Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2735 10/25/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2735
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 10/24/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 10/25/00
Daily Status Report as of 299/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8837 (CCD Dark Monitor-Part 1)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.2 Completed WF/PC-2 8826 (Cycle 9 Supplemental Darks pt 1)
The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a T dark calibration program that obtains three dark frames every day in order to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. There were no reported anomalies.
1.3 Completed WF/PC-2 8634 (Atmospheric Variability on Uranus and Neptune)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain snapshot observations of Uranus and Neptune to monitor changes in their atmospheres on time scales of months to years. Uranus is rapidly approaching equinox in 2007, with another 4 degrees of latitude in the northern hemisphere becoming visible every year. Recent HST images during this unique epoch have revealed: {i} strongly wavelength-dependent latitudinal structure, {ii} the presence of numerous visible-wavelength cloud features in the northern hemisphere, and, {iii} in the near-IR, discrete features northward of 25degrees N that have the highest contrast ever seen for a Uranian cloud. Long-term ground- based observations show seasonal brightness changes whose origins are not well understood. Recent IR images of Neptune obtained using adaptive optics on the Keck Telescope indicate that a new "Bright Companion" type of feature has recently appeared in the southern hemisphere. Snapshot observations of these two dynamic planets can supply context in which to discern the nature of long-term changes in their latitudinal atmospheric bands and to track the appearance, movement, and disappearance of discrete albedo features. There were no reported problems.
1.4 Completed WF/PC-2 8601 (A Snapshot Survey of Probable Nearby Galaxies)
The WF/PC-2 was used to continue the very successful snapshot survey in order to use the high spatial resolution of HST to determine whether selected galaxies are nearby on the basis of resolution into stars, and the magnitudes and colors of the brightest stars. There were no reported problems.
1.5 Completed STIS/CCD 8562 (Probing the Large Scale Structure: Cosmic Shear Observations)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to probe the distortion of light bundles from distant galaxies, looking at the statistical properties of the intervening inhomogeneous {dark} matter distribution. The proposal completed nominally.
1.6 Completed STIS/CCD 8838 (Bias Monitor – Part 1)
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 nominally.
1.7 Completed STIS/CCD 8631 (Bright Quasar Close Lensing Search II)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to expand the Cycle 8 second generation HST snapshot survey of bright quasars, optimized to find lenses with component image separations < 1". The observations completed nominally.
1.8 Completed STIS/CCD 8340 (Probing the Kinematics of the Narrow-Line Region in Seyfert Galaxies with Slitless Spectroscopy)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform studies of the gas kinematics of the narrow-line regions in Seyfert galaxies. Previous studies indicate complex velocity fields, with evidence for both gravitational and non-gravitational forces. The proposal completed nominally.
1.9 Completed Four Sets of 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 Group. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 8816 (Cycle 9 UV Earthflats)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain sequences of earth streak flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set and in order to monitor flat field stability. There were no reported problems.
1.11 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8111 (CS 22892–052: A Rosetta Star for the Age and Early History of the Galaxy)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to make observations of the "Rosetta" star CS 22892-052. These observations should provide significant new information about the early history of the galaxy, specifically the nature of the earliest generations of stars and the types of nucleosynthetic processes that occurred in those stars. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.12 Completed STIS/MA1/MA2 8843 (Cycle 9 MAMA Dark Measurements)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise. The proposal completed nominally.
1.13 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8638 (Temperature Scale And Metal Abundances Of Hot Hydrogen-Rich Central Stars Of Planetary Nebulae)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to perform UV spectroscopy on a sample of hot hydrogen-rich central stars of PNe, covering the hottest phase of post-AGB evolution. The spectra will then be analyzed with fully metal line blanketed NLTE model atmospheres in order to determine T_eff, surface gravity, and chemical composition. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.14 Completed STIS/CCD 8856 (CCD Sensitivity Monitor C9)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the sensitivity of each CCD grating mode to detect any change due to contamination or other causes. The proposal also monitor the STIS focus in an imaging mode. There were no anomalies.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 8
Successful: 8
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 8
Successful: 8
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 21
Successful: 21
2.3 Operations Notes:
Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared twice.
An HST486 RAM memory dump was commanded at 298/1522Z per an operations request. HSTAR 7925 was written when the dump was not properly received on CCS "A" string. The dump, however, was successfully collected on CCS "G" string
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
