. As an example, if there are five investigators at different Federal institutions and five additional investigators at different universities, the five government investigators each receive their funds by transfers within the government, and the first university must fund the remaining four universities individually by issuing sub-grants to them.

How much funding can I request?
If you are invited to submit a budget, you may request no more than the maximum budget cap you provided with the first phase (scientific justification) proposal.

Can there be separate science and budget PIs?
Yes, the PI for the second (budget) phase may be a different person than the PI for the first (scientific justification) phase. Please state this clearly in the budget narrative that accompanies the budget. Both PIs are responsible for ensuring that the institution through which the budget proposal is submitted is willing and able to accept a GLAST GI program grant and to disburse the funds as requested.

Can investigators at foreign institutions receive GLAST GI program funding?
No, to receive funding investigators must be employed at US institutions that have registered with the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). An investigator from a foreign institution may receive GI program funding only while employed at a US institution.

Can a proposal co-I at a US institution receive GLAST GI program funding from a proposal submitted by a PI at a foreign institution?
Yes, co-Is at US institutions may request funding in proportion to their participation in the proposed research.

Can GI Program funding be used to bring a collaborator at a foreign institution to the US for a meeting?
No.

When will GI program funding be released?
GI program funding will be released no earlier than the start of Cycle 1 (approximately sixty days after launch) and the beginning of the Federal FY09 (October 1, 2008). If Cycle 1 begins before October 1, you may begin accruing expenses that will be covered by your Cycle 1 grant, but you will not receive funds until after FY09 begins. You must determine whether your institution will permit you to charge against the grant before the funds arrive. Please note that all funding is contingent on the NASA budget.

Can proposers affiliated with the LAT instrument team propose research programs based on their access to proprietary data?
No, the GI program will support only research based on publicly available data. In addition, the instrument teams may not receive GI program funding for key projects that they proposed in their successful proposals to build the instruments. Nonetheless, instrument team members and their collaborators may receive funding for innovative new research programs that are not otherwise supported.

How do I get help with the GLAST data?
Submit questions through the GSSC helpdesk: http://glast.gsfc.nasa.gov/help/

How will I learn that GLAST has detected a burst?
Subscribe to the GCN (Gamma-ray burst Coordinates Network--see http://gcn.gsfc.nasa.gov). When either the LAT or the GBM detect a burst, a series of messages will be sent to the ground through TDRSS, resulting in GCN Notices that are fixed format messages disseminated by e-mail, page or internet socket. Additional Notices will be sent out as a result of ground processing. In addition, as a result of further ground processing, the instrument teams may send out GCN Circulars, free format messages relaying information such as burst durations, fluences, spectral parameters, etc. Finally, check the GSSC website where we will post additional information.