PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA

Proposals submitted to NASA in response to this solicitation will be evaluated with respect to the criteria specified in Section C.2 of the NASA Guidebook for Proposers, which are intrinsic merit, relevance, and cost realism/reasonableness. In addition to the factors provided within the Guidebook, 'intrinsic merit' includes the following:

• The suitability of using the Kepler observatory and data products for the proposed investigation.
• The degree to which the investigation uses Kepler’s unique capabilities.
• The feasibility of accomplishing the objectives of the proposed investigation with the requested observations, including the degree to which the proposal satisfies Kepler’s observational constraints.
• The feasibility and suitability of the proposed analysis techniques.

EVALUATION TIMELINE

All proposals are peer-reviewed and ranked by a panel of professional volunteers, followed by ratification from NASA Headquarters. The members of the peer-review panel will not be disclosed. The deliberations of the panel will be disclosed only to the cycle 2 PIs after ratification by NASA HQ.

1. Jan 15, 2010 - Proposal submission deadline.
2. Mar 15, 2010 - Proposal peer review.
3. Mar 31, 2010 - Target selection by NASA HQ, followed by letters to PIs.
4. Apr 15, 2010 - Delivery of cycle 2 targets to the Kepler Science Office.
5. Jun 24, 2010 - Cycle 2 observations begin.