Scientific proposals for use of the 12 Meter telescope should be submitted to:
Director
National Radio Astronomy Observatory
520 Edgemont Road
Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-2475
The proposals, no more than three (3) pages in length, should contain a thorough but succinct discussion of the scientific justification for the observations being proposed, as well as a discussion of the sources to be observed, the manner in which the data will be taken, and an estimate of the telescope time needed to carry out the scientific program. A source list containing source identifications and coordinates should be included. For extensive lists (>50 objects), specific criteria defining the observing sample may be substituted. Special needs, instrumentation or software, should also be noted explicitly. A Cover Sheet on which this information can be summarized is appended; it should accompany each proposal. You may also submit 12 Meter proposals by electronic mail using TeX. Instructions and template files are available from the NRAO Home Page (http://www.nrao.edu).
Once received, the proposals are sent to five referees who are established scientists with broad backgrounds and considerable experience in millimeter-wave astronomy. These referees are not affiliated with the NRAO. Each of the proposals are considered individually by the referees who advise the telescope scheduling committee as to whether the scientific merit of the proposal is sufficient for it to be allocated time on the telescope and, if so, with what restrictions. Using the referees' remarks as a guide, the observations are either scheduled or the proposal is returned to the proposer for further consideration or explanation.
| Deadline | Observing Period |
| January 1 | April to mid-July |
| July 1 | mid-September to December 31 |
| October 1 | January 1 to March 31 |
Proposal submission deadlines are given in Table 5. Proposals received before the deadline for a trimester, will either be scheduled in that trimester or, if unsuccessful, will again be considered in the subsequent trimester. A proposal unsuccessful in two consecutive trimesters will be dropped from the telescope queue and the proposer notified. Proposals requesting observations in the 1mm band will most likely be scheduled in the winter months due to the more favorable weather conditions for high-frequency observations.