Status Report

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2840 – 30 Mar 2001

By SpaceRef Editor

March 30, 2001

Filed under Space Telescope Science Institute, US

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #2840

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 03/29/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 03/30/01

Daily Status Report as of 089/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

1.1 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.

1.2 Completed Two 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.

1.3 Completed Four 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.

1.4 Completed 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.

1.5 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8632 (A UV Atlas of Nearby Galaxies)

1.6 Completed Six Sets of STIS/CCD 9248 (Probing the Large Scale
Structure: Cosmic Shear Observations)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure
the distortion of light bundles from distant galaxies that probe the
statistical properties of the intervening inhomogeneous {dark} matter
distribution. Its tidal gravitational field distorts the observable image
shapes thereby causing a coherent ellipticity pattern {Cosmic Shear}. The
observations completed nominally.

1.7 Completed STIS/MA1 8650 (The Interplanetary Medium Hydrogen
Velocity Distribution)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to observe
the neutral atoms from the interstellar medium {ISM} flow into the solar
system which produce a diffuse emission at 1216 Angstrom by resonant
scattering of solar H Ly-alpha emission. This wind contains the velocity
distribution of the local ISM, plus modifications by solar gravity,
radiation pressure, and ionization near the Sun, and the Ly-alpha emission
line profile reveals these velocity signatures. The observations completed
nominally, with no reported problems.

1.8 Completed WF/PC-2 9244 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII Parallel Archive
Proposal Continuation)

The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a generic target version of the
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 observations completed with no anomalous
activity.

1.9 Completed Two Sets of 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.

1.10 Completed Three 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.

1.11 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.

1.12 Completed Two Sets of 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.

1.13 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.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 12

Successful: 12

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 0

Successful: 0

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 18

Successful: 18

2.3 Operations Notes:

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

A series of special pointing slews to the Comet Kojima were
generated at 088/1500Z to support the third iteration of the proposal
detailed in 1.10.