Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #3011 – 5 Dec 2001
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #3011
PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 12/04/01 – 0000Z (UTC) 12/05/01
Daily Status Report as of 339/0000Z
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 Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8940 (Cycle 10 Earth Flats)
The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flatfield stability by obtaining
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 without incident.
1.3 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8937 (Cycle 9 Supplemental Darks pt2/3)
The WF/PC-2 was used obtain three dark frames every day to provide
data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. No
problems were encountered.
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 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.
1.6 Completed WF/PC-2 8568 (A Seminal Spectroscopic and Imagery
Investigation of the Brightest Wolf-Rayet Shell Nebula: NGC 6888)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe Nebula {WRSN}, NGC 6888. The
physical conditions in the wind-driven and/or stellar ejected plasma
{temperature, density, ionization, and composition} of WRSN, which are
dominated by strong stellar winds from hot massive stars in an advanced
state of evolution, often involve emission from both shock-ionized and
photoionized gas in close proximity. These new observations will comprise
the first combined spectroscopy and imagery of a WRSN at a resolution
sufficient to separate and individually analyze these two emission
regions. The proposal completed nominally with no reported problems.
1.7 Completed Six Sets of WF/PC-2 8935 (Cycle 10 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.
1.8 Completed Three 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.
1.9 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8942 (Cycle 10 Intflat Sweeps and
Linearity Test)
The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor the pixel-to-pixel flatfield
response and provide a linearity check. These intflat sequences are done
once during the year and the images will provide a backup database in the
event of complete failure of the visflat lamp as well as allow monitoring
of the gain ratios. There were no reported problems.
1.10 Completed STIS/CCD 8611 (Observations of Nearby Type Ia Supernovae)
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain
UV spectra of five nearby {0.02 < z < 0.08} SNe Ia in the Hubble Flow. The
spectra will be taken at weekly intervals over a range in time starting
slightly before maximum light and extending to +30 days. These
observations will accomplish the following three goals: {1} calibration of
the rest frame UV light curves of SNe Ia and an assessment of their
potential use as distance indicators through UV light curve shape analyses.
{2} improvement in our understanding of the physics of SNe Ia,
metallicity/evolutionary effects and correlations between peak brightness
and UV spectral features. {3} calibration of the SNe Ia previously observed
by HST at high-redshift. This data is crucial for proper cross-filter
k-corrections and calibration of the supernova photometry. The
observations completed with no reported anomalous activity.
1.11 Completed Two 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.
1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 9118 (Tracing the Cosmic Expansion to z>1 with
Type Ia Supernovae)
The WF/PC-2 was used to observe type Ia supernovae in order to 1.13 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8900 (Performance Monitor) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure 1.14 Completed STIS/CCD 9143 (Spectrophotometry of Nearby Seyfert 2 The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to 1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 9180 (Gamma-ray Burst Progenitors: Probing Their The Wf/PC-2 was used to perform a target of opportunity observation 2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: 2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions: Scheduled Acquisitions: 4 Successful: 4 Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 11 Successful: 11 2.2 FHST Updates: Scheduled: 9 Successful: 9 2.3 Operations Notes: The SSR-3 EDAC error counter was cleared at 338/2052Z per ROP SR-9A. Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR-1 EDAC error counter was cleared at CCS string “B” was configured for Prime Operations at 339/0622Z. 3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS: Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.
provide evidence for an accelerating universe. The case for cosmic
acceleration rests almost entirely on the observation that the observed SN
Ia at z~0.5 are 0.25 magnitudes fainter than expected for a
non-accelerating Universe. It is proposed to follow five SN Ia in the
range 0.95
straightforward way to assess the reliability of the SN Ia
measurements. In addition, if SN Ia are reliable standard candles, the
proposed observations will significantly increase the precision with which
Omega_Lambda and Omega_M are measured. There was no reported anomalous
activity.
the baseline performance and commandability of the CCD subsystem. All
exposures are internals. The observations completed normally.
Nuclei: Can We Eliminate the Seyfert 2 Class?)
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.
Environment)
of gamma ray burster (GRB), GRB-011121. GRB astronomy is a field maturing
at a phenomenal rate. Three important new observational and theoretical
discoveries, formulated over the last twelve months, allow the proposer to
address new, and in many cases, more sophisticated questions than could
have been posed previously. These developments: the discovery of X-ray
lines in GRB 991216; the observation that N_H as deduced from X-ray
afterglow are one to two orders of magnitude larger than the dust
extinction inferred from optical afterglow; and the growing realization
that the afterglow emission may exhibit features of dust echoes, appear to
offer unexpected and new diagnostics that will directly inform us about the
progenitor, the circum-progenitor material and the immediate interstellar
environs. There were no reported problems.
338/2053Z and at 339/0223Z.
