The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will have unprecedented sensitivity and angular resolution, and will be the next premier space-based facility for near- and mid-infrared astronomy (0.6-28.5 micron). The 6.5-meter telescope will be equipped with four state-of-the-art instruments which include imaging, spectroscopy, and coronagraphy capabilities. These instruments, along with the telescope’s moving target capabilities, will enable remarkable infrared studies of Solar System objects. JWST is scheduled for launch in March 2021 and is an international collaboration between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
The first call for General Observer (GO) proposals will be released in January 2020, with a submission deadline on 1 May 2020. This will be the last proposal workshop prior to Cycle 1 offered at the annual DPS and EPSC meetings, so we encourage all future observers to participate.
In this workshop, we will provide a brief status update on the observatory as well as commissioning plans relevant to Solar System observations, will review the timeline for proposals, and will provide details about the Guaranteed Time Observer (GTO) and Early Release Science (ERS) programs for Solar System science. We will also give a detailed orientation to the proposal planning system, including demonstrations o f the Astronomer’s Proposal Tool (APT) and the Exposure Time Calculator (ETC) relevant for Solar System proposals.