Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #3108 – 3 May 2002

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
DAILY REPORT #3108
PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 05/02/02 – 0000Z (UTC)
05/03/02

Daily Status Report as of 123/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

   1.1 Completed 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.

   1.2 Completed Five 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.

   1.3 Completed Six 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.

   1.4 Completed Two 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.

   1.5 Completed Three 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.

   1.6 Completed STIS/CCD 9110 (A Search for Kuiper Belt Object
Satellites)

       The Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph (CCD) was used to investigate whether the large number of
collisions thought to have taken place in the primordial Kuiper belt
suggest that many Kuiper belt objects {KBOs} could have suffered
binary-forming collisions similar to that which formed the Pluto —
Charon binary.  Detection of such KBO satellites would allow
measuUnint of  KBO masses, would help to understand the past
collisional environment of the Kuiper belt, and would give a context to
the otherwise unique-seeming formation of the Pluto — Charon
binary.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

   1.7 Completed STIS/MA2 9139 (Variability in the UV Spectrum
of 3C 279: Testing Models for the Gamma-Ray Emission in Blazars)

       The Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph (MA2) was used to determine whether gamma- rays are produced
on the scale of the broad line region, using multi-epoch UV snapshots of
3C 279 to find and characterize its LyAlpha variability.  This will
validate the mirror model for generating the intense gamma-ray emission
from blazars.  3C 279 is the best-studied blazar from radio to
gamma-ray wavelengths, showing frequent large flares over days to
months.  Variability in the UV continuum and LyAlpha will directly
reveal any coupling between the jet ionizing flux and the broad-line
region emission, providing clues to the physics and energetics of all
radio-loud AGN.  All observations completed without reported
incident.

   1.8 Completed Four 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.

   1.9 Completed Two 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. 
No problems were encountered.

   1.10 Completed STIS/MA2 8923 (FUV-MAMA Cycle 10 Flats)

       The Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph (MA2) was used to obtain FUV-MAMA observations of the STIS
internal Krypton lamp to construct an FUV flat applicable to all FUV
modes.  No problems were encountered.

   1.11 Completed Three 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.

   1.12 Two Sets of Completed 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-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.

   1.13 Completed Two Sets of STIS/MA1 8922 (FUV-MAMA Cycle 10
Flats)

       The Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph (MA1) was used to obtain FUV-MAMA observations of the STIS
internal Krypton lamp to construct an FUV flat applicable to all FUV
modes.  No problems were encountered.

   1.14 Completed 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.

   1.15 Completed Four 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.

   1.16 Completed NIC/1/2/3 8974 (Flats and Temperature
Dependence of the DQE)

       The Near Infrared Camera and
Multi-Object Camera (NIC1, NIC2 and NIC3) was used to obtain initial
estimates of the detective quantum efficiency {DQE} of the NICMOS
detectors and its temperature dependence in the previously uncharted
temperature regime expected for operation under the NICMOS Cooling System
{NCS}.  The observations measured the relative and absolute DQE
variation at three temperature setpoints.  In addition, they
provided a monitor for particulate contamination and detector lateral
position.  When stars are present in the field of view, they will
enable a preliminary focus determination.  No problems were
encountered.

   1.17 Completed ACS/WFC 9029 (Grism/Prism Performance
Check)

       The Advance Camera for Surveys (WFC)
was used to observe a Wolf-Rayet star and a White Dwarf the grism of both
the Wide Field and eventually the High Resolution Channels to measure: 1}
the dispersion of the grism and its field dependence; 2} the grism
throughput and its field dependence; 3} the frequency of the flat field
variation {L-flat} as a function of wavelength; 4} the fringe pattern at
longer wavelengths as a function of position on the chip.  These
measurements will be carried out at several positions on the chip
including the centre and the corners of the WFC and HRC chips.  All
observations completed without incident.

   1.18 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8919 (MAMA Sensitivity and
Focus Monitor C10)

       The Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to monitor the sensitivity of
each MAMA grating mode to detect any change due to contamination or other
causes, and also to monitor the STIS focus in a spectroscopic and an
imaging mode.  All observations were successful.

   1.19 Completed STIS/MA2 8920 (Cycle 10 MAMA Dark
Measurements)

       The Space Telescope Imaging
Spectrograph (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.

   1.20 Completed WF/PC-2 9124 (Mid-UV SNAPSHOT Survey of
Nearby Irregulars: Galaxy Structure and Evolution Benchmark)

       The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate
the relation between star formation and the global physical
characteristics of galaxies to interpret the morphologies of distant
galaxies in terms of their evolutionary status.  Distant galaxies
are primarily observed in their rest frame mid-ultraviolet.  They
resemble nearby late-type galaxies, but are they really physically
similar classes of objects?  It is proposed to address this question
through a SNAPSHOT survey in the 2 mid-UV filter F300W of 98 nearby
late-type, irregular and peculiar galaxies.  No problems were
reported.

   1.21 Completed 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.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

   2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:

      Scheduled Acquisitions:  12

   Successful:  12

 Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  4

   Successful:  4

   2.2 FHST Updates:

   Scheduled: 29

   Successful: 29

   2.3 Operations Notes:

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

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