Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #3104 – 29 Apr 2002

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT #3104

PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 04/26/02 – 0000Z (UTC) 04/29/02

Daily Status Report as of 119/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

1.1 Nine Sets of ACS/WFC/HRC 8947 (Weekly Test)

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to perform
basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the development of hot pixels and
test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This program will be
executed at least once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS. There were no
problems reported.

1.2 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9113 (Solar UV Radiation and the Origin
of Life on Earth)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was
used to observe chromospheric models that will enable the proposers to
predict the extreme-UV emission of the early Sun and its consequences for
the erosion of the early Earth’s atmosphere and the altered oxidation state
of the planet, and investigate the effect of metallicity on the UV emission
and its consequences for the photochemistry of Earth-like planets. There
was no anomalous activity.

1.3 Completed Nine 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 PurÉûŸurallel 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.

1.4 Completed Eight Sets of ACS/WFC 9575 (Default {Archival} Pure
Parallel Program)

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC) was used to test ACS pure
parallels in POMS. There were no reported problems.

1.5 Completed Twenty-eight Sets of NICMOS/1/2/3 8945 (Cooling System
Monitoring)

The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Camera (NIC1, NIC2 and
NIC3) was used 1) to measure NICMOS detector performance during the
cool-down and steady state operation of the NCS. 2}. to demonstrate
stability {+/-0.1K} of the NICMOS detector temperature at the optimal
science operating temperature. and 3}.to demonstrate repeatability {+/-0.1
K} of NICMOS detector temperature following changes from the optimal
science operating temperature. As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8628, the
acquisition of the ninth iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock
backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting the observations in this
iteration. No other problems were encountered.

1.6 Completed Twenty 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.

1.7 Completed Eight 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 Six Sets of STIS/CCD 8902 (Dark Monitor-Part 2)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor
the darks. No problems were reported.

1.9 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 9180 (Gamma-ray Burst Progenitors:
Probing Their Environment)

The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a target of opportunity observation
of gamma ray burster (GRB), GRB-020405. 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.

1.10 Completed Seven Sets of 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.

1.11 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8904 (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 in order to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution
of hot columns. The proposal completed with no anomalous activity.

1.12 Completed Three Sets of ACS/WFC/HRC 9566 (CCD Hot Pixel Annealing)

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to perform
hot pixel annealing that will be performed once per month. The CCD TECs
will be turned off and heaters will be activated to bring the WFC detector
temperature to about +10C. The HRC temperature will reach about 30C. This
state will be held for approximately 24 hours, after which the heaters are
turned off, the TECs turned on, and the CCDs returned to normal operating
condition. The proposal completed without incident.

1.13 Completed Three Sets of STIS/MA2 9573 (NUV-MAMA Daily Dark Monitor)
Abstract

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
perform daily monitoring of the NUV MAMA detector dark noise, monitoring
the effects of thermal changes on the NUV dark rate. No anomalous activity
was noted.

1.14 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA2 9161 (The Ultraviolet
Properties of Obscured QSOs)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
observe a subset of The Two Micron All-Sky Survey {2MASS} -discovered QSOs
to: 1} determine if UV absorption- line features are present as seen in
several other highly polarized AGN populations; 2} test relationships
between X-ray and UV/optical attenuation, AGN spectral type, optical
polarization, and detected UV absorption-line features; and 3} characterize
the spectral energy distributions and UV properties of obscured
QSOs. There were no problems.

1.15 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 9146 (Cepheid Masses: Y Car)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to
examine the quantitative understanding of classical Cepheids in order to
provide confidence in their use as primary extragalactic distance
indicators, as well as in the understanding of the evolution of more
massive stars and more evolved stars. All observations completed nominally.

1.16 Completed STIS/CCD 9050 (Outflow Collimation in Bipolar Symbiotic
Nebulae)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe
flow collimation in evolved stars that is neither expected nor
understood. Classical theories of stellar evolution do not predict and
cannot explain this bipolarity. More exotic concepts {binary interactions,
spun-up atmospheres, poloidal or toroidal magnetized winds} have been
proposed, but observations are yet to verify or falsify any of their
predictions. This proposal will probe the near-nuclear morphology and
kinematics of four bright, low-extinction targets whose large-scale
structure is highly bipolar. The goal is to provide a detailed description
of the circumnuclear outflows, to uncover the physical structure and nature
of the collimator, and to evaluate the speculative collimation
mechanisms. The bright nucleus has hampered efforts to explore the nebular
collimators that lie close to the star, so we’ll use STIS to disperse the
nuclear light and, thus, to avoid its glare. A secondary goal is to obtain
second-epoch WFPC2 images of all targets. There were no reported problems.

1.17 Completed FGS/1 9168 (The Distances to AM CVn Stars)

Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) #1R was used to determine the parallaxes
and proper motions of the five brightest of the seven known AM CVn
systems. AM CVn systems are binaries where mass is transferred from a
completely hydrogen-deficient, degenerate mass donor to a white dwarf
primary through a helium accretion disk. A better understanding of these
systems is crucial for a number of reasons: (1) to study the late stages of
binary evolution, (2) to study the effect of chemical composition on the
physics of accretion discs, (3) to estimate their contribution to the
Supernovae Ia rate, and (4) to estimate their contribution to the
gravitational radiation background. All observations completed with no
reported problems.

1.18 Completed Four Sets of 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}. As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8628, the acquisition of the first
iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only,
possibly affecting the observations in this iteration. No other problems
were seen.

1.19 Completed Three 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. As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8628, the
acquisition of the first iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock
backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting the observations in this
iteration. Otherwise, the proposal completed without further incident.

1.20 Completed Six Sets of NICMOS/1/2/3 8944 (Filter Wheel/Mechanisms
Mini-Functional Test)

The Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Camera (NIC1, NIC2 and
NIC3) was used to perform an early engineering test to verify the
aliveness, functionality, operability, and electro-mechanical calibration
of the NICMOS filter wheel motors and assembly. This was the first use of
the NICMOS filter wheel mechanisms since they were disabled by ground
command in January, 1999. This test was designed to obviate concerns over
possible deformation or breakage of the fitter wheel “soda-straw” shafts
due to excess rotational drag torque and/or bending moments which may be
imparted due to changes in the dewar metrology from warm-up/cool-down. No
anomalous incident occurred.

1.21 Completed Five Sets of STIS/CCD 9077 (Survey of the LMC Planetary
Nebulae)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform
a snapshot survey of all known LMC planetary nebulae {PNe} in order to
study the co-evolution of the nebulae and their central stars, and to probe
the chemical enrichment history of the LMC. There were no reported problems.

1.22 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/MA2 8675 (The Massive Star Content of NGC 6822)

The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) were
used to characterize the young, coeval stellar population discovered with
WFPC2 multiband imaging in a NGC6822 star-forming region, with follow-up
spectroscopy of the massive star candidates. The proposal completed with
no reported problems.

1.23 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 9090 (Transition Region Emission in Very
Low Mass Stars)

The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to
determine the origin of the magnetic heating which produces hot outer
atmospheres in late-type stars and is one of the most interesting, and
elusive, problems in stellar astrophysics. No anomalies were encountered.

1.24 Completed FGS/1 9089 (Parallaxes of Cataclysmic Variables:
Understanding Their Peculiar Secondary Stars)

Fine Guidance Sensor #1R was used to measure precise parallaxes for
three additional CVs {WZ Sge, RU Peg, and YZ Cnc}, whose orbital periods
span a much larger range than explored in previous observations, allowing
examination of how the accretion luminosity and secondary star change with
orbital period. There were no problems.

1.25 Completed FGS/1 9183 (Completing the Astrometric Orbit for a Pair
of Pre-Main Sequence Low-Mass Stars)

Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to resolve a visual binary that is
part of the closest system of pre-main sequence stars, HD 98800. This
system is 50 pc away and this binary has a period just under a year,
meaning the separation is about 20 milliarcsec. The two stars have similar
brightnesses. The goal is to determine an astrometric orbit which, when
combined with radial velocity observations, leads to the first
dynamically-determined masses for low-mass pre-main sequence stars. All
observations completed normally.

1.26 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.

1.27 Completed WF/PC-2 9043 (Cepheid Distances to Early-type Galaxies)

The WF/PC-2 was used to continue observations in the HST Key
Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale and the HST project on the
“Calibration of Nearby Type Ia Supernovae” that have greatly improved our
knowledge of the Hubble Constant by providing a solid zero point for the
Tully- Fisher {TF} relation and Type Ia Supernovae {SNIa}. However, severe
inconsistencies remain for distance estimators to early-type galaxies such
as surface brightness fluctuations {SBF}, the planetary nebula luminosity
function {PNLF}, the fundamental plane {FP}, and the globular cluster
luminosity function {GCLF}. As a result, the distance to the Virgo cluster
core remains uncertain by as much as 20 determination is directly affected
by a lingering 0.1 mag {5 uncertainty in the photometric calibration of the
WFPC2. Resolving these issues is essential not only to firm up the
extragalactic distance scale, but also to understand the mass and velocity
structure of the local universe. SBF in particular is emerging as the
method of choice for mapping local velocity fields to 10, 000 kms because
it offers an order of magnitude less Malmquist bias than TF, and SNIa are
too rare to study large scale flows effectively. This project will tighten
the photometric calibration of the WFPC2, and provide a solid Cepheid
calibration for SBF and PNLF. The observations completed nominally.

1.28 Completed STIS/CCD 8687 (Elliptical Galaxies With Nuclear Disks of
Stars: Black Hole Search and Stellar Populations)

The Space telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe
galaxy NGC 5845 to search for supermassive black holes {BHs}. The
observations completed and no anomalous activity occurred.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

Scheduled Acquisitions: 22

Successful: 22

Per HSTAR 8628, the acquisition at 116/163308Z defaulted to fine
lock backup on GFS-3 only when the scan step limit was exceeded on
FGS-1. The proposals detailed in 1.5, 1.18 and 1.19 may have been affected.
Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 11
Successful: 11

2.2 FHST Updates:

Scheduled: 80

Successful: 80

2.3 Operations Notes:

The results of all three iterations of the NICMOS filter wheel test
were as expected and closely matched the results obtained in 1997.

Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR-1 EDAC error counter was cleared at 116/0948Z.

During the weekend, the following operations requests were executed:

• 16714-0 – Enable Filter Wheel Move, Day 116 @116/1858z
  
• 16715-1 – Enable Filter Wheel, Day 117-1 @116/2320z
  
• 16726-0 – Configure Tasking Order for FW @116/1811z,117/1724z,118/1755z
  
• 16727-1 – Configure Tasking Order after FSW Test Activities
  
• @116/2102z,118/0055z & 1928z
  
• 16729-1 – Update NCC PID Setpoint @116/1746z
  
• 16730-0 – HLGBU-GYRO Triplets U/L @116/0153z
  
• 16716-0 – Enable Filter Wheel Move, Day 117-2 @117/1900z
  
• 16717-0 – Enable Filter Wheel Move, Day 118-1 @118/0054z
  
• 16733-0 – HLGBU-GYRO Triplets U/L @118/0151z
  
• 16718-0 – Enable Filter Wheel Move, Day 118-2 @118/1732z
  
• 16732-0 – Enable Filter Wheel Move, Day 119-1 @118/2223z
  
• 16736-0 – HLGBU-GYRO Triplets U/L @119/0023z
  

The following two operations notes were performed during the weekend:
996 – Raise Battery Temp Limit to 2 DEG @116/1346z
995 – Adjust Recharge Ratio for High Sun/Orbit Time @118/0002z

At 116/205255Z, the GEA1 -X gimbal temperature went out-of-limits
low with a value of 9.69592 for six seconds. HSTAR 8629 was written.

SSA transmitter #2 was turned on for the intervals 116/2305Z to
116/2332Z and from 117/2125Z to 117/2155Z as directed by ROP IC-2.

A TTR was generated for an incorrect SSAR frequency scheduled for a
contact at 116/2307Z.

Another TTR was written when there was a required re-transmit at
117/1919Z during a NSSC-1 load. SI C&DH errors were reset at 117/1934Z per
ROP NS-5.

The TRI module was rest at 117/2054Z and at 118/1926Z, per ROP SR-1A.

The SSR-3 EDAC error counter was cleared at 118/1832Z and at
118/2242Z, using ROP SR-9A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

Continuation of Servicing Mission Orbital Verification and the
gradual resumption of normal science observations and calibrations.