HST Daily Report # 3326

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT # 3326

PERIOD COVERED: DOY 83

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

NICMOS 8791

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration – CR Persistence Part 2

A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS.
Dark
frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and
every
time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50 minutes of coming out of the
SAA.
The darks will be obtained in parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras. The
POST-SAA
darks will be non-standard reference files available to users with a
USEAFTER
date/time mark. The keyword ‘USEAFTER=date/time’ will also be added to the
header of each POST-SAA DARK frame. The keyword must be populated with the
time,
in addition to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8 times per day so
each
POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate time specified, for users to
identify the ones they need. Both the raw and processed images will be
archived
as POST-SAA DARKSs. Generally we expect that all NICMOS science/calibration
observations started within 50 minutes of leaving an SAA will need such maps
to
remove the CR persistence from the science images. Each observation will
need
its own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the
NICMOS
detectors.

FGS1R 9408

Calibrating the Mass-Luminosity Relation at the End of the Main Sequence

We propose to use HST-FGS1R 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 M_V values to 0.05
magnitude, masses to 5 than double the number of objects with masses
determined
to be less than 0.20 Msun. This program uses the combination of
HST-FGS3/FGS1R
at optical wavelengths and ground-based infrared interferometry to examine
nearby, subarcsecond binary systems. The high precision measurements with
HST-FGS3/FGS1R {to 1 mas in the separations} for these faint targets {V =
10–15} simply cannot be equaled by any ground based technique. As a result
of
these measurements, we are deriving high quality luminosities and masses
for the
components in the observed systems, and characterizing their spectral energy
distributions from 0.5 to 2.2 Mum. Several of the objects included have M < 0.1 Msun, placing them at the very end of the stellar main sequence. Three of the targets are brown dwarf candidates, including the current low mass record holder, GJ 1245C, with a mass of 0.062 +/- 0.004 Msun. The payoff of this proposal is high because all 10 of the systems selected have already been resolved with HST- FGS3/FGS1R during Cycles 5--10 and contain most of the reddest objects for which masses can be determined.

STIS 9421

UV Observations of Hubble Flow Type Ia Supernovae

Two independent research groups have presented compelling evidence for an
accelerating universe from the observation of high-redshift Type Ia
supernovae
{SNe Ia}. These findings have such important ramifications for cosmology
that
every effort must be made to thoroughly test the calibrated standard candles
on
which they are based, improve upon our understanding of the underlying
physics
of the SN Ia explosion mechanism and attempt to constrain or determine their
progenitors. Here we propose to obtain STIS UV spectra of five Hubble Flow
SNe
Ia. The spectra will be taken at weekly intervals over a range in time
starting
slightly before maximum light and extending to +30 days. These observations
will
accomplish the following three goals: {1} Calibration of the rest frame UV
light
curves of SNe Ia and an assessment of their potential use as distance
indicators
through UV light curve shape analyses. {2} Improvement in our understanding
of
the physics of SNe Ia, metallicity/evolutionary effects and correlations
between
peak brightness and UV spectral features. {3} Calibration of the SNe Ia
previously observed by HST at high-redshift. For z > 0.8 SNe Ia discovered
by
the Supernova Cosmology Project, the High-Z Supernovae Search Team and
future
HST discovered SNe Ia {like SN 1997ff found in the HDF} this data is
crucial for
proper cross-filter K-corrections and calibration of the supernova
photometry.

STIS 9437

Quantitative Constraints for Massive Star Evolution Models with Rotation

Rotation is now recognized as an important physical component in
understanding
massive stars. Theory suggests that rotation affects the lifetimes, chemical
yields, stellar evolution tracks, and the supernova and compact remnant
properties {Heger & Langer 2000, Maeder & Meynet 2000}. In a Cycle 7
program, we
proved that rotational mixing occurs in massive main sequence stars {Venn
et al.
2001}. In this proposal, we want to quantitatively test model predictions
and
constrain the theory for a better understanding of massive star evolution.
We
are requesting HST STIS observations of the BIII 2066 Angstrom resonance
line of
seven massive stars in three young clusters carefully selected from IUE
analyses. These stars show traces of boron depletion, but without nitrogen
enrichment; rotation is the only theory able to explain this abundance
pattern.
These new abundances will allow us to test rotating model predictions: that
mixing strength increases with stellar age, mass, and rotation rate. They
will
also help to quantitatively constrain the rotational mixing efficiencies in
massive stars. One very high S/N spectrum of a moderately boron-depleted
star is
also requested. We wish to measure its 11B/10B ratio, which is predicted to
change as boron is depleted in the rotating models. This ratio will further
confirm rotational effects and observationally constrain the 10B{p, Alpha}
thermonuclear reaction rate, which is presently highly uncertain.

ACS 9476

Galaxy Evolution in the Richest Clusters at z=0.8: the EDisCS Cluster Sample

The study of distant cluster galaxies requires two key ingredients: {1} deep
high-resolution imaging, to constrain galaxy structure; and {2} 8m-class
spectroscopy, to measure stellar content, star-formation rates, dynamics,
and
cluster membership. We will reach both conditions with the addition of
HST/ACS
imaging to our suite of VLT {36 nights} and NTT {20 nights} observations of
10
confirmed clusters at z~0.8, drawn from the ESO Distant Cluster Survey
{EDisCS}.
The proposed HST/ACS data will complement our existing optical/IR imaging
and
spectroscopy with quantitative measures of cluster galaxy morphologies {i.e.
sizes and shapes, bulge-disk decompositions, asymmetry parameters}, and with
measurements of cluster masses via weak lensing. Major advantages unique to
the
EDisCS project include: {i} uniform selection of clusters; {ii} large enough
sample sizes to characterize the substantial cluster-to-cluster variation in
galaxy populations; {iii} large quantities of high quality data from 8m
telescopes; {iv} uniform measurements of morphologies, spectroscopic and
photometric redshifts, SEDs, star-formation/AGN activities, and internal
kinematics; {v} optical selection of clusters to complement the X-ray
selection
of almost all high-z clusters in the ACS GTO programs; {vi} forefront
numerical
simulations designed specifically to allow physical interpretation of
observed
differences between the high-z and local clusters.

ACS 9480

Cosmic Shear With ACS Pure Parallels

Small distortions in the shapes of background galaxies by foreground mass
provide a powerful method of directly measuring the amount and distribution
of
dark matter. Several groups have recently detected this weak lensing by
large-scale structure, also called cosmic shear. The high resolution and
sensitivity of HST/ACS provide a unique opportunity to measure cosmic shear
accurately on small scales. Using 260 parallel orbits in Sloan textiti
{F775W}
we will measure for the first time: beginlistosetlength sep0cm
setlengthemsep0cm
setlength opsep0cm em the cosmic shear variance on scales <0.7 arcmin, em the skewness of the shear distribution, and em the magnification effect. endlist Our measurements will determine the amplitude of the mass power spectrum sigma_8Omega_m^0.5, with signal-to-noise {s/n} ~ 20, and the mass density Omega_m with s/n=4. They will be done at small angular scales where non-linear effects dominate the power spectrum, providing a test of the gravitational instability paradigm for structure formation. Measurements on these scales are not possible from the ground, because of the systematic effects induced by PSF smearing from seeing. Having many independent lines of sight reduces the uncertainty due to cosmic variance, making parallel observations ideal.

ACS/WFC 9584

ACS Default {Archival} Pure Parallel Program II.

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC) was used to test ACS pure parallels.

WFPC2 9592

WFPC2 CYCLE 11 Standard Darks

This dark calibration program obtains dark frames every week in order to
provide
data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current rate, and to
monitor
and characterize the evolution of hot pixels. Over an extended period these
data
will also provide a monitor of radiation damage to the CCDs.

WFPC2 9594

WFPC2 CYCLE 11 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt2/3

This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide
data
for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels

WFPC2 9596

WFPC2 CYCLE 11 INTERNAL MONITOR

This calibration proposal is the Cycle 11 routine internal monitor for
WFPC2, to
be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. A variety of internal
exposures are obtained in order to provide a monitor of the integrity of
the CCD
camera electronics in both bays {gain 7 and gain 15}, a test for quantum
efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for possible buildup of contaminants
on
the CCD windows.

WFPC2 9598

Earth Flats

This proposal monitors flatfield stability. This proposal obtains sequences
of
Earth streak flats to construct high quality flat fields for the WFPC2
filter
set. These flat fields will allow mapping of the OTA illumination pattern
and
will be used in conjunction with previous internal and external flats to
generate new pipeline superflats. These Earth flats will complement the
Earth
flat data obtained during cycles 4-10.

STIS 9606

CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

STIS 9608

CCD Bias Monitor – Part 2

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.

STIS 9627

CCD Sensitivity Monitor for Cycle 11

Monitor sensitivity of each CCD grating mode to detect any change due to
contamination or other causes. Also monitor the STIS focus in an imaging
mode

ACS 9673

CCD Daily Monitor

This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the
development
of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This
programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS

WFPC2 9676

POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal

This is the 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 2002 Parallels Working Group.

STIS 9706

STIS Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10

This is the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 10.

Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of
potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)

HSTAR 8973: GS Acquisition (2,3,3) @ 084/01:48:42Z resulted in FL backup on
FGS 2 only with SSLE on FGS 3. GS Re-acquisition
(2,3,3) @ 084/03:25:26Z
also failed to FGS 2 only. The guide star
acquisition for this observation
was non-nominal, further analysis will determine if
a repeat observation
is required.

COMPLETED OPS REQs: None

OPS NOTES EXECUTED: None

                       SCHEDULED     SUCCESSFUL    FAILURE TIMES
FGS GSacq            9                         9
FGS REacq            7                         7
FHST Update          21                       21
LOSS of LOCK

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
CCS 4.0.2 “C” String Extended Command test scheduled 084/12:00Z – 21:00Z
with VDOC,
GDOC, SOC, HITT, and CCS using CCS “C” String with Release 4.0.2 and PRD
S07102. The
purpose of this testing is to verify the CCS Ground System can effectively
command
in various modes and scenarios used on-orbit using CCS Release 4.0.2 on the
“C” String.