Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2857 24 Apr 2001
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2857
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 04/23/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 04/24/01
Daily Status Report as of 114/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Five 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.
1.2 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 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.
1.4 Completed Seven 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.
1.5 Completed WF/PC-2 8820 (Wavelength Stability of Narrow Band and
Linear Ramp Filters)
The WF/PC-2 was used to verify the mapping of wavelength as a
function of CCD position on linear ramp filters and to check for changes in
central wavelengths of the narrow band filters. The proposal completed
nominally.
1.6 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.
1.7 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.
1.8 Completed Four 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.
1.9 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.
1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 8719 (A Continuation Of A Snapshot Survey Of X-
Ray Selected Central Cluster Galaxies)
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.
1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 8677 (Extragalactic Novae: the Maximum Magnitude
– Rate of Decline Relation in NGC 4472)
The WF/PC-2 was used to accomplish two goals: {1} to provide the
first homogeneous observational constraints on theoretical models for novae
outbursts; and {2} to assess the reliability of novae as standard candles
by using WFPC2 to collect well sampled light curves for 20-50 novae in the
supergiant elliptical galaxy NGC 4472, the brightest galaxy within 30
Mpc. Both the length of the observing window and the temporal sampling of
the observations are specifically designed to ensure that the novae peak
magnitudes and decline rates are measured accurately. These data will be
used to construct the first `Maximum Magnitude versus Rate of Decline’
{MMRD} relation for a galaxy beyond the Local Group. This relation is not
only a potentially powerful standard candle, but its shape and dispersion
are directly linked to physical parameters which govern the physics of
novae outbursts such as the white dwarf mass, temperature and mass
accretion rate. The proposal completed with 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 WF/PC-2 8723 (A Snapshot Survey of Galactic Globular
Clusters)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the crowded centers of globular
clusters {GCs} that heretofore have produced intriguing discoveries of new
phenomena, most of which are not understood theoretically. The
observations completed with no reported problems.
1.14 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. The proposal
completed with no reported problems.
1.15 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8606 (Determining the Nature of the
Variable Absorption in AGN: Monitoring NGC 3783 with HST And Chandra)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to
investigate Seyfert 1 galaxies, many of which show intrinsic UV absorption
lines, characterized by high moderate widths, significant outflow
velocities, and variability on time scales as small as days. Seyferts with
UV absorption also show variable X-ray “warm absorbers”, characterized by
O VII and O VIII absorption edges, which suggests a common
origin. Variability monitoring is the key to understanding the absorbers,
by providing their radial locations, densities, and evolution in
ionization, column density, velocity, and coverage of the inner active
nucleus. The proposal completed with no problems.
1.16 Completed Six 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.
1.17 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8643 (Ultraviolet Properties of the Metal
Rich M87 Globular Cluster System)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to
We propose to obtain far-ultraviolet photometry of the metal rich globular
cluster system of the elliptical galaxy M87. This system represents a key
link between the well understood populations of the clusters and the hot
stars in elliptical galaxies, where our physical insight is presently
limited. The goal is to establish the relationship between cluster metal
abundance and the production of UV-bright populations of stars on the
“extreme horizontal branc”‘ at T{eff} > 16000K. No anomalies were reported.
1.18 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.
1.19 Completed STIS/MA1 8561 (The Ionizing Flux from Star-Forming Galaxies)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to measure
the meaningful upper limits on the amount of ionizing radiation from
galaxies in the current epoch. The proposal completed nominally.
1.20 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8569 (A New Survey for Low-Redshift Damped
Lyman-Alpha Lines in QSO MgII Systems)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
support studies which have shown that most of the observable neutral gas
mass in the Universe resides in QSO damped LyAlpha {DLA} systems. However,
at low redshift, DLA can only be found by searching in the UV with HST. By
boot-strapping from the MgII statistics, we will be able to further improve
the determination of the low- redshift statistical properties of DLA {their
incidence and cosmological mass density} and open up new opportunities for
studies at low redshift. The observations completed nominally.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 9
Successful: 9
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 7
Successful: 7
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 15
Successful: 15
2.3 Operations Notes:
HSTAR 8177 was written when the gyro #5 motor current flagged
out-of-limits with a value of 176 at 113/152642Z and then began toggling
between 176 and 182. The yellow limit is 167. After a ZOE ended at
113/1607Z, the motor current reading had returned to nominal.
ROP DF-01A was used to dump 486 table 157 at 113/1830Z
A TTR was written for a late acquisition of signal at 113/1917Z,
resulting in a loss of 31 seconds of engineering data.
The ephemeris table was uplinked at 114/0029Z per ROP DF-07A.
Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared at 114/0116Z.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
