Status Report

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2842 — 3 Apr 2001

By SpaceRef Editor

April 3, 2001

Filed under Space Telescope Science Institute, US

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #2842

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 04/02/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 04/03/01

Daily Status Report as of 093/0000Z

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 Three 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.

1.3 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.

1.4 Completed Five 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.

1.5 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.

1.6 Completed FGS/1 8774 (Calibrating the Mass-Luminosity Relation at
the End of the Main Sequence)

FGS-1R was used to calibrate the mass-luminosity relation {MLR} for
stars less massive than 0.2 Msun, with special emphasis on objects near the
stellar/brown dwarf border. Our goals are to determine Mv values to 0.10
magnitude, masses to 5%, and more than double the number of objects with
masses determined to be less than 0.20 Msun. The proposal completed with
no reported problems.

1.7 Completed Four Sets of 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.

1.8 Completed 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.

1.9 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8662 (A Snapshot Survey of the Hot
Interstellar Medium)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD And MA1) was used to
obtain snapshot STIS echelle observations of key tracers of hot
interstellar gas {C IV, N IV, and Si IV} for selected FUSE Team O VI survey
targets with known UV fluxes. By taking advantage of the snapshot
observing mode we will efficiently obtain a large number of spectra
suitable for the study of the highly ionized hot component of the
interstellar medium {ISM}. Our goals are to explore the physical
conditions in and distribution of such gas, as well as to explore the
nature of the interfaces between the hot ISM and the other interstellar gas
phases. The observations completed with no reported problems.

1.10 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8472 (Key Project: Demographics Of
Nuclear Black Holes Observations)

The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were
used to investigate the detection of supermassive black holes {BHs} in
normal galaxies which is one of the grand challenges that HST was designed
to meet. During this program, the kinematics of nuclear gas disks in the
target galaxies will be measured. The proposal completed with no reported
problems.

1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 8812 (Cycle 9 Internal Monitor)

The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain routine internal monitors for WFPC2
in order to monitor the health of the cameras. A variety of internal
exposures are obtained in order to provide a monitor of the integrity of
the CCD camera electronics in both bays {gain 7 and gain 15}, a test for
quantum efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for possible buildup of
contaminants on the CCD windows. There were no reported problems.

1.12 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8811 (Cycle 9 Standard Darks)

The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain dark frames every week in order to
provide data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current rate, and
to monitor and characterize the evolution of hot pixels. Over an extended
period these data will also provide a monitor of radiation damage to the
CCDs. The proposal completed with no reported problems.

1.13 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.

1.14 Completed 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.

1.15 Completed Four Sets of STIS/CCD 8851 (Sparse Field CTE test {Cycle 9})

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform
CTE measurements that are made using the “sparse field test”, along both
the serial and parallel axes. The proposal completed with no reported
anomalies.

1.16 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8577 (Ozone, Condensates, and Dust
in the Martian Atmosphere)

The WF/PC-2 was used to study the spatial and seasonal variations
in ozone, condensates, and dust in the Martian atmosphere. The data
obtained promise to be critical in addressing recent breakthroughs in
understanding the basic radiative, transport, and microphysical processes
that provide for both long-term and short-term balance within the global
Mars climate system. There were no reported problems.

1.17 Completed WF/PC-2 8773 (Expansion Parallax Distances to Planetary
Nebulae)

The WF/PC-2 was used to observe planetary nebulae {PNe} for which
the lack of reliable distances is especially troubling. Acquired by
generalized statistical methods in all but a handful of cases, individual
PNe distances are often uncertain by factors of two or more. The
observations completed nominally.

1.18 Completed 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.

1.19 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: 8

Successful: 8

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 8

Successful: 8

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 20

Successful: 19

The update at 092/1146Z failed.

2.3 Operations Notes:

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