TESS Users Committee Community Survey
This survey has been designed by the TESS Users Committee (TUC), which is charged with ensuring that the interests of the TESS science community are served by the TESS Project in planning for and executing TESS operations.  The TUC is aiming to use this survey as one means for gathering and reviewing the opinions of the wider community on a range of issues.  The specific topics are geared toward items of interest to the TESS community over the next few years.

[July 27, 2024 update]:  The initial survey ran from December 20 2024 to January 26 2024.  This survey period yielded 155 responses, which informed the TUC's initial set of recommendations to the TESS project.   We are re-opening the survey from July 29 - July 30 2024 for TSC3 participants who did not previously have the chance to respond.  For your response to be included in discussion during the TUC morning session on August 1, we request that you respond by 11 am Eastern on July 30.  No changes have been made to the survey's content.

Thank you for your time in responding.  We have designed the survey to take less than ten minutes.
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What is your career stage?
How many years have you been using TESS?  (The mission launched in 2018).
What are your primary research areas?
Are you involved in any of the following TESS-related groups?  You can select multiple boxes, or no boxes.
The Third TESS Extended Mission
A major topic over the next few years will be the third TESS mission extension (2025-2028, Years 8, 9, and 10).  There are a number of variables to consider for the potential next extension of the TESS mission.  These include where to point the telescope, what data products to produce and at what cadences, how to archive the data in an accessible manner, and how to support its analysis through general investigator programs. Please indicate your opinion on the concepts described below. Note that the TUC is advocating for additional venues to provide feedback (e.g. through a white paper call or discussion sessions at meetings).
TESS should continue to observe the entire sky at least one time by the end of 2028 (by the end of 2025, the cumulative fraction of sky observed will be slightly above 95%).
Clear selection
Assuming it is technically feasible (pending engineering analysis), it is important that the duration of a "TESS sector" will be extended beyond one lunar month (e.g., the spacecraft can dwell on a particular field for two to three consecutive months).
Clear selection
I can accomplish my science using 200 second cadence light curves, assuming they were produced in the same manner as 120 second cadence light curves produced by the TESS Science Processing Operations Center (SPOC).
Clear selection
Which SPOC-processed light curves would you rather have, assuming only one can be available?
Clear selection
Between 2025-2028, one possible approach for pointing TESS could be to perform a single coherent observational strategy, as has been done in the past.  Another possibility could be to spend two years on a coherent strategy, and to spend one year on a set of three or four large, community-proposed experiments.  Such experiments could encourage novel pointing strategies, subject to engineering constraints.  Historic analogues from K2 include the microlensing campaign, and extragalactic campaigns.  Please indicate your preference for such example strategies.
Strongly Agree
Slightly Agree
Neutral
Slightly Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2025-2028 should have a single observing strategy (as was done for previous extended missions)
2025-2028 should include a few large community-proposed experiments
2025-2028 should be only community-proposed experiments
I have ideas for TESS experiments, and I would like the opportunity to communicate them (e.g. through a call for white papers)
Clear selection
Please indicate your preference for where in the sky TESS should focus its observations in 2025-2028.

"CVZ" refers to the continuous viewing zones.
Strongly Agree
Slightly Agree
Neutral
Slightly Disagree
Strongly Disagree
The "all sky" observing strategy, which has been conducted in the past with a mix of both hemispheres, the ecliptic, and CVZs.
The "gap" in existing TESS cumulative coverage should be filled.
The Northern ecliptic hemisphere should receive preferential weight.
The Southern ecliptic hemisphere should receive preferential weight.
The ecliptic should receive preferential weight.
The CVZ should receive preferential weight.
A specific pointing strategy, not described above, should receive preferential weight.
The planned PLATO observations should be considered (see https://platomission.com/2023/07/11/first-plato-long-duration-observation-phase-lop-field-selected/).
I have no preference; anywhere that meets engineering constraints is fine.
Clear selection
Tools and data products
TESS produces a wide range of data products.  There are many software tools, and high level science products, that exist as a result of these core data products.
Which of the following core TESS data products have you previously used, and how much?
Not at all
Some
Lots
120 second cadence light curves, or associated TPFs
Full frame images, or light curves made from them (1800 sec, 600 sec, 200 sec)
20 second cadence light curves
Clear selection
Which of the following software tools do you or your collaborators use to analyze TESS data, and how much?
Not at all
Some
Lots
tesspoint
numpy / pandas / matplotlib
tesscut
astrobase
MAST portal
eleanor
astroquery.mast
exo.mast
lightkurve
Clear selection
If you use software tools that are not listed above, please list them here.
TESS General Investigator (GI) Program
The TESS General Investigator (GI) program enables the community to propose the collection of new 2-minute and 20-second cadence targets and provides funding to selected US investigators to analyze 2-minute and 20-second cadence and full-frame image (FFI) data.
The existing categories of the TESS general investigator call (split into mini, small, large, and key programs) sufficiently meet my needs, including in the context of other existing NASA ROSES programs that can support TESS science (such alternative ROSES programs currently include ADAP, XRP, and SOSS).
Clear selection
If you answered "Slightly Disagree" or "Strongly Disagree" to the previous question, please feel free to elaborate here:
The TESS GI program should consider including dedicated funding initiatives that aim to increase the involvement of primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) in TESS science investigations.
Clear selection
The TESS GI program currently enables coordination with facilities including HST, Fermi, NICER, and Swift.  Would your science be supported by coordinated observations with any of the following additional facilities?  You can check multiple boxes.
Optional open-ended questions
The following open-ended questions are optional.  Thank you again for your time and reflections.
Is there any aspect of TESS that you feel could improve in the future?  Possible areas include topics such as data accessibility, the TOI catalog, TFOP, ExoFOP, GI, ROSES, MAST, cadences, and pointings.
If you would like to associate your name with your response, you can do so here.
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