Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2729 10/17/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2729
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 10/16/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 10/17/00
Daily Status Report as of 291/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Six 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 WF/PC-2/STIS/MA2 8867 (Gamma-Ray Bursts: Discovering The Progenitors And Understanding The Explosion – Visits A0-R0)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) were used to observe a gamma-ray burster, GRB000926. Gamma-ray burst astronomy, one of the most active and exciting frontiers in astrophysics, is now entering a critical stage — with dramatic leaps in understanding of these events, as well as new discoveries. Improvements in triggering and positioning accuracy provided by the SAX and HETE-2 gamma-ray satellites will allow entirely new classes of events to be studied. Given the recent progress in this field, the proposers are now in a position to design precision, broadband measurements that can provide quantitative information on the as-yet unknown energy sources, the explosion geometry, and the surrounding medium. In particular, the growing evidence of an intimate connection between SNe and GRBs can be definitively tested. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.3 Completed Four 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.
1.4 Completed Six Sets of WF/PC-2 8811 (Cycle 9 Standard Darks)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain 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. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.5 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8875 (Coordinated HST and FUSE Observations of the IGM in the QSO HE2347-4342)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to observe the neutral hydrogen absorption lines and the ionized helium absorption visible in the spectra of high-redshift QSOs that are a unique probe of structure in the universe at epochs intermediate between the earliest density fluctuations seen in the cosmic background radiation and the visible distribution of galaxies today. These observations are coordinated with Far-Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer {FUSE} observations of the line of sight to the QSO HE2347-4342 to investigate the fine-scale structure of the He II absorption from z=2.0–2.88. There were no reported problems.
1.6 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.
1.7 Completed Three 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.
1.8 Completed Two 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.
1.9 Completed 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.
1.10 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 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.
1.12 Completed Two Sets of STIS/MA2 8843 (Cycle 9 MAMA Dark Measurements)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise. The proposal completed nominally.
1.13 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8179 (The Composition and Evolution of Extremely Hot DA White Dwarfs)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to make ultraviolet observations of the extremely hot white dwarf star TON21 in order to study its composition and evolution. This star has a temperature range from 70,000 to 130,000 degrees K. A wavelength calibration image was also taken. The observations were completed as planned, and no anomalies were reported.
1.14 Completed WF/PC-2 8812 (Cycle 9 Internal Monitor)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain routine internal monitors for WFPC2 in order 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. There were no reported problems.
1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 8563 (Determining the Duplicity of Nearby T Dwarfs {Methane Brown Dwarfs})
The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate the binary fraction of T-type dwarfs {methane brown dwarfs} which is crucial to accurate determinations of the T-dwarf space density and mass function, especially since equal- magnitude binaries can introduce significant biases in photometric distance estimates. The proposal completed nominally.
1.16 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.
1.17 Completed Two 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.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 8
Successful: 8
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 7
Successful: 7
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 19
Successful: 19
2.3 Operations Notes:
Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared three times.
Per ROP DF-07B, the ephemeris load was uplinked at 291/0050Z.
A TTR was written for a command failure, requiring a re-transmit, at 291/0429Z.
SI C&DH errors were reset at 291/0429Z and at 291/0434Z, per ROP NS-5.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
