Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2728 10/16/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2728
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 10/13/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 10/16/00
Daily Status Report as of 290/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed STIS/CCD 8228 (The Black Hole Versus Bulge Mass Relationship in Spiral Galaxies)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make observations of the galaxy NGC-3642 in order to study the black hole versus bulge mass relationship in spiral galaxies. A wavelength calibration image was also taken. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.2 Completed Six 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 Two Sets of WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8559 (The Role of Dark Matter in Cluster Formation and Galaxy Evolution)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were used to observe the outer regions of massive clusters that represent transitional areas of great cosmological importance where field galaxies encounter the steep potential wells of dark matter and baryonic hot gas. Little is known about either the dark matter profile at large radii or the morphological properties of infalling galaxies at those redshifts where strong evolution is observed in the cluster cores. The proposal completed normally, with no reported problems.
1.4 Completed Six 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 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.
1.6 Completed Five Sets of 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.
1.7 Completed Seven Sets of 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 8854 (Sparse-Field CTE External C9)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to allow the derivation of accurate coefficients which can be used to correct low count level data {both imaging and spectroscopy} for nonlinearity/CTE effects. Dependences on x-position, background sky level, and time dependence will be quantified in addition to accurate determination of intensity and y-position effects in a third epoch and to higher accuracy than previously determined. There were no reported problems.
1.9 Completed Eight 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.
1.10 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8544 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII Backup Parallel Archive Proposal II)
The WF/PC-2 was used to execute a POMS test proposal that was designed to simulate scientific plans. No problems were encountered.
1.11 Completed Three Sets of 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.
1.12 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.
1.13 Completed Four Sets of 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.
1.14 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8662 (A Snapshot Survey of the Hot Interstellar Medium)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD And MA1) was used to obtain snapshot STIS echelle observations of key tracers of hot interstellar gas {C IV, N IV, and Si IV} for selected FUSE Team O VI survey targets with known UV fluxes. By taking advantage of the snapshot observing mode we will efficiently obtain a large number of spectra suitable for the study of the highly ionized hot component of the interstellar medium {ISM}. Our goals are to explore the physical conditions in and distribution of such gas, as well as to explore the nature of the interfaces between the hot ISM and the other interstellar gas phases. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.15 Completed Five 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.
1.16 Completed Four Sets of STIS/CCD 8663 (Survey of SMC Planetary Nebulae: Nebular and Stellar Evolution in a Low- Metallicity Environment)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to survey of SMC planetary nebulae {PNe} in order to study the co-evolution of the nebulae and their central stars, in an environment that is chemically very metal poor. We will obtain STIS imaging and medium-resolution slitless spectroscopy that will yield line fluxes and nebular morphologies in important emission lines, plus magnitudes of the central stars. From these data we will gather a harvest of information: the nebular size, morphology, ionization structure, density, and mass; and the central star temperature, luminosity, and mass. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies.
1.17 Completed WF/PC-2 8632 (A UV Atlas of Nearby Galaxies)
The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a snapshot survey of local galaxies at UV wavelengths with the F300W filter. The aim of the project is to build a reference UV Atlas of normal galaxies, whose optical images are well known, with the highest possible degree of information, covering all the morphological types and luminosity classes. The proposal completed normally.
1.18 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1 8684 (Emission Lines from Photoionized Accretion Disks and Winds in AGNs)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to observe the origin and dynamics of the gas that produces the broad optical and ultraviolet emission lines in AGNs, a fundamental gap that remains in our knowledge of AGNs. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.19 Completed WF/PC-2 8683 (Imaging Of Brightest Cluster Galaxies: The High End Of The Black Hole Mass Distribution)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make kinematic black hole detections in galaxies to decide whether they indicate that the mass correlates with both optical luminosity and radio power. The observation completed with no reported problems.
1.20 Completed FGS/1 8586 (Observations of Astrophysically Important Visual Binaries)
The FGS-1 was used to continue the Cycle 7-8 Long-Term
project. The program consists of annual or biannual WFPC2 or FGS observations of three visual binary stars that will ultimately yield fundamental astrophysical results, once their orbits and masses are determined. Our targets are the following: {1} Procyon {P=41 yr}, for which our first WFPC2 images yielded an extremely accurate angular separation of the bright F star and its very faint white-dwarf
companion. There were no reported problems.
1.21 Completed WF/PC-2 8390 (Expansion Parallax Distances to Planetary Nebulae)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the planetary nebula IC2448 in order to study its parallax distance. The largest impediment to our understanding of planetary nebulae is the lack of reliable
distances. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.22 Completed STIS/CCD 8236 (Black Holes and Gas Disks in a Complete Sample of Radio-Loud Ellipticals – II: Kinematics)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make observations of the radio-loud elliptical galaxy NGC-383. From these observations we will measure the black hole masses, determine the nature, kinematics, and structure of the central gas disks and obtain a modeled upper limit to their mass accretion rates. A wavelength calibration image was also taken. The observations were completed as planned, and no problems were reported.
1.23 Completed WF/PC-2 8720 (Masses and Multiplicity of Nearby Free- floating Methane and L Dwarfs)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe 50 very-low-mass objects in the solar neighborhood with spectral types of L0 and later {including several dwarfs with Methane absorption bands in their atmospheres}. These objects will be observed in two filter bands with the aim to identify close companions, measure their colors, and to obtain first epoch data of the newly discovered binaries. The observations completed nominally.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 29
Successful: 29
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 18
Successful: 18
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 53
Successful: 53
2.3 Operations Notes:
On seven occasions the correctable SSR EDAC errors were cleared, using ROP SR-1A.
The 486 engineering status buffer limits were adjusted at 289/0956Z per ROP DF-18A.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
