These projection parameters correspond exactly to the values stored using the FITS-WCS keywords "PV1_1", "PV1_2", etc. This means that projection parameters which correspond to angles must be given in degrees (despite the fact that the angular coordinates and other attributes used by a WcsMap are in radians).
The set of projection parameters used by a WcsMap depends on the type of projection, which is determined by its WcsType parameter. Most projections either do not require projection parameters, or use parameters 1 and 2 associated with the latitude axis. You should consult the FITS-WCS paper for details.
Some projection parameters have default values (as defined in the FITS-WCS paper) which apply if no explicit value is given. You may omit setting a value for these "optional" parameters and the default will apply. Some projection parameters, however, have no default and a value must be explicitly supplied. This is most conveniently done using the "options" argument of astWcsMap (q.v.) when a WcsMap is first created. An error will result when a WcsMap is used to transform coordinates if any of its required projection parameters has not been set and lacks a default value.
A "get" operation for a parameter which has not been assigned a value will return the default value defined in the FITS-WCS paper, or AST__BAD if the paper indicates that the parameter has no default. A default value of zero is returned for parameters which are not accessed by the projection.
AST A Library for Handling World Coordinate Systems in Astronomy