Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2634 05/31/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2634
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 05/30/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 05/31/00
Daily Status Report as of 152/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8698 (Identification of the Galaxy’s Missing Mass)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the nature of dark matter which is one of the key astrophysical questions of the day. The existence of dark matter and its dynamical dominance in the outer parts of our Galaxy and spiral galaxies with flat rotation curves is well established. The MACHO project has identified ~half of the Milky Way’s dark matter with stellar objects of ~0.5 M_sun, probably white dwarfs. But the location of the microlensing in the halo is disputed. Several have detected two candidate halo white dwarfs of L/L_sun ~ 10^-5 in the Hubble Deep Field with 25 +/- 5 mas/year proper motions. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.2 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8260 (Searching for the Hydrogen Reionization Edge of the Universe at 5HST)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe one of 36 parallel orbits {4–5 fields of 5–8 orbits each} to constrain the H Lyman-edge in emission that marks the transition from a neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted zion~eq5–15. This edge is due to recombination from the H Lyman series and Lyman continuum, and can be used to constrain zion, one of the most important unknown quantities in large scale structure and cosmology. The proposal completed nominally.
1.3 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8460 (Cycle 8 Supplemental Darks pt2/3)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain three dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.4 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8439 (Bias Monitor-Part 2 C8)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the bias in the 1×1, 1×2, 2×1, and 2×2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1×1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.5 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8808 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS Non-Scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation III)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make non-scripted, parallel observations as part of a POMS test proposal. The observations completed with no anomalous activity.
1.6 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8437 (Dark Monitor-Part 2 C8)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks. The proposal completed nominally.
1.7 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8796 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS Non-Scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation IV)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in the parallel mode to make some low galactic latitude archive observations. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.8 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8265 (Reverberation Mapping of a Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxy)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to monitor the UV spectral variability of the narrow-line Seyfert 1 {NLS1} galaxy AKN 564 at 46 epochs in order to measure the size of the broad emission-line region via reverberation-mapping techniques. This measurement, and the virial mass estimate that follows from it, will provide a key test of NLS1 models and help determine the physical mechanism that underlies the principal component of AGN spectra, the Boroson–Green primary eigenvector. These observations will be undertaken in parallel with X-ray and ground-based optical observations that will allow us for the first time to explore the multiwavelength variability characteristics of this important subclass of active galactic nuclei. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.9 Completed STIS/MA1 8426 (Cycle 8 MAMA Dark Measurements)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to make a routine Cycle-8 MAMA dark noise calibration measurement. This proposal will provide the primary means of checking on the health of the MAMA detectors. This is done through frequent monitoring of the background count rate. The observations were completed as planned, and no problems were reported.
1.10 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8279 (Cataclysmic Variable Disk Winds: A High Time and Spectral Resolution Study of Flow Inhomogeneity)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to observe disks and disk winds that are found in many astrophysical settings. The proposal completed nominally.
1.11 Completed STIS/CCD 8271 (A Snapshot Survey of LMC Planetary Nebulae: A Study of Nebular and Late Stellar Evolution)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make medium-resolution slitless spectroscopy snapshot images of the planetary nebulae located in the Large Magellanic Cloud to study the parallel evolution of the nebulae and their central stars. The observations were completed as planned, and no problems were reported.
1.12 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8807 (FUV Observations of EX Hya during a Large Multi-wavelength Campaign)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to observe EX Hya, an eclipsing binary with an orbital period of 98 minutes and a spin period of 67 min, 2/3 of the orbital period in length. This object contains optically thick gas at temperatures of 10, 000 to 100, 000K and thin gas at 1 million Kelvins and higher temperature plasma. As such, it is a source of strong emission lines throughout the FUV to IR spectral regions. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.13 Completed WF/PC-2 8805 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII Parallel Archive Proposal Continuation)
The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel program. The program will be used to take parallel images of random areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the Parallels Working. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.14 Completed STIS/CCD 8202 (Bright Quasar Close Lensing Search)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make observations of HCLQ1253+2 as part of a second generation survey to search for bright lensing quasars. With the restored PSF, new images will be considerably more sensitive to the presence of both close separation and faint lens components, and because STIS reaches two magnitudes fainter the PC, the new snapshot images will have much greater dynamic range. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 7343 (Photometric Survey of Galaxies lying Behind Gravitational Lens Cluster)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make an extensive photometric survey of the galaxies lying behind the exceptional gravitational lens cluster A2218. The distortion of these images has been mapped from the ground, and shows one of the strongest signals to date, but the signal to noise is still limited. Using WFPC2 images we show that with two orbits on each of 22 fields covering the cluster we will obtain approximately 10000 galaxies over a region extending to 0.9 Mpc/h from the cluster center. The observations were completed with no reported problems.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 8
Successful: 8
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 9
Successful: 9
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 18
Successful: 18
2.3 Operations Notes:
The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared once per ROP SR-1A.
There was a STIS EMC retry at 151/1215Z. Using ROP NS-12, the STIS flight software error counter was reset at 151/1245Z.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
