Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #3008 – 30 Nov 2001

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #3008

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 11/29/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 11/30/01

Daily Status Report as of 334/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

1.1 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.

1.2 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.

1.3 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.

1.4 Completed WF/PC-2 9060 (Photometry of a Statistically Significant
Sample of Kuiper Belt Objects)

The WF/PC-2 was used to propel the physical study of KBOs forward
by performing accurate photometry at V, R, and I on a sample of up to 150
KBOs. The sample is made up of objects that will be observed at thermal
infrared wavelengths by SIRTF and will be used with those data to derive
the first accurate diameters and albedos for a large sample of KBOs. The
observations completed nominally.

1.5 Completed STIS/MA2 9096 (Objective-Prism Spectroscopy of Massive
Young Clusters)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to greatly
improve the spatial information by obtaining STIS NUV-MAMA objective-prism
spectroscopy in the 1300-3600 Angstrom range of three nearby extragalactic
regions with a total of ~ 10 MYCs since most of the present knowledge of
the UV spectral properties of massive young clusters {MYCs} is based on IUE
data with marginal spatial resolution. Slitless techniques are seldom
attempted on crowded clusters due to the overlap among different
sources. It is planned to overcome that problem by observing with two
different roll angles, using comparison UV and optical images from the HST
archive. There were no reported problems.

1.6 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.

1.7 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 9048 (Boron Constraints on Slow Mixing in
Low Mass Stars)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
observe the atomic and nuclear characteristics of the light elements Li, Be
and B, that make their photospheric abundances ideal tracers of internal
physical processes in stars. Both Li and Be have been heavily utilized to
this end since their diminished abundances are a direct result of the
extent of internal slow mixing between surface and interior layers, as has
been shown with ground-based data. Boron provides a fresh and special
probe because it survives to greater depths inside stars than does Li or
Be, and can thus uniquely reveal the depth of mixing. It is proposed to
observe B in stars with very large depletions of Li and Be, i.e. stars
which have been the most seriously affected by mixing. No problems occurred.

1.8 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9109 (Mapping the Chromosphere of the K
Supergiant in the Eclipsing Binary 31 Cygni)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, ma1 and MA2) was
used to observe the chromosphere and wind of the supergiant primary in the
long-period {10.36 yr} eclipsing binary 31 Cygni. This binary has the
largest orbital separation relative to primary size {and the least
interaction} of the known Zeta Aur binaries. As described in yesterday’s
report and HSTAR 8408, the acquisition for this proposal defaulted to fine
lock backup on one FGS only thereby possibly affecting the observations in
this iteration. Otherwise, the observations completed with no other
reported problems.

1.9 Completed STIS/CCD 9143 (Spectrophotometry of Nearby Seyfert 2
Nuclei: Can We Eliminate the Seyfert 2 Class?)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to
investigate Seyfert 2s that are distinguished by the absence of the broad
emission lines characteristic of Seyfert 1s and more luminous QSOs. Are
Seyfert 2s fundamentally different from Seyfert 1s and their brighter
cousins? Or is the broad emission line region in Seyfert 2s simply
suppressed by obscuring material as postulated by the unification
model? If the latter model is correct, the weak broad emission lines in
the Seyfert 2s may simply be overwhelmed by starlight from the
circumnuclear region, particularly in the case of recent star
formation. It is proposed to determine if all Seyfert 2s have {weak} broad
emission line regions by obtaining long-slit STIS spectroscopy for a
well-defined sample of 20 Seyfert 2s {3 archival, 17 new}. The
observations completed with no anomalous activity.

1.10 Completed Four Sets of FGS/1 9169 (An Interferometric Harvest of
Double Degenerates)

Fine Guidance Sensor #1R was used to observe the white dwarf mass
and age distributions that hold clues to the star formation history of our
Galaxy and the age of the disk. No problems were reported.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 11

Successful: 11

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 1

Successful: 1

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 27

Successful: 27

2.3 Operations Notes:

Per NS-3, the NSSC-1 status buffer was dumped and reset at
333/1040Z. Another such dump was performed at 333/1848Z.

A CCS engineering status buffer limit (SESBSLD) was adjusted at
333/1201Z, using ROP DF-18A.

Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared at 333/1314Z.

As directed by ROP NS-5, SI C&DH errors were reset three times.

Per an operations request, retracted the FOC MA and M2 arms and
placed the COSTAR DOB in the launch position at 333/1557Z in preparation
for SM3B.

NSSC-1 flight software 7.5.2 installation began a 333/1728Z and was
nominally completed at 334/000023Z. The 7.5.2 dump and compare contained
no miscompares. The WF/PC-2 replacement heaters were commanded to cool
WF/PC-2 bays 1 and 4 temperatures. The switch to 7.5.2 occurred at
333/2255Z. Nominal NSSC-1 performance was observed, then the WF/PC-2 POM
position in the standard header packet was modified. Finally, the new
NSSC-1 memory load was uplinked, the ATP pointer was set and the SMS began
normal execution starting at 334/084129Z.

Per HSTAR 8409, at 334/011415Z, the WF/PC-2 bench temperature
(UFMBHTMP) flagged out-of-limits high at 14.01 (the limit is 14.0).

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.