Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2799 12/14/00
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2769
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 12/13/00 – 0000Z (UTC) 12/14/00
Daily Status Report as of 349/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed WF/PC-2 8829 (Observatory Focus Monitor)
The WF/PC-2 was used to analyze the HST focus which drifts slowly and shows evidence of undergoing slips of a few microns at random times. The rate of the WFPC2 monitoring program is insufficient to track and/or understand OTA behavior in order to request timely and appropriate secondary mirror corrections. This 14-orbit program obtains a large amount of high signal to noise focus data, sometimes in two Science Instruments at once, and will be sufficient to more accurately define the HST
focus. There were no reported problems.
1.2 Completed Six 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.
1.3 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. As described in HSTAR 8004 and yesterday’s report, the acquisition for the second iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting one
observation. Otherwise, he proposal completed nominally.
1.4 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.
1.5 Completed FGS/2R 8831 (Long Term Stability in Transfer Mode)
Fine Guidance Sensor #2R was used to continue a SMOV3a proposal and a cycle 8 calibration proposal to monitor the FGS2R S-curves during its first 1.5 years in orbit. The standard star Upgren69, known to be a point source at FGS resolution, will be observed in Transfer Mode at the center of the FGS2R FOV using both the F583W filter and the 2/3 PUPIL stop. As described in HSTAR 8004 and yesterday’s report, the acquisition for this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting nine astrometry sets. Otherwise, the observations completed with no further reported problems.
1.6 Completed Four 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 WF/PC-2 8602 (A Snapshot Survey of the Sites of Recent, Nearby Supernovae)
The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct a snapshot survey in V and I of the sites of the nearby SNe, which have precisely known positions, to obtain high-resolution information on their local environment. As described in HSTAR 8004 and yesterday’s report, the acquisition for this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting two observations. Otherwise, the proposal completed with no further reported problems.
1.8 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.
1.9 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.
1.10 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.
1.11 Completed STIS/CCD 8291 (The Alpha-Element/Iron Ratio in Starburst Populations)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe A and F supergiants in NGC1569, the closest starburst galaxy. Spectra around 6200 Angstrom taken with the G750M grating will be used to determine element abundances of Fe and several Alpha-elements. The galaxy has experienced a strong starburst over the past few hundred Myr and possibly only very few and much less intense episodes of star formation at earlier epochs. Chemical evolution models predict a significant Alpha/Fe enhancement in the galaxy. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies.
1.12 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.
1.13 Completed 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.
1.14 Completed Three 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.
1.15 Completed 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 system FS-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.
1.16 Completed 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 star DF-Tauri and 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.
1.17 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.
1.18 Completed 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.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 7
Successful: 7
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 5
Successful: 5
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 20
Successful: 20
2.3 Operations Notes:
The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared twice per ROP SR-1A.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
