Status Report

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2831 – 19 Mar 2001

By SpaceRef Editor
March 19, 2001
Filed under ,

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #2831

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 03/16/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 03/19/01

Daily Status Report as of 078/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

1.1 Completed Twelve 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.

1.2 Completed Two Sets of 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. The proposal
completed with no reported problems.

1.3 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8698 (Identification of the Galaxy’s
Missing Mass)

The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the nature of dark matter that is
one of the key astrophysical questions of the day. The existence of dark
matter and its dynamical dominance in the outer parts of our Galaxy and
spiral galaxies with flat rotation curves is well established. The MACHO
project has identified ~half of the Milky Way’s dark matter with stellar
objects of ~0.5 M_sun, probably white dwarfs. But the location of the
microlensing in the halo is disputed. Several have detected two candidate
halo white dwarfs of L/L_sun ~ 10^-5 in the Hubble Deep Field with 25 +/- 5
mas/year proper motions. The observations completed with no reported problems.

1.4 Completed Seven 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.

1.5 Completed Six 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.

1.6 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1 8625 (The Metallicity of Gas
in the Local Universe: Beyond the Milky Way)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to
obtain spectra of three QSO/AGN which lie behind nearby galaxies in order
to measure the metallicity of the interstellar gas at the present epoch
beyond the local group. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies.

1.7 Completed Five 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.

1.8 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.

1.9 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8817 (Cycle 9 INTFLAT Sweeps and
Linearity Test)

The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain INTFLAT observations in order to
monitor the pixel to pixel flatfield response and provide a linearity
check. The INTFLAT sequences, to be done once during the year, are similar
to those from the Cycle 8 program 8448. The images will provide a backup
database in the event of complete failure of the VISFLAT lamp as well as
allow monitoring of the gain ratios. The sweep is a complete set of
internal flats, cycling through both shutter blades and both gains. The
linearity test consists of a series of INTFLATs in F555W, in each gain and
each shutter. There was no anomalous activity.

1.10 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8591 (The Smallest Nuclear Black Holes)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe
small nuclear black holes which are the last major unexplored part of BH
parameter space, searching for the smallest BHs that HST can possibly
find. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies.

1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 8686 (LINERs in Early-type Galaxies: Ionized by
the UV-upturn Population?)

The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate the presence of extended
ionized gas with LINER spectra in a large fraction {60-70%} of early-type
galaxies. The observations completed with no reported anomalies.

1.12 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.

1.13 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8865 (Bias Monitor-Part 2)

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 with no anomalous activity.

1.14 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8815 (Cycle 9 Earth Flats)

The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flatfield stability. This proposal
obtains sequences of Earth streak flats to construct high quality flat
fields for the WF/PC-2 filter set. These flat fields will allow mapping of
the OTA illumination pattern and will be used in conjunction with previous
internal and external flats to generate new pipeline superflats. The
proposal completed nominally.

1.15 Completed STIS/CCD 8808 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS Non-Scripted
Parallel Proposal Continuation III)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make
non-scripted, parallel observations as part of a POMS test proposal. The
observations completed with no anomalous activity.

1.16 Completed Three Sets of 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.

1.17 Completed STIS/MA1 8582 (UV Detectability of Bright Quasars in the
Sloan Fields)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) 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.

1.18 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8107 (What is the Nature of the Cold Medium
in Cooling Flow Clusters?)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to
observe X-ray spectra of cooling flow clusters of galaxies in an attempt to
discover the presence of large columns of “cold” absorbing material. The
proposal completed with no reported problems.

1.19 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.

1.20 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8867 (Gamma-Ray Bursts: Discovering
The Progenitors And Understanding The Explosion – Visits A0-R0)

The WF/PC-2 was used to observe a gamma-ray burster,
GRB000926. Gamma-ray burst astronomy, one of the most active and exciting
frontiers in astrophysics, is now entering a critical stage — with
dramatic leaps in understanding of these events, as well as new
discoveries. Improvements in triggering and positioning accuracy provided
by the SAX and HETE-2 gamma-ray satellites will allow entirely new classes
of events to be studied. Given the recent progress in this field, the
proposers are now in a position to design precision, broadband measurements
that can provide quantitative information on the as-yet unknown energy
sources, the explosion geometry, and the surrounding medium. In
particular, the growing evidence of an intimate connection between SNe and
GRBs can be definitively tested. The proposal completed with no reported
problems.

1.21 Completed WF/PC-2 8719 (A Continuation Of A Snapshot Survey Of X-
Ray Selected Central Cluster Galaxies0

The WF/PC-2 was used to perform snapshot images of a representative
subset of the central cluster galaxies from an X-ray selected cluster
sample that would provide important constraints on the formation and
evolution of dust in cluster cores that cannot be obtained from
ground-based observations. The observations completed as planned.

1.22 Completed STIS/MA2 8590 (UV Imaging and Spectroscopy of Luminous
Blue Compact Galaxies from z=0 to z=1)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to observe
two well-defined samples of low-mass starburst galaxies, one in the local
universe {z<0.1} and another at intermediate redshifts {0.2 < z < 0.7}. Both samples show optical sizes, morphologies, emission line widths, and luminosities comparable to those of LBGs at z=3, and are therefore probably the best local analogs and testbeds for further study of LBGs. Our main goals are to: {1} explore the morphologies, surface brightness distributions, and half-light radii of nearby starforming galaxies in the FUV, near Ly-alpha; {2} search for systematic differences among UV, optical, and near-IR morphologies and structural parameters; {3} investigate the intrinsic emission and absorption spectra near Ly-alpha of starbursting dwarf galaxies, with special attention to Ly- alpha profiles and interstellar and stellar photospheric absorption from Si II, O I, C II, Si IV, and C IV; {4} measure their FUV-optical colors and dust extinction properties; and {5} test the hypothesis that low-mass starbursts are the local counterparts of LBGs. The observation completed normally.

1.23 Completed WF/PC-2 8581 (A Search For Low-Mass Companions To
Ultracool Dwarfs)

The WF/PC-2 was used to search for very low-mass {VLM} companions
to a complete sample of 120 late-M and L dwarfs, drawn mainly from the
2MASS and SDSS surveys. The primary goal is to determine the multiplicity
of M < 0.1 M_odot dwarfs. In particular, we aim to identify binary systems suitable for long-term astrometric monitoring and mass measurement, and systems with cool, sub-1000K companions. The proposal completed with no reported problems.

1.24 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8840 (Read Noise Monitor)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure
the read noise of all the amplifiers on the STIS CCD using pairs of bias
frames. Full frame and binned observations are made in both Gain 1 and
Gain 4, with binning factors of 1 x 1, 1 x 2, 2 x 1 and 2 x 2. All
exposures are internals. The observations completed with no reported problems.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 23

Successful: 23

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 14

Successful: 14

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 40

Successful: 40

2.3 Operations Notes:

Due to the instability of the HST Network and to aid with ongoing
troubleshooting, the Flight Operations Team (FOT) transferred operations
from the SIMOR to the Building 23 control room at 075/1800Z. This move
allowed the FOT to rapidly switch to an isolated network mode in the event
of an HST network outage. Isolation did begin at 076/1622Z and continued
until 077/0240Z. The FOT then transferred to the Mission Operations Room
in Building 3 at 077/1430Z.

Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared ten times.

Two TTRs were written for required re-transmits during command load
uplinks.

SI C&DH errors were reset at 076/1356Z per ROP NS-05.

The SSR was configured for autonomous engineering record at
078/0622Z and at 078/0847Z as directed by ROF-SR-8A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

SpaceRef staff editor.