Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2756 11/27/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2756
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 11/22/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 11/27/00
Daily Status Report as of 332/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Eleven 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 Five 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.
1.3 Completed Ten 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 Two Sets of WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8580 (Pre-Cassini/Huygens Studies of Titan’s Surface, Troposphere and Stratosphere)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were used to observe Titan, Saturn’s largest satellite. Titan has an opaque atmosphere in UV and visible wavelengths due to aerosols and methane gas. This proposal performs a data-dense suite of observations to {a} map the three-dimensional distribution of methane and aerosols in Titan’s troposphere and stratosphere with the possibility of detecting moving weather patterns, {b} provide a history of the distribution of haze in preparation for Cassini and Huygens observations, and {c} map Titan’s surface albedo with unprecendented spatial resolution and
signal/noise. There were no reported problems.
1.5 Completed Eight Sets of WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8641 (Testing the Accelerating Universe)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were used to observe Type Ia supernovae which provide evidence for an accelerating universe: an extraordinary result that needs to be rigorously tested. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.6 Completed WF/PC-2 8184 (The Origin of cD Envelopes)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe cD galaxies which are known to known to be present in approximately 20 percent of all galaxy
clusters. Located at the dynamical centers of their host cluster or subcluster, these supergiant elliptical galaxies show extended, diffuse stellar envelopes which trace the gravitational potential of the surrounding cluster. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.7 Completed Five 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.
1.8 Completed STIS/CCD 8664 (Structural Measurement of Globular Clusters in M31 and NGC 5128: Stalking the Fundamental Plane)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe in the snapshot mode to image a wide selection of individual globular clusters in two other large galaxies {M31 and NGC 5128} for measurement of their structural parameters {r_c, c, central surface brightness}. We will use these to compute their binding energies and define the FP in these two galaxies. Comparison with the Milky Way will then give us powerful new information on just how “universal” the cluster formation process was in the early protogalaxies. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.9 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.
1.10 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 7437 (Understanding High-Redshift and Starburst Galaxies: A UV Spectroscopic Survey of O-Stars in the SMC)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to make ultraviolet spectrographic observations of galaxy NGC-346. The data from this survey, of importance in many areas of astrophysics, will immediately be made public as no proprietary period is requested. A wavelength calibration image was also taken. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted
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 Seven 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
1.13 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.
1.14 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.
1.15 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.
1.16 Completed Six 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.
1.17 Completed Three Sets of STIS/MA1 8843 (Cycle 9 MAMA Dark Measurements)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise. The proposal completed nominally.
1.18 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.
1.19 Completed STIS/CCD 8846 (Imaging Flats C9)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to investigate flat-field stability over a monthly period. The proposal completed nominally.
1.20 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8699 (The Origin of Short-Period Comets)
The WF/PC-2 was used to detect and characterize cometary nuclei in order to determine the basic physical properties of a large fraction of the population of short-period comets. By acquiring statistically significant data, we can study the origin of this family of comets and test the hypothesis that they are collisional fragments from the Kuiper Belt Objects. As described in HSTAR 7879 and 2.1, the acquisition for the second iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possible affecting the observations during that
iteration. Otherwise, the observations completed with no reported problems.
1.21 Completed WF/PC-2 8453 (Cycle 8 Polarization)
The WF/PC-2 was used to verify the stability of its polarization calibration. There were no reported problems.
1.22 Completed WF/PC-2 7407 (Continuation of Temporal Monitoring of the Crab Synchrotron Nebula)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the synchrotron nebula surrounding the Crab pulsar that has been the subject of intensive study for decades. It is generally accepted that the structure and activity in this region are due to wave phenomena near the termination shock of the pulsar wind, observations of which hold unique promise of leading to more complete models of the pulsar and its magnetosphere. Unfortunately, this promise has not been fulfilled, largely because of the low spatial resolution and uneven temporal coverage of existing studies. Recent WF/PC-2 observations of the Crab synchrotron nebula offer new hope in this quest. These data, which reach the natural size scale defined by the Larmor radius of energetic electrons, resolve the majority of the known features in the Crab. For the first time it is possible to reliably establish the physical conditions {e.g., emissivities, equipartition fields, and pressures} of features associated with the wind and its termination shock. The observations completed as planned.
1.23 Completed STIS/CCD 8845 (Spectroscopic Flats C9)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain CCD flats in the spectroscopic mode. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.24 Completed STIS/CCD 8856 (CCD Sensitivity Monitor C9)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the sensitivity of each CCD grating mode to detect any change due to contamination or other causes. The proposal also monitors the STIS focus in an imaging mode. There were no anomalies.
1.25 Completed WF/PC-2 8645 (A Survey of Mid-UV Morphology of Nearby Galaxies: Galaxy Structure and Faint Galaxy)
The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate the relation between star formation and the global physical characteristics of galaxies to interpret the morphologies of distant galaxies in terms of their evolutionary status. The observations completed nominally.
1.26 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8260 (Searching for the Hydrogen Reionization Edge of the Universe at 5HST)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe one of 36 parallel orbits {4–5 fields of 5–8 orbits each} to constrain the H Lyman-edge in emission that marks the transition from a neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted zion~eq5–15. This edge is due to recombination from the H Lyman series and Lyman continuum, and can be used to constrain zion, one of the most important unknown quantities in large scale structure and cosmology. The proposal completed nominally.
1.27 Completed WF/PC-2 7447 (The Cosmological Evolution of Quasar Host Galaxies)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the host galaxy which surrounds quasar 1257+015 in order to study its cosmological
evolution. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were reported.
1.28 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8208 (Galaxy Interactions, Tidal Debris, and the Origin of Intracluster Light in the Coma Cluster)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were used to obtain deep WFPC2 and parallel STIS images of low surface brightness tidal debris that we have recently discovered in the Coma cluster; the material is being stripped from its parent galaxy and added to the general cluster background. These images will enable direct study of the brightest blue and red supergiants, globular clusters, and star forming regions which may be present, or will place strong limits on the numbers of such objects and any recent star formation. The observations completed nominally.
1.29 Completed WF/PC-2 8589 (Orbital Structure and Black Hole in NGC 3379)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the stellar orbital structure and the mass of the central black hole in NGC 3379. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies.
1.30 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8606 (Determining the Nature of the Variable Absorption in AGN: Monitoring NGC 3783 with HST And Chandra)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to investigate Seyfert 1 galaxies, many of which show intrinsic UV absorption lines, characterized by high moderate widths, significant outflow velocities, and variability on time scales as small as days. Seyferts with UV absorption also show variable X-ray “warm absorbers”, characterized by O VII and O VIII absorption edges, which suggests a common
origin. Variability monitoring is the key to understanding the absorbers, by providing their radial locations, densities, and evolution in ionization, column density, velocity, and coverage of the inner active nucleus. The proposal completed with no problems.
1.31 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8600 (Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy Snapshot Survey III)
The WF/PC-2 was used to extend our V and I snapshot survey of nearby dwarf elliptical {dE} galaxies to include a sample of 30 bright dE with significant globular cluster {GC} populations. There were no reported problems.
1.32 Completed WF/PC-2 8682 (A Snapshot Study of 0bservational Cosmology)
The WF/PC-2 was used to examine the observational constraints on the cosmic star formation history that is currently among the most active fields in observational cosmology. The most widely used tracer of the co-moving volume-averaged star formation rate {SFR} is the UV luminosity density, which early results found to peak at z~1- 2. The apparent identification of the primary epoch of metal production and star formation in the Universe led to intense theoretical and observational
interest. Nevertheless, and remarkably for such a fundamental observation, little is known about the history of star formation in the Universe beyond its global average. There were no reported anomalies.
1.33 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 7717 (Spectroscopy of Jupiter, Saturn, Titan and the Moon in the UV)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were used to observe the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn and Titan in the UV. The goal is to determine weak absorption features, due to atmospheric gases, as well as Raman scattering features in the spectra of Jupiter, Saturn and Titan. The Moon will be used as a solar analog to reduce planetary fluxes to reflectivities. The proposal completed nominally.
1.34 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8157 (Molecular Hydrogen in the Circumstellar Environments of T Tauri Stars)
The Space Telescope Imaging Telescope (CCD and MA1) was used to probe the gaseous environments of low mass pre-main sequence stars by studying the H_2 UV Lyman bands. Fluorescent H_2 Lyman band emission has been detected, pumped by H I Lyman Alpha and Si IV, in 8 classical T Tauri stars but not in 3 naked T Tauri stars. The observations will provide insights into the spatial distribution of gas near classical T Tauri stars. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.35 Completed WF/PC-2 8883 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII backup parallel archive proposal II)
The WF/PC-2 was used to complete a POMS test proposal designed to simulate scientific plans. There were no reported problems.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 44
Successful: 44
Per HSTAR 7977, the acquisition at 329/192427Z defaulted to fine lock backup on FGS-1 only, possibly affecting a portion of the proposal described in 1.20.
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 31
Successful: 31
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 98
Successful: 97
2.3 Operations Notes:
The Flight Operations Team returned to the Science Institute on Saturday morning.
Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared fourteen times.
The NSSC-1 status buffer was dumped at 328/1716Z as directed by ROP NS-3.
Per ROP RD-7A, the ESTRs were reconditioned at 331/0327Z.
At 331/0808Z, the engineering status buffer limits were adjusted using ROP DF-18A.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
