Status Report

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2754 11/21/00

By SpaceRef Editor
November 21, 2000
Filed under ,

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
 
  DAILY REPORT #2754
 
PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 11/20/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 11/21/00
 
Daily Status Report as of 326/0000Z
 
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
 
    1.1 Completed WF/PC-2 8597 (The Fueling of Active Nuclei: Why are Active Galaxies Active?)
 
        The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate the accretion onto massive black holes that are believed to be the energy source for AGN.  However, evidence for black holes in quiescent galaxies has also been reported.  Why are these galaxies inactive?  One possibility is that active galaxies are better at providing fuel to the nuclear region than quiescent
galaxies.  Other possible fueling mechanisms such as “bars-within-bars” or nuclear spirals cannot be investigated from the ground because they are relatively small features in the ISM.  The observations were completed as planned.
 
    1.2 Completed Four 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.
 
    1.3 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.
 
    1.4 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8323 (Herbig-Haro Jets Irradiated by Massive OB Stars)
 
        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Telescope (CCD) were used to observe Herbig-Haro jets powered by young stars.  Among the hoped for results are the precise determination of the mass loss rate through a jet, and the nature of the flow behavior in the jet launch and collimation region.  The proposal completed nominally.
 
    1.5 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.
 
    1.6 Completed Three 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.
 
    1.7 Completed WF/PC-2 8660 (Saturn’s Rings and Small Moons)
 
        The Wf/PC-2 was used to investigate the composition, structure, and particle properties of the rings from variations of ring brightness and color with radius, tilt and phase angle, to measure the azimuthal asymmetry of the A ring of Saturn and the temporal variability of the clumpy F ring, to follow the enigmatic behavior of the renegade satellites Prometheus and Pandora, and to observe the co-orbital satellites Janus and Epimetheus as they exchange orbits in February 2002.  The observations completed nominally.
 
    1.8 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.
 
    1.9 Completed Five 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.
 
    1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 8249 (A Strong Lensing Survey of the Mass Distribution in X-ray Luminous Clusters)
 
        The WF/PC-2 was used for a gravitational lensing survey of the central regions of 16 X-ray luminous clusters from a statistically complete sample.  The observations completed with no problems.
 
    1.11 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.
 
    1.12 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.
 
    1.13 Completed Two 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.  As described in HSTAR 7973 and 2.1, the acquisition for the final iteration of this proposal failed, the take data flag remained down, and one observation was lost.  Otherwise, The proposal completed with no further reported anomalies.
 
    1.14 Completed WF/PC-2 8604 (Stellar Populations Across the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) : History and Structure)
 
        The WF/PC-2 was to be used to investigate the structure and evolutionary history of the SMC by obtaining a series of 50 three-color snapshots of selected SMC regions.  As described in HSTAR 7973 and 2.1, the acquisition for this proposal failed, the take data flag remained down, and all three observations were lost.
 
    1.15 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.
 
    1.16 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8671 (Observations of a Magellanic Cloud Nova in Outburst)
 
        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used for a re-visit to target-of-opportunity observations of a classical nova in the Magellanic Clouds in the early stages of its outburst.  Nova outbursts are thermonuclear runaways triggered by accretion onto a white dwarf within a close binary system.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.
 
    1.17 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.
 
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
 
    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
      Scheduled Acquisitions: 9
                Successful: 8
 
        Per HSTAR 7973, the acquisition scheduled at 325/171929Z failed to RGA control when the search radius limit was exceeded on FGS-1.  The proposals detailed in 1.13 and 1.14 were affected.
    Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 8
                Successful: 8
 
    2.2 FHST Updates:
                  Scheduled: 20
                Successful: 20
 
    2.3 Operations Notes:
 
        HST operations is being conducted from the GSFC STOCC. CCS string "C" became the prime string at 325/1930Z with CCS string "B" becoming the backup string.
 
        Using ROP SR-1A, the correctable SSR EDAC errors were cleared on three occasions.
 
        Per ROP DF-18A, the engineering status buffer limits was adjusted once.
 
        SSA transmitter #1 was turned on at 325/2128Z and turned off at 325/2155Z.
 
        The ephemeris table was uplinked at 326/0703Z.
 
        A TTR was written for a required re-transmission of a 486 load at 326/080111Z.
 
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
 
        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

SpaceRef staff editor.