Status Report

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #3060 20 Feb 2002

By SpaceRef Editor

February 20, 2002

Filed under Hubble Space Telescope, Space Telescope Science Institute, US

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #3060

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 02/19/02 – 0000Z (UTC) 02/20/02

Daily Status Report as of 051/0000Z

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 STIS/CCD 9131 (Imaging the Host Galaxies of High Redshift
Type Ia Supernovae)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to complete
the snapshot survey of distant galaxies of known redshift which hosted
supernovae {SNe} of Type Ia found via the Supernova Cosmology Project
{SCP}. No problems were seen.

1.3 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8933 (Decontaminations and
Associated Observations Pt. 2/3)

The WF/PC-2 was used for the monthly decons. Also included were
instrument monitors tied to decons: photometric stability check, focus
monitor, pre- and post-decon internals {bias, intflats, kspots, & darks},
UV throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and internal UV flat check. There were
no reported problems.

1.4 Completed Two Sets of 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 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.

1.6 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8907 (Spectroscopic Flats C10)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain
CCD flats in the spectrographic mode. There were no reported problems.

1.7 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.

1.8 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 9088 (Next Generation Spectral
Library of Stars)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to produce
a “Next Generation” Spectral Library of 600 stars for use in modeling the
integrated light of galaxies and clusters by using the low dispersion UV
and optical gratings of STIS. The library will be roughly equally divided
among four metallicities, very low {Fe/H < -1.5}, low {-1.5 < Fe/H < -0.5}, near-solar {-0.5 < Fe/H < 0.1}, and super-solar {Fe/H > 0.1}, well-sampling
the entire HR-diagram in each bin. Such a library will surpass all extant
compilations and have lasting archival value, well into the Next Generation
Space Telescope era. No problems occurred.

1.9 Completed Eight Sets of WF/PC-2 9318 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII
Parallel Archive Proposal Continuation)

The WF/PC-2 was used to perform the generic target version of the
WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel program. The program was used to take
parallel images of random areas of the sky, following the recommendations
of the Parallels Working Group. There were no reported problems.

1.10 Completed STIS/CCD 9280 (X-Ray Imaging of GPS and CSS Quasars)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to conduct
a survey of GPS and CSS radio-loud quasars, by studying their arcsecond
structure in the X-rays, by searching for X-ray jets, and by searching for
signatures of intermittent AGN activity. The proposal completed nominally.

1.11 Completed STIS/MA2 9573 (NUV-MAMA Daily Dark Monitor)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to perform
daily monitoring of the NUV MAMA detector dark noise in order to monitor
the effects of thermal changes on the NUV dark rate. No problems occurred.

1.12 Completed STIS/CCD 9128 (A Snapshot Survey of Absorption Lines
from High Velocity Clouds in the Milky Way)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to search
for Mg II and Mg I absorption from Galactic High Velocity Clouds {HVCs}
along the sightlines of 51 of the brightest QSOs, BL Lacs and Seyfert 2
galaxies in the sky. The observations completed with no reported problems.

1.13 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1 8590 (UV Imaging and
Spectroscopy of Luminous Blue Compact Galaxies from z=0 to z=1)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) 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.

1.14 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 9319 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII
Backup Parallel Archive Proposal II)

The WF/PC-2 was used to execute a POMS test proposal, designed to
simulate future scientific plans. The proposal completed without incident.

1.15 Completed STIS/CCD 8905 (Read Noise Monitor)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure
the read noise of all the amplifiers {A, B, C, D} on the STIS CCD using
pairs of bias frames. Full frame and binned observations are made in both
Gain 1 and Gain 4, with binning factors of 1×1, 1×2, 2×1 and 2×2. All
exposures are internals. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies.

1.16 Completed STIS/CCD 9068 (Accurate Determination of the BH Mass in
Early-Type Disk Galaxies)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to map the
ionized gas velocity field of three early-type disk galaxies, for which we
will be able to derive high precision BH mass measurements. The sample
galaxies have been selected by means of ground-based high resolution
spectroscopy among 37 observed objects, since it is recognized in their
central regions the clear presence of a circumnuclear Keplerian disk of
ionized disk suitable for dynamical modelling. The proposal completed with
no reported problems.

1.17 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8941 (Cycle 10 UV Earthflats)

The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flat field stability by obtaining
sequences of earth streak flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat
fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set. The proposal had no problems.

1.18 Completed STIS/CCD 9317 (Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform
the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 10. There
were no reported problems.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 10

Successful: 10

Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 6

Successful: 6

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 23

Successful: 23

2.3 Operations Notes:

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

An operations note was executed in order to adjust the battery
re-charge ratio limits for the high Sun time currently in progress.