Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2730 10/18/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2730
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 10/17/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 10/18/00
Daily Status Report as of 292/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 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.
1.2 Completed 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.
1.3 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.
1.4 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.
1.5 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.
1.6 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.
1.7 Completed STIS/CCD 8840 (Read Noise Monitor)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure the read noise of all the amplifiers on the STIS CCD using pairs of bias frames. Full frame and binned observations are made in both Gain 1 and Gain 4, with binning factors of 1 x 1, 1 x 2, 2 x 1 and 2 x 2. All exposures are internals. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.8 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8636 (Metal Abundances In Very Hot DA White Dwarfs — A Test Of Diffusion Theory)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to measure the photospheric abundances of white dwarfs that are controlled by diffusion processes like gravitational settling and radiative
levitation. UV, EUV and X-ray observations have revealed a large metallicity spread from star to star, which cannot be explained by state-of-the-art stationary diffusion calculations. Additional processes, e.g. a weak stellar wind, have been invoked. A contrasting pair of extremely hot DA white dwarfs, recently discovered by the HS survey, has very similar temperature and gravity, but probably very different metal abundances. HS 0505+0112 is unique because it is the only H-rich hot white dwarf known to show optical C lines. The observations were completed nominally.
1.9 Completed STIS/CCD 8572 (Identifying Normal Galaxies at 1.3 < z < 2.5)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform studies of faint, distant galaxies. It is now possible to observe hundreds of galaxies out to z=1 and in the range 3 < z < 4.5, yet the redshift range 1 < z <3 remains largely unexplored. No problems were noted.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 7
Successful: 7
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 6
Successful: 6
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 17
Successful: 17
2.3 Operations Notes:
On two occasions the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared, per ROP SR-1A.
MCE-1 reset at 291/232155Z while the low voltage was on and while outside any SAA interval. Using ROP NS-12, the STIS flight software error counter was cleared at 292/0006Z. MAMa-1 will be recovered at 292/1437Z, the time of the next STIS high voltage on commanding, via normal SMS commanding.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
