Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #2970 – 4 Oct 2001
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #2970
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 10/03/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 10/04/01
Daily Status Report as of 277/0000Z
1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:
1.1 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8936 (Cycle 10 Supplemental Darks
Pt1/3)
The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a dark calibration program that
obtains three dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and
characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. The proposal completed with no
reported problems.
1.2 Completed WF/PC-2 9042 (An Archive To Detect The Progenitors Of
Massive, Core-Collapse Supernovae)
The WF/PC-2 was used to search for supernovae which have massive
star progenitors. The already extensive HST archive and high-resolution
ground-based images of galaxies within ~20 Mpc enables us to resolve and
quantify their individual bright stellar content. As massive, evolved
stars are the most luminous single objects in a galaxy, the progenitors of
core-collapse supernovae should be directly detectable on pre-explosion
images. One Type II progenitor has been observed this year, and the
investigators have proposed a short, companion WFPC2 proposal to confirm
this candidate and identify a second. The observations completed nominally.
1.3 Completed Five Sets of STIS/CCD 9285 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS
Non-scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation III)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make low
galactic latitude, non-scripted parallel observations as part of a POMS
test proposal. The observations were completed as planned, and no
anomalies were reported.
1.4 Completed STIS/CCD 8903 (Bias Monitor – Part 1)
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. There were no problems.
1.5 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 9042 (An Archive To Detect The
Progenitors Of Massive, Core-Collapse Supernovae)
The WF/PC-2 was used to search for supernovae which have massive
star progenitors. The already extensive HST archive and high-resolution
ground-based images of galaxies within ~20 Mpc enables us to resolve and
quantify their individual bright stellar content. As massive, evolved
stars are the most luminous single objects in a galaxy, the progenitors of
core-collapse supernovae should be directly detectable on pre-explosion
images. One Type II progenitor has been observed this year, and the
investigators have proposed a short, companion WFPC2 proposal to confirm
this candidate and identify a second. The observations completed nominally.
1.6 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8901 (Dark Monitor-Part 1)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor
the darks. There was no anomalous activity.
1.7 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 9267 (Supernova Search)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were
used to search for high-redshift supernovae in GO-observed fields, taking
advantage of good first-epoch observations and of the scheduling
opportunities available because STIS is not currently observing. No
anomalous activity was reported.
1.8 Completed Six 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.
1.9 Completed Two Sets of STIS/MA1/MA2 8920 (Cycle 10 MAMA Dark
Measurements)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to
perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise, and is the
primary means of checking on health of the MAMA detectors systems through
frequent monitoring of the background count rate. The proposal completed
with no reported anomalous activity.
1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 9155 (The Cepheid Distance to NGC 1637: A Direct
Comparison with the EPM Distance to SN 1999em)
The WF/PC-2 was used to directly compare distances estimated by two
primary extragalactic distance indicators. T he appearance of supernova
1999em, a bright, extremely well- observed type II plateau event in the
nearby SBc galaxy NGC 1637 offers the best chance to test the consistency
of the Expanding Photosphere Method {EPM} of supernova distance
determination with that derived from Cepheid variable stars. Although EPM
distances have been measured to 18 type II supernovae out to 180 Mpc and
used to determine Hubble’s constant independent of the Cepheid distance,
there have never been any measurements of Cepheids in a galaxy that has
hosted a normal type II-P supernova, the classic variety of core-collapse
event to which EPM-derived distances are most robust. The proposal
completed nominally.
1.11 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9127 (The UV
interstellar Extinction in Nearby Galaxies: M33)
The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1
and MA2) were used to investigate further the dust properties that vary in
different environments and from galaxy to galaxy. The proposers had
previously used HST to determine the UV extinction curve in M31. That
result, together with other studies of the Magellanic Clouds and Milky Way,
suggested that the dust particles vary and the proposers plan to enlarge
the sample by studying the UV extinction properties of dust in M33,
sampling different galactocentric distances and levels of star formation
activity. There were no reported problems.
1.12 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.
1.13 Completed STIS/CCD 9066 (Closing in on the Hydrogen Reionization
Edge of the Universe)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in parallel
constrain the Hydrogen reionization edge in emission that marks the
transition from a neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted
redshifts. The proposal completed uneventfully.
1.14 Completed STIS/CCD 8910 (Sparse Field CTE Test-Internal {Cycle 10})
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. This program needs special commanding to
provide {a} off-center MSM positionings of some slits, and {b} the ability
to read out with any amplifier {A, B, C, or D}. No problems were encountered.
1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 9086 (Investigating the Formation History of
Spiral Galaxy Halos)
The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations in order to constrain the
origin of spiral galaxy halos by studying stellar populations near the tip
of the red giant branch. This will be the first systematic study of this
population in external galaxies and will quadruple the sample of normal
spiral galaxies for which the halo metallicity distribution function is
measured. This larger sample will permit study of the relationship between
the bulge, disk, and halo components and between halos and globular
systems. Such correlations will in turn provide indications as to whether
the halo, bulge, and globular cluster systems built up nearly
simultaneously in the early universe or were accreted over time through
different kinds of merging events. The proposal completed nominally.
2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
Scheduled Acquisitions: 10
Successful: 10
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 5
Successful: 5
2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 24
Successful: 24
2.3 Operations Notes:
Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared twice.
3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:
Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
