Status Report

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2820 2 Mar 2001

By SpaceRef Editor
March 2, 2001
Filed under ,

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #2820

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 03/01/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 03/02/01

Daily Status Report as of 061/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

1.1 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8770 (The Nucleosynthesis of Boron –
Benchmarks for the Galactic Disk)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
determine boron (B) abundance. In spite of several HST cycles of B
abundance determinations, we do not know the true, ambient, present-day
abundance of B. Only two stars {with undepleted Li and Be} have been
observed to derive the Population I true B abundance. Past cycles have
focused on {1} halo stars with low metallicity and {2} solar-type stars
with Li and/or Be deficiencies. In this proposal, the stellar abundances
of B will be determined, measured from the B I 2497 Angstrom line from STIS
echelle spectra, of main sequence F-G stars that have retained their full
initial abundances of boron. Our target stars are those for which
ground-based observations show that beryllium is undepleted. These new
abundances will map evolution of the B abundance in the Galactic disk in
the metallicity range from one-third solar up to solar. Then the B, and
previously determined Li and Be abundances, will be used to improve
understanding of the nucleosynthesis of B. There were no reported anomalies.

1.2 Completed Two 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.

1.3 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.

1.4 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8864 (CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor
the darks for the CCD. The proposal completed nominally.

1.5 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8583 (Imaging Snapshots of Asteroids)

The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain images of the fifty largest main
belt asteroids that have favorable apparitions during cycle 9. The images
will be searched for companion bodies, as well as mineralogical variegation
on the resolved main bodies. There were no reported problems.

1.6 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.

1.7 Completed FGS-1 8731 (A High Angular Resolution Survey of the Most
Massive Stars in the SMC)

Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was 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.

1.8 Completed STIS/CCD 8865 (Bias Monitor-Part 2)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph 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 with no anomalous activity.

1.9 Completed FGS/1 8616 (Masses of Pre-Main Sequence Binaries)

The Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to continue mapping the orbits
of young star binaries in the Taurus and Ophiuchus star forming
regions. Our goal is to measure their masses dynamically. This is
important because there are still no low mass young stars with reliably
known masses so calculations of their evolution to the main sequence are
uncalibrated. There were no reported problems.

1.10 Completed FGS-1 8783 (Orbits of Pre-Main Sequence Binaries)

FGS #1 was used to dynamically measure the masses of low mass
pre-main sequence stars. The proposal completed with no reported problems.

1.11 Completed STIS/CCD 8884 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS Non-Scripted
Parallel Proposal Continuation)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to take
parallel images of random areas of the sky. The proposal completed nominally.

1.12 Completed Five 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. The observations completed with no reported problems.

1.13 Completed Two Sets of STIS/MA2 8843 (Cycle 9 MAMA Dark Measurements)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to perform
the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise. The proposal
completed nominally.

1.14 Completed STIS/MA1 8862 (FUV-MAMA Cycle 9 Flats)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to obtain
FUV-MAMA observations of the internal Krypton lamp to construct an FUV flat
applicable to all FUV modes. No problems were encountered.

1.15 Completed STIS/MA2 8863 (NUV-MAMA Cycle 9 Flats)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to obtain
NUV-MAMA observations of the internal Deuterium lamp to construct an NUV
flat applicable to all NUV modes. There were no reported problems.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 13

Successful: 13

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 3

Successful: 3

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 25

Successful: 23

As documented in HSTAR 8092, the full maneuver updates scheduled
for 061/002846Z and at 061/003131Z failed due to tracker #3. The
subsequent guide star acquisition was successful.

2.3 Operations Notes:

The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared three times per ROP SR-1A.

The engineering status buffer limits were cleared at 061/0848Z,
using ROP DF-18A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

SpaceRef staff editor.