Announcement of Opportunity for Independent Legacy Scientists in the PLATO Science Team
22 July 2010
The scientific community is invited to participate in the PLATO mission by responding to the present Announcement of Opportunity (AO), which solicits proposals for the appointment of two Independent Legacy Scientists (ILSs) in the PLATO Science Team (PST). The deadline for submission of proposals is 29 October 2010, 12:00 CET.Direct link to this AO page:
http://sci.esa.int/PLATO-ILS
The AO for Independent Legacy Scientists in the PLATO Science Team is open to qualified scientists affiliated with institutions within ESA Member States. ILSs will be selected on their expertise and the excellence of their proposals, but also ensuring that they are independent to a substantial degree from the PLATO Mission Consortium management, procurement, and development activities.
PLATO is an ESA mission with contributions from ESA Member States and with potential international participation. In February 2010, PLATO was selected by the Science Programme Committee (SPC) to enter the Definition Phase as a candidate M-class mission for the M1/M2 launch opportunities in 2017 and 2018, in competition with Euclid and Solar Orbiter. By mid 2011, the SPC will select up to two of these missions to enter Implementation Phase.
The schedule for the PLATO ILSs AO cycle is:
| July 22, 2010 | Release of AO for PLATO ILSs |
| October 29, 2010 12:00 CET |
Deadline for submission of proposals |
|
November 1 - |
Proposal evaluation |
| January 6, 2011 | Evaluation results to AWG |
| January 25-26, 2011 | AWG recommendation |
| February 1-2, 2011 | SSAC recommendation |
| March 2011 | Foreseen appointment of successful proposers |
Documentation
The proposal information package for this AO is available as a single zip file and can be downloaded from the right-hand menu under "Documentation". This zip file includes the following documents:
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Cover Letter
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PLATO ILS AO
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Annex 1: PLATO Science Management Plan (SMP)
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Annex 2: PLATO - Next Generation Planet Finder (Assessment Study Report)
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Annex 3: PLATO Science Requirements Document (SciRD)
The PLATO ILS AO document contains the full details of this AO.
Proposal submission
The guidelines and requirements for the contents of the proposal are detailed in the PLATO ILS AO document that is available under "Documentation" in the right-hand menu.
Proposals submitted in response to the AO are limited in length to 11 A4 pages (minimum font size 11 pt). They shall be submitted electronically in PDF format, using the proposal submission form that is accessible through the link below, and in the right-hand menu (the form opens in a new window).
| Submission is closed |
The maximum file size for the complete proposal is 20 Mb. Proposers will receive confirmation upon successful receipt of their proposals.
A hard copy of the proposal with the proposer's original signature on the cover letter, and the head of institute's original signature on the endorsement letter (last page) must be sent, by the same deadline, to:
Ana M. Heras
Astronomy Missions Coordinator
ESA/ESTEC (SRE-C)
P.O. Box 299
2200 AG Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Ana.Heras
esa.int
Further queries should be addressed to both the Astronomy Missions Coordinator at the above address and to the PLATO Project Scientist:
Malcolm Fridlund
PLATO Project Scientist
ESA/ESTEC (SRE-SA)
P.O. Box 299
2200 AG Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Malcolm.Fridlundesa.int