Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2716 09/27/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2716
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 09/26/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 09/27/00
Daily Status Report as of 271/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Two Sets of 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.
1.2 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
1.3 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8125 (Primordial Low-Z LyAlpha Clouds Toward PKS 2155-304)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD/MA1) was used to study PKS 2155-304, a key FUSE target, which contain a cluster of strong LyAlpha absorbers. The combination of a bright target and high-N_HI absorbers make this an ideal situation for studying metals in LyAlpha clouds. These clouds have the potential for being the most metal-free gas ever studied. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.4 Completed Two Sets of 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.
1.5 Completed Two 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. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.6 Completed WF/PC-2 8726 (Cometary Knots in Planetary Nebulae)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make second epoch observations of the Cometary Knots in NGC 6720E in order to get a better idea of just how these objects are formed by comparison of their spatial motions with that of the ambient gas. The observations completed with no reports of problems.
1.7 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8562 (Probing the Large Scale Structure: Cosmic Shear Observations) HST
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.
1.8 Completed STIS/CCD 8603 (Secular Changes In The Temperatures And Radii Of Extreme Helium Stars)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make observations of 15 extreme helium stars (EHEs_ which, together with IUE data, will give a 20-year baseline of ultraviolet spectrophotometry. EHEs are luminous stellar remnants evolving rapidly to become white
dwarfs. They represent an important stage in the evolution of at least some low-mass stars, and are closely related to the R Coronae Borealis variables. Models do not agree about their origin, nor about what fraction of normal stars pass through this phase, in which the stars have been completely stripped of their outer layers. The models do predict that EHEs are contracting and provide rate predictions and evolutionary
lifetimes. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.9 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.
1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 8268 (Lensed Quasar Hosts at High Redshift)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the high redshift, lensed quasar B0850+054. Gravitational lensing offers a novel way to detect quasar host galaxies at z > 1 and to measure their properties. The observations were completed as scheduled, and no anomalies were reported.
1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 8804 (A Survey of Gravitational Lenses as Cosmological Tools III)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe 60 known gravitational lenses that are a unique, mass-selected sample of galaxies, and their properties encode an enormous range of astrophysical information. The numbers of lenses and their distribution in separation, lens and source redshift determine both the cosmological model and the mass function of galaxies and its evolution. There were no reported problems.
1.12 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.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 9
Successful: 9
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 7
Successful: 7
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 21
Successful: 21
2.3 Operations Notes:
Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared twice.
The 486 engineering status buffer limits were adjusted three times, per ROP DF-18A.
HSTAR 7871 describes a count failure and parity error which occurred during the uplink of a NSSC-1 load at 270/1247Z.
ROP NS-5 was used to clear the NSSC-1 engineering report at 270/1252Z, and to clear a CU error at 270/1255Z.
A TTR was written for a command router problem occurring at 270/1650Z.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Real-time operations will be conducted from the Science Institute for all three shifts today.
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
