9.8 Visit Length Considerations

Visit lengths affect how programs are able to schedule, and thereby when they are executed. Visits of 3 orbits or fewer are easier to schedule than longer visits, and less observing time is lost in the event that an entire visit fails. In their Phase II proposals, it is recommended that proposers group observations into visits of 3 orbits or fewer to enable earlier scheduling. If at all possible, we recommend avoiding 4 orbit visits, since they are particularly difficult to schedule. As noted in the Call for Proposals, proposers must justify the use of visits longer than 6 orbits in the Description of Observations section of their Phase I proposals.