Hubble Space Telesceop Daily Report #2860 – 27 Apr 2001

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #2860

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 04/26/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 04/27/01

Daily Status Report as of 117/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

1.1 Completed WF/PC-2 8059 (POMS Test Proposal: Targeted Parallel
Archive Proposal)

The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the parallel opportunities
available in the neighborhood of bright galaxies are treated in a slightly
different way from the normal pure parallels. Local Group galaxies offer
the opportunity for a closer look at young stellar
populations. Narrow-band images in F656N can be used both to identify
young stars via their emission lines, and to map the gas distribution in
star-forming regions. The observations completed nominally.

1.2 Completed Five Sets of STIS/CCD 9248 (Probing the Large Scale
Structure: Cosmic Shear Observations)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure
the distortion of light bundles from distant galaxies that probe the
statistical properties of the intervening inhomogeneous {dark} matter
distribution. Its tidal gravitational field distorts the observable image
shapes thereby causing a coherent ellipticity pattern {Cosmic Shear}. The
observations completed nominally.

1.3 Completed FGS/1 8731 (A High Angular Resolution Survey of the Most
Massive Stars in the SMC)

Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to conduct high angular resolution
observations of some of the SMC’s hottest and most luminous objects by
conducting a comprehensive survey of nearly every spectral type in the
upper portion of the HR diagram. Binary or multiple star systems will be
detected down to an unprecedented level, more than one order of magnitude
better than possible with WFPC2. The targets selected include a
representative list of normal Main Sequence O-stars and their evolved
descendents, namely supergiants, hypergiants, LBVs, and WRs, many of which
have been previously observed by HST’s spectrometers for purposes of
cosmological calibrations. The observations completed, and no problems
were reported.

1.4 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8827 (Cycle 9 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 proposal completed nominally.

1.5 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8864 (CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor
the darks for the CCD. The proposal completed nominally.

1.6 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8583 (Imaging Snapshots of Asteroids)

The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain images of the fifty largest main
belt asteroids that have favorable apparitions during cycle 9. The images
will be searched for companion bodies, as well as mineralogical variegation
on the resolved main bodies. There were no reported problems.

1.7 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8581 (A Search For Low-Mass
Companions To Ultracool Dwarfs)

The WF/PC-2 was used to search for very low-mass {VLM} companions
to a complete sample of 120 late-M and L dwarfs, drawn mainly from the
2MASS and SDSS surveys. The primary goal is to determine the multiplicity
of M 0.1 M_odot dwarfs. In particular, we aim to identify binary systems
suitable for long-term astrometric monitoring and mass measurement, and
systems with cool, sub-1000K companions. The proposal completed with no
reported problems.

1.8 Completed FGS/1 8774 (Calibrating the Mass-Luminosity Relation at
the End of the Main Sequence)

Fine Guidance Sensor was used to calibrate the mass-luminosity
relation {MLR} for stars less massive than 0.2 Msun, with special emphasis
on objects near the stellar/brown dwarf border. Our goals are to determine
Mv values to 0.10 magnitude, masses to 5%, and more than double the number
of objects with masses determined to be less than 0.20 Msun. The proposal
completed with no reported problems.

1.9 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 9244 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII
Parallel Archive Proposal Continuation)

The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a generic target version of the
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 observations completed with no anomalous
activity.

1.10 Completed STIS/CCD 8865 (Bias Monitor-Part 2)

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 anomalous activity.

1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 8594 (H-Deficient Condensations In Pne — A Key
To Discrepancies In Abundance Determinations)

The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain deep long-slit spectra for the
well-resolved H-deficient knots of A 30 and to search for such knots in
A-30-6.57AR. The data will yield the spatially resolved temperature,
density and ionization structure of the knots in Abell 30, and, for the
first time, accurate ORL C and O abundances for them. The results will
lead to a much better understanding of the physics of such knots and their
effects on abundance determinations . There were no reported problems.

1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 8599 (A Census of Nuclear Star Clusters in
Late-Type Spiral Galaxies)

The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct an I-band snapshot survey of a
well-defined sample of nearby, face-on spiral galaxies of type Scd or
later. The proposal completed nominally.

1.13 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1 8566 (High Resolution
UV/X-Ray Spectroscopy of SMC X-1)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to
perform simultaneous observations of the X-ray pulsar SMC X-1 and its B0
companion SK160 with Chandra and ground-based optical telescopes. The
proposer will search for correlation between orbital phase and “bleaching”
of important P Cygni lines by X-ray photoionization, and will model the
simultaneous X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical continuum emission at
different phases of the superorbital period to measure changes in mass
accretion rate, disk structure, and disk size. The proposal completed with
no reported problems.

1.14 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8681 (Snapshot Survey of Variability of
Narrow and Broad Associated Absorption Lines in Quasars)

The Space telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
investigate the variability in the strength of absorption lines in quasar
spectra which is definitive proof that we are observing material that is
physically associated with the quasars. This proposal will conduct a STIS
snapshot survey to provide second epoch observations of 37 quasars with
narrow associated or broad absorption lines {NALs and BALs}, previously
observed with the FOS. At high redshift several intrinsic NALs and about
two thirds of BALs are known to vary, often in accord with continuum
variability. The amplitudes increase and the timescales decrease with
decreasing quasar luminosity. The proposal completed nominally.

1.15 Completed STIS/MA1 8561 (The Ionizing Flux from Star-Forming
Galaxies)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to measure
the meaningful upper limits on the amount of ionizing radiation from
galaxies in the current epoch. The proposal completed nominally.

1.16 Completed STIS/MA1 8721 (An UV Imaging Survey of IR-Bright Star-
Forming Galaxies)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to carry
out a UV {~1, 600 Angstrom} snapshot imaging survey of all the actively
star-forming galaxies detected by ISO at Lambda 170 Mum and closer than
cz=9000 km/s. The sample covers a large region in the parameter’s space of
morphology, luminosity, metallicity, and star formation intensity. There
were no reported anomalies.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 11

Successful: 11

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 7

Successful: 7

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 25

Successful: 25

2.3 Operations Notes:

Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared three times.

TTRs were written for three instances of required re-transmits
during two 486 and one NSSC-1 uplinks. For each of the 486 re-transmits
the CCS engineering status buffer limits were adjusted per ROP DF-18A. For
the NSSC-1 re-transmit, ROP NS-5 was utilized to reset SI C&DH errors.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.