Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2761 12/04/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2761
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 12/01/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 12/04/00
Daily Status Report as of 339/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 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.
1.2 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.
1.3 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8389 (Illuminating the Galactic Dark Matter)
The WF/PC-2 was used to re-image the HDF in F606W in order to confirm and better determine the proper motions of four MACHO candidates discovered from the comparison of the original December 1995 HDF frames with WFPC2 F814W frames exposed in December 1997. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.4 Completed Fifteen 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.
1.5 Completed Five 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.
1.6 Completed Three 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.
1.7 Completed Four Sets of STIS/CCD 7310 (The Interaction of Accretion Disks with Protostellar Binaries)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to study the interaction of the accretion disk with the protostellar binary systems GH-TAU, XZ-TAU, FV-TAU, and IS-TAU. This should determine how the accretion disk interacts with stars in young binary systems and will measure the rates that mass accumulates onto each component of the pair. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.8 Completed Nine 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.
1.9 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8238 (Collimated Jets and Low Velocity Forbidden Emission from T Tauri Stars)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make observations of the T-Tauri class stars CW-Tauri and DF-Tauri to study its collimated jets and low velocity forbidden emission lines. This is a program of slitless spectroscopy to image both the low velocity component {LVC} and high velocity component of forbidden line emission in single and binary low mass stars undergoing disk accretion. A calibration CCD flat image was also taken. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.
1.10 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.
1.11 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8302 (Lyman-alpha emission in Starburst Galaxies)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to perform a deep study of Ly-alpha emission and destruction in 3 star-forming galaxies. These objects have been already observed with the GHRS and exhibit a variety of situations, with Ly-alpha showing P Cyg profiles, secondary emissions or even a deep damped absorption line with no emission. They also span a range of intrinsic properties: IZW18 is a gas-rich, metal deficient dust free dwarf galaxy, Haro 2 has a simple morphology while IRAS 08339+6517 is a luminous IRAS starburst galaxy with more dust and complex Ly- alpha profile. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.12 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1 8582 (UV Detectability of Bright Quasars in the Sloan Fields)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to examine the He II Ly alpha absorption at 304{1+z} Angstrom which is a far more sensitive tracer of the intergalactic medium {IGM} than its H I counterpart. The recent detections of such absorption in four quasars, albeit with limited data quality and a small sample size, demonstrate the great potential of such a probe. There were no reported problems.
1.13 Completed WF/PC-2 8683 (Imaging Of Brightest Cluster Galaxies: The High End Of The Black Hole Mass Distribution)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make kinematic black hole detections in galaxies to decide whether they indicate that the mass correlates with both optical luminosity and radio power. The observation completed with no reported problems.
1.14 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8691 (Calibrating the Cosmic Meter Stick: The Distance to the LMC Using Eclipsing Binaries)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to measure the LMC distance which is crucial for the calibration of the Cosmic Distance Scale. The observations completed with no reported problems.
1.15 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.
1.16 Completed Three 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.
1.17 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8661 (UV Spectroscopy of the Giant Planet Atmospheres)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to observe the atmosphere of Uranus in the ~1600-3100 Angstrom spectral region. Later, the remaining giant planets, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune will be observed. Analyses of these observations will be used to determine the abundance and altitude profiles of gaseous absorbers and aerosols from the millibar region to hundreds of millibars. The proposal completed with no reported problems.
1.18 Completed WF/PC-2 8814 (Cycle 9 Redleak Check)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain an on-orbit verification of the red leak in UV filters by observing solar analog standard stars in the UV. There were no reported problems.
1.19 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8827 (Cycle 9 Supplemental Darks pt2/3)
The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain three dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. The proposal completed nominally.
1.20 Completed WF/PC-2 8222 (An Emission Line Survey of the Crab Nebula)
The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct an emission line survey of the Crab Nebula (a.k.a., M-1) in the light of emission from O I, S II, and O III, and in a single continuum band. In addition to our specific scientific objectives, this survey will provide a data set that is essential to all future studies of the structure, dynamics, and evolution of the Crab. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were reported.
1.21 Completed WF/PC-2 8599 (A Census of Nuclear Star Clusters in Late-Type Spiral Galaxies)
The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct an I-band snapshot survey of a well-defined sample of nearby, face-on spiral galaxies of type Scd or later. The proposal completed nominally.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 20
Successful: 20
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 25
Successful: 25
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 44
Successful: 44
2.3 Operations Notes:
Using ROP SR-1A, the correctable SSR EDAC errors were cleared six times.
A TTR was written for a required re-transmit at 336/1124Z during a NSSC-1 load.
SI C&DH errors were reset at 336/1128Z, per ROP NS-5.
The on-board bias function was enabled at 336/1137Z and continues to perform nominally. Any differences, generally less than 1.5 arc-seconds per hour, with ground SAC computations were nominal and, in fact, expected. All acquisitions since have been successful, as have FHST full maneuver updates.
As directed by ROP SR-4A, SSR engineering 32k record was commanded at 336/2025Z.
Per ROP DF-18A, the engineering status buffer limits were updated at 337/0839Z.
HSTAR 7986 documents that MCEA mnemonics GAPXBSS3 and GAPXASS3 flagged out-of-limits high at 337/084318Z and 337/084342Z and returned to normal bounds at 337/084533Z and 337/084338Z. Also the mnemonic GAPXASS4 flagged out-of-limits high at 337/084759Z and returned to normal during a ZOE. All violations were for a value of 30.096, the limit being 30.0, and may be traced to recent CCS limit changes.
HG1_GXT flagged low at 9.69 degrees at 337/150729Z for six seconds. Plots generated for the hour surrounding the occurrence indicate that stability had been maintained at 18 degrees, except for the anomalous reading. HSTAR 7987 was written.
Using ROP NS-3, the NSSC-1 status buffer was dumped and reset at 337/1927Z.
Per HSTAR 7988, the Battery 5 impedance flagged high (0.0389197) at 338/075744Z. The upper limit is set at 0.037. At the time of the anomalous activity, the HST was in orbit night with no slews or acquisitions occurring.
ROP IC-2 was used to turn on SSA transmitter at 339/0405Z and to turn it off twenty minutes later.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
