Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #3171 – 6 Aug 2002

Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report      # 3171

Period covering: DOYs 214 - 216
Observations Scheduled (see HSTARS below for possible observation problems)
WFPC2 9676
POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal
This is the generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel

program.

The program will be used to take parallel images of random areas of the sky,

following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels Working Group.
ACS 9472
A Snapshot Survey for Gravitational Lenses among z >= 4.0 Quasars
Over the last few years, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has revolutionized the

study of high-redshift quasars by discovering over 200 objects with redshift

greater than 4.0, more than doubling the number known in this redshift

interval.

The sample includes eight of the ten highest redshift quasars known. We

propose

a snapshot imaging survey of a well-defined sample of 250 z > 4.0 quasars in

order to find objects which are gravitationally lensed. Lensing models

including

magnification bias predict that at least 4% of quasars in a flux-limited

sample

at z > 4 will be multiply lensed. Therefore this survey should find of order

10

lensed quasars at high redshift; only one gravitationally lensed quasar is

currently known at z > 4. This survey will provide by far the best sample to

date of high-redshift gravitational lenses. The observed fraction of lenses

can

put strong constraints on cosmological models, in particular on the

cosmological

constant Lambda. In addition, magnification bias can significantly bias

estimates of the luminosity function of quasars and the evolution thereof;

this

work will constrain how important an effect this is, and thereby give us a

better understanding of the evolution of quasars and black holes at early

epochs, as well as constrain models for black hole formation.
ACS 9669
ACS coronagraph stability and vignetting
This is a two-part activity for the purposes of {1} monitoring the

positions ACS

coronagraph's occulting spots and the "Fastie Finger, " and {2} determining

the

vignetting effects and the ability to flat field images of both point and

extended sources near the edges of the spots and finger.
ACS 9480
Cosmic Shear With ACS Pure Parallels
Small distortions in the shapes of background galaxies by foreground mass

provide a powerful method of directly measuring the amount and distribution

of

dark matter. Several groups have recently detected this weak lensing by

large-scale structure, also called cosmic shear. The high resolution and

sensitivity of HST/ACS provide a unique opportunity to measure cosmic shear

accurately on small scales. Using 260 parallel orbits in Sloan textiti

{F775W}

we will measure for the first time: beginlistosetlength sep0cm

setlengthemsep0cm

setlength opsep0cm em the cosmic shear variance on scales <0.7 arcmin, em

the

skewness of the shear distribution, and em the magnification effect.

endlist Our

measurements will determine the amplitude of the mass power spectrum

sigma_8Omega_m^0.5, with signal-to-noise {s/n} ~ 20, and the mass density

Omega_m with s/n=4. They will be done at small angular scales where

non-linear

effects dominate the power spectrum, providing a test of the gravitational

instability paradigm for structure formation. Measurements on these scales

are

not possible from the ground, because of the systematic effects induced by

PSF

smearing from seeing. Having many independent lines of sight reduces the

uncertainty due to cosmic variance, making parallel observations ideal.
ACS 9568
Grism/Prism Calibration
A Planetary Nebula in the LMC and a Galactic White Dwarf are observed

through

the prism of the High Resolution Channel to measure: 1} the dispersion of

the

prism and its field dependence; 2} the prism throughput and its field

dependence. Therefore, these measurements will be carried out at several

positions on the chip including the centre and the corners of the HRC chip.

The

same White Dwarf is observed together with a Galactic Wolf-Rayet star

through

the grism of the Wide Field Channel in a number of positions complementing

those

already observed in SMOV. The purpose here is to better characterize the

field

dependence of the grism dispersion in the WFC.
ACS 9666
Photometric Transformations
The ACS filters provide sufficient variety that transformations to several

standard systems can in principle be obtained with proper calibrations.

Specifically ACS includes for the first time on HST a full set of Sloan

Digital

Sky Survey filters, and these are used in about one-third of the overall

science

program. Although a separate program, ACS SDSS Primary Standard Photometry,

will

obtain calibrations using the fundamental Sloan standard {and for which the

STIS

Cycle 11 Cal program will obtain spectra}, observations of rich stars fields

containing a variety of stars at different colors are needed to establish

photometric transforms including color terms. In addition to the Sloan

filters,

ACS contains analogues of the primary WFPC2 filters in the optical, and

subsets

of these can be usefully transformed to the Johnson-Cousins system which is

advantageous for many science applications.
ACS 9567
SBC Dark Current
Dark current measurements will be made for the ACS SBC once a week.
ACS 9425
The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey: Imaging with ACS
We propose a Treasury program of ACS imaging as part of the Great

Observatories

Origins Deep Survey {GOODS}, covering 320{square}', or 32* the area of the

two

original WFPC2 HDFs, to within 0.5--0.8 mag of their depth in four ACS

bands,

BViz. The two GOODS fields, the Hubble Deep Field North and Chandra Deep

Field

South, are the premier deep survey areas from X-- ray to radio wavelengths.

ACS

data will provide unique angular resolution, sensitivity, and wavelength

coverage to close the gap between the deepest Chandra and SIRTF

observations.

Supported by extensive imaging and spectroscopy from the VLT, Keck, Subaru,

NOAO, Gemini, VLA, JCMT, and other facilities, the combined GOODS data set

will

make it possible to map the evolution of the Hubble sequence with redshift,

reconstruct the history of galaxy mass assembly, star formation and nuclear

activity from the epoch of reionization to the present, trace the growth of

density perturbations via cosmic shear, and, with properly phased z--band

observations, detect ~ 12 Type Ia supernovae at 1.2<z<1.8 to test the cosmic

acceleration and the presence of dark energy. All HST, SIRTF, Chandra, and

supporting GOODS data are non-- proprietary, with science--quality images

and

catalogs released on a timescale of months. This will constitute the

deepest,

largest, and most uniform panchromatic data set ever assembled to study the

distant universe.
ACS/CAL 9558
ACS weekly Test
This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the

development

of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This

programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS.
ACS/HRC 9379
Near Ultraviolet Imaging of Seyfert Galaxies: Understanding the

Starburst-AGN

Connection
We propose a near-UV snapshot survey of 101 Seyfert galaxies using ACS/HRC

and

the filter F330W, a configuration which is optimal to detect faint star

forming

regions around their nuclei. These images will complement optical and

near-IR

images available in the HST archive, thus providing a panchromatic atlas of

the

inner regions of active galaxies, which we will use to study the

starburst-AGN

connection. The main goals of this proposal are: {1} Determine the frequency

of

circumnuclear starbursts in Seyferts, down to levels which cannot be

observed

from the ground; {2} characterize the observational {fluxes, colors,

structure,

sizes} and intrinsic {luminosities, masses, ages, global star-formation

rate}

properties of these clusters; {3} derive the luminosity functions of young

star

clusters around the nucleus of Seyferts and compare these results with those

from normal and starburst galaxies to determine their survival rate close

to the

AGN; {4} address questions about the relation between AGNs and starbursts,

like

the possible connection between the masses and luminosities of black holes

and

starbursts, and the implications for the evolution of the black holes and

their

host galaxy bulges. By adding UV images to the existing optical and near-IR

ones, this project will create an extremely valuable database for

astronomers

with a broad range of scientific interests, from the properties of the AGN

to

the properties of their host galaxies.
ACS/STIS 9664
SDSS Primary Standards
The ACS HRC and WFC cameras have Sloan Digital Sky Survey standard filters,

the

first use of these on HST. Calibration of the u, g, r, i, z filters in ACS

will

be obtained in order to assure that observers can place HST and SDSS

observations on a common system. The SDSS has adopted the 10th magnitude

star,

BD+17D4708 as their fundamental reference. STIS calibration spectra of this

will

be obtained over the full 0.2-1.0+ micron range covered by G230LB, G430L and

G750L in order to generate a reference spectrum of this star in the HST

system

in order for SYNPHOT to generate robust synthetic magnitudes {the STIS

observations are through the STIS program, 9631, Bohlin PI}. ACS

observations

will be obtained through the SDSS filters in order to reference u, g, r, i,

z

photometry to the same fundamental standard used by SDSS. In addition, since

this will become a useful additional standard star, we will also obtain

observations through the full suite of ACS UV-optical filters in order to

assist

photometric transformations between different systems
ACS/WFPC2 9481
Pure Parallel Near-UV Observations with WFPC2 within High-Latitude ACS

Survey

Fields
In anticipation of the allocation of ACS high-latitude imaging survey{s}, we

request a modification of the default pure parallel program for those WFPC2

parallels that fall within the ACS survey field. Rather than duplicate the

red

bands which will be done much better with ACS, we propose to observe in the

near-ultraviolet F300W filter. These data will enable study of the

rest-frame

ultraviolet morphology of galaxies at 0<z<1. We will determine the

morphological

k-correction, and the location of star formation within galaxies, using a

sample

that is likely to be nearly complete with multi-wavelength photometry and

spectroscopic redshifts. The results can be used to interpret observations

of

higher redshift galaxies by ACS.
FGS/1 9407
Astrometry of a Star Hosting an Extrasolar Planet: The Mass of Upsilon

Andromedae.
Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to determine the astrometric elements

{perturbation orbit semimajor axis and inclination} produced by the

outermost

extra-solar planet orbiting the F8V star Upsilon Andromedae. These

observations

will permit us to determine the actual mass of the planet by providing the

presently unknown sin i factor intrinsic to the radial velocity method which

discovered this object. An inclination, i = 30degrees, within the range of

one

very low precision determination using reanalyzed HIPPARCOS intermediate

data

products, would produce the observed radial velocity amplitude, K = 66 ms

with a

companion mass of ~8 M_Jupiter. Such a mass would induce in Upsilon

Andromedae a

perturbation semi-major axis, Alpha = 0arcs0012. The proposed observations

will

yield a planetary mass, rather than, as previous investigations have done,

only

suggest a planetary mass companion.
HST 9382
A Large Targeted Survey for z < 1.6 Damped Lyman Alpha Lines in SDSS QSO

MgII-FeII Systems.
We have searched the first public release of SDSS QSO spectra for low-z

{z<1.65}

metal absorption lines and found over 200 large rest equivalent width

MgII-FeII

systems. Previously, we empirically showed that such systems are good

tracers of

large neutral gas columns, with ~50% being classical damped Lyman alpha

{DLA}

systems {N_HI>=2*10^20 cm^-2}. Here we propose to follow up a well-defined

subset of 79 of them to search for DLAs with 0.47<z<1.60. Only QSOs brighter

than g'=19 were selected. The QSO emission and DLA absorption redshifts were

constrained to virtually eliminate data loss due to intervening Lyman limit

absorption. Consequently, we expect to discover ~40 new DLAs, which is a

three-fold increase in this redshift interval. This will significantly

improve

our earlier low-z DLA statistical results on their incidence, cosmological

mass

density, and N_HI distribution. The results will also allow us to better

quantify the empirical DLA -- metal-line correlation. With this improved

understanding, the need for follow-up UV spectroscopy will lessen and, with

the

release of the final database of SDSS QSO spectra {an ~25-fold increase},

the

number of low-z DLAs could be increased arbitrarily. Thus, the power of the

large and statistically-sound SDSS database in combination with a proven

technique for finding low-z DLAs will, over the next few years, essentially

solve the problem of making an accurate determination of the cosmic

evolution of

the neutral gas component down to z~0.4.
NICMOS 9485
Completing A Near-Infrared Search for Very Low Mass Companions to Stars

within

10 pc of the Sun
Most stars are fainter and less massive than the Sun. Nevertheless, our

knowledge of very low mass {VLM} red dwarfs and their brown dwarf cousins is

quite limited. Unknown are the true luminosity function {LF}, multiplicity

fraction, mass function, and mass-luminosity relation for red and brown

dwarfs,

though they dominate the Galaxy in both numbers and total mass. The best way

to

constrain these relations is a search for faint companions to nearby stars.

Such

a search has several advantages over field surveys, including greater

sensitivity to VLM objects and the availability of precise parallaxes from

which

luminosities and masses can be derived. We propose to complete our

four-filter

NICMOS snapshot search for companions to stars within 10 pc. With a 10 sigma

detection limit of M_J ~ 20 at 10 pc, we can detect companions between 10

and

100 AU that are at least 9 mag fainter than the empirical end of the main

sequence and at least 6.5 mag fainter than the brown dwarf Gl 229B. When

completed, our search will be the largest, most sensitive, volume-limited

search

for VLM companions ever undertaken. Our four-filter search will permit

unambiguous identification of VLM-companion candidates for follow-up

observation. Together with IR speckle and deep imaging surveys, our program

will

firmly establish the LF for VLM companions at separations of 1-1000 AU and

the

multiplicity fraction of all stars within 10 pc.
NICMOS 8790
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 1.
A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS.

Dark

frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and

every

time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50 minutes of coming out of the

SAA.

The darks will be obtained in parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras. The

POST-SAA

darks will be non-standard reference files available to users with a

USEAFTER

date/time mark.
NICMOS 9484
The NICMOS Parallel Observing Program
We propose to manage the default set of pure parallels with NICMOS. Our

experience with both our GO NICMOS parallel program and the public parallel

NICMOS programs in cycle 7 prepared us to make optimal use of the parallel

opportunities. The NICMOS G141 grism remains the most powerful survey tool

for

HAlpha emission-line galaxies at cosmologically interesting redshifts. It is

particularly well suited to addressing two key uncertainties regarding the

global history of star formation: the peak rate of star formation in the

relatively unexplored but critical 1<= z <= 2 epoch, and the amount of star

formation missing from UV continuum-based estimates due to high extinction.

Our

proposed deep G141 exposures will increase the sample of known HAlpha

emission-

line objects at z ~ 1.3 by roughly an order of magnitude. We will also

obtain a

mix of F110W and F160W images along random sight-lines to examine the space

density and morphologies of the reddest galaxies. The nature of the

extremely

red galaxies remains unclear and our program of imaging and grism

spectroscopy

provides unique information
regarding both the incidence of obscured star bursts and the build up of

stellar

mass at intermediate redshifts. In addition to carrying out the parallel

program

we will populate a public database with calibrated spectra and images, and

provide limited ground- based optical and near-IR data for the deepest

parallel

fields.
STIS/CCD 8904
Bias Monitor-Part 2.
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the bias

in

the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4 in

order

to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns.
STIS/CCD 8908
CCD Imaging Flats C10.
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to investigate

flat-field stability over a monthly period.
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.
STIS/CCD 8902
Dark Monitor-Part 2.
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the

darks.
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.
STIS/CCD/MA1 8919
MAMA Sensitivity and Focus Monitor C10.
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) 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.
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.
STIS/MA1/MA2 9120
Planetary Nebulae In The LMC: A Study On Stellar Evolution And Populations.
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to

investigate

the final phase of the evolution of low- and intermediate-mass stars, the

Planetary Nebula {PN} ejection that is thought to provide the main source of

carbon and nitrogen enrichment in galaxies.
WF/PC-2 9163
Kinematics Of Emission-Line Gas Disks In Radio-Quiet Galaxies.
The WF/PC-2 was used to measure central black hole {BH} masses from the

rotation

rate of the emission-line gas, and to determine the nature and structure of

the

gas disks. Three galaxies with no radio jets and with Halpha+[NII] emission

have

been identified, which have dust disks similar to those commonly seen in our

sample of radio-loud active galaxies.
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 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<z<1.2 using the 850LP filter. When combined

with a

ground-based J-band follow-up campaign, the proposers can expect to measure

the

mean luminosity distance of the sample at z~ 1.05 to better than 5. At these

redshifts, the effect of Omega_Lambda has all but vanished and the Universe

was

decelerating due to its known matter content. Because any simple systematic

error will deviate substantially from the non-monotonic effect of a

Omega_Lambda

 > 0 cosmology, this experiment is a powerful and 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.
WFPC2 9634
POMS Test Proposal: WFII targeted parallel archive proposal
The parallel opportunities available with WFPC2 in the neighborhood of

bright

galaxies are treated in a slightly different way from the normal pure

parallels.

Local Group galaxies offer the opportunity for a closer look at young

stellar

populations. Narrow-band images in F656N can be used both to identify young

stars via their emission lines, and to map the gas distribution in

star-forming

regions. Thus, the filter F656N is added to the four standard filters. Near

more

distant galaxies, up to about 10 Mpc, we can map the population of globular

clusters; for this purpose, F300W is less useful, and only F450W, F606W, and

F814W will be used.
WFPC2 8938
WFPC2 CYCLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt3/3.
This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide

data

for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
HSTARS:

(For details see http://hst-sers.hst.nasa.gov/SERS/HST/HSTAR.nsf)
8753  GCMR Process Dropped @ 214/16:35:00z.CCS "C" String GCMR

       Process on CoreDataServer dropped to zero @ 214/16:35Z.

       Legacy Command re-cycled, did not clear problem. Under

       investigation.
8754  A-String Back Bone Data Server FILESYSTEM r-9202 at 98% capacity

       @ 216/04:26:00z.Indicated Red Brick problem.  Disk was

       running out of space, known problem, nothing can be done.

       Under investigation.
COMPLETED OPS REQs:

16806-0  FN format to cover acquisitions and reacquisitions @ 216/2314z
OPS NOTES EXECUTED:

1004-2  Update Pressure-Based Battery Capacity Equations.

0916-0  Tabulation of Slew Attitude Error (Miss-distance)

0900-1  COMMAND PROBLEM
                         SCHEDULED     SUCCESSFUL    FAILURE TIMES

FGS GSacq              30                     30

FGS REacq              20                     20

FHST Update            60                     60

LOSS of LOCK
Operations Notes: None
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Successfully completed Part 1 - 3 , CCS Release 4.0.1 "B" String

Exception testing on 8/2/02.  CCS responded to erroneous logins

as expected.  Command attempts without privileges failed.  FTP

of file from Backbone to Core was successful.  CCS handled command

typos correctly.  SM/PART Command Queue, as well as CCSLITE and

countdown clock, functionality were all verified.  CCS handled

format changes, CRC errors, minor frame gaps and FEP mode changes

correctly.
Performed DSMC Interface test on 8/2/02.  WSC Test reported 2 GCMRs

being received at the DSMC each time attempted to send a GCMR.  CD

Manager attempted to help troubleshoot issue and initially reported

only 1 block was seen leaving HST, as expected, however the CD

Manager terminal was configured for a loopback and continuous

GCMRs were being sent to the WSC DSMC, which could have caused

significant problems for the DSMC and all of its customers.  Test

was canceled, will repeat with ANCC as soon as it can be ready (~ 1 week).
Successfully completed CCS 4.0.1 "B" String Command test on 8/2/02