Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2744 11/07/00

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
 
  DAILY REPORT #2744
 
PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 11/06/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 11/07/00
 
Daily Status Report as of 312/0000Z
 
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
 
    1.1 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.
 
    1.2 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8569 (A New Survey for Low-Redshift Damped Lyman-Alpha Lines in QSO MgII Systems)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to support studies which have shown that most of the observable neutral gas mass in the Universe resides in QSO damped LyAlpha {DLA} systems.  However, at low redshift , DLA can only be found by searching in the UV with HST.  By boot-strapping from the MgII statistics, we will be able to further improve the determination of the low- redshift statistical properties of DLA {their incidence and cosmological mass density} and open up new opportunities for studies at low redshift.  As described in HSTAR 7953 and 2.1, the acquisition for this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting three observations.  Otherwise, the proposal completed nominally.
 
    1.3 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.
 
    1.4 Completed Three Sets of STIS/MA1/MA2 8843 (Cycle 9 MAMA Dark Measurements)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise.  The proposal completed nominally.
 
    1.5 Completed FGS 8731 (A High Angular Resolution Survey of the Most Massive Stars in the SMC)
 
        The Fine Guidance Sensors were used to conduct high angular resolution observations of some of the SMC’s hottest and most luminous objects by conducting a comprehensive survey of nearly every spectral type in the upper portion of the HR diagram.  Binary or multiple star systems will be detected down to an unprecedented level, more than one order of magnitude better than possible with WFPC2.  The targets  selected include a representative list of normal Main Sequence O-stars and their evolved descendents, namely supergiants, hypergiants, LBVs, and WRs, many of which have been previously observed by HST’s spectrometers for purposes of cosmological calibrations.  The observations completed, and no problems were reported.
 
    1.6 Completed STIS/CCD 8678 (Galaxy Mass and the Fate of the ISM in Candidate Proto-Spheroidals at z~0.2-0.4)
 
        The Space telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain long-slit spectra for a sample of 5 faint blue compact galaxies {BCGs} at z ~ 0.2 to 0.4.  The observations completed nominally.
 
    1.7 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8287 (A Search For Transparent Lines of Sight With Intergalactic He-II Absorption Towards 26 Bright z > 2.9 Quasars)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to make He-II absorption line observations of quasar HE0242-291.  The aim is to identify more suitable bright objects for detailed studies of intergalactic He-II absorption at a redshift of Z <2.9 and >3.2 .  A wavelength calibration observation was also taken.  The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
 
    1.8 Completed STIS/CCD 8176 (Confirmation and Characterization of Brown Dwarfs and Giant Planets from NICMOS 7226/7227)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make confirmation and characterization observations of object HD30523.  A systematic search for giant planet and brown dwarf companions to stars in the solar neighborhood was the cornerstone of the NICMOS IDT’s Environments of Nearby Stars {EONS} program.  The observations were completed as planned, and no anomalies were reported.
 
    1.9 Completed STIS/CCD 8849 (Faint Standard Extension)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe fainter standard stars that are needed for the flux calibration of COS, while re-observations are required to check for variability and to improve S/N.  The observations completed nominally.
 
    1.10 Completed STIS/CCD 8881 (An Unbiased Survey of X-Ray and Optical Emission From Extended Radio Jets in AGN)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to an X-ray bright jet in the distant quasar PKS 0637-752 that shows that X-rays can be energetically dominant in relativistic jets.  The observations completed nominally.
 
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
 
    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
      Scheduled Acquisitions: 12
                Successful: 12
 
        HSTAR 7953 details the acquisition at 311/015514Z which defaulted to fine lock back-up on FGS-1 when the scan step limit was exceeded on FGS-3.  The proposal detailed in 1.2 may have ben affected.
    Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  2
                Successful:  2
 
    2.2 FHST Updates:
                  Scheduled: 27
                Successful: 27
 
    2.3 Operations Notes:
 
        WF/PC-2 remains in safe.  Recovery will occur later this week.  Meanwhile, a complete dump of the WF/PC-2 pre-patch RAM load was successfully captured and compared against the ground master image with no discrepancies.
 
        A TTR was written for a required re-transmit at 312/0755Z.
 
        Using ROP DF-18A, the engineering status buffer limits were adjusted at 312/0800Z.
 
        The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared at 312/0947Z per ROP SR-1A.
 
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
 
        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.