Status Report

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4675

By SpaceRef Editor
August 18, 2008
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HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT #4675

Continuing to collect World Class Science

PERIOD COVERED: 5am August 14 – 5am August 15, 2008 (DOY 227/0900z-228/0900z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/SBC 11158

HST Imaging of UV Emission in Quiescent Early-type Galaxies

We have constructed a sample of early type galaxies at z~0.1 that have blue UV-optical colors, yet also show no signs of optical emission, or extended blue light. We have cross-correlated the SDSS catalog and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer Medium Imaging Survey to select a sample of galaxies where this UV emission is strongest. The origin of the UV rising flux in these galaxies continues to be debated, and the possibility that some fraction of these galaxies may be experiencing low levels of star formation cannot be excluded. There is also a possibility that low level AGN activity {as evidenced by a point source} is responsible We propose to image the UV emission using the HST/SBC and to explore the morphology of the UV emission relative to the optical light.

ACS/SBC 11220

Mapping the FUV Evolution of Type IIn Supernovae

We will use the PR110L prism on the SBC of ACS to map the FUV evolution of Type IIn supernovae {SNe}. The main goal of this proposal is to measure the FUV continuum, Ly-a emission line flux, and their evolution to {1} quantify and interpret Type IIn SN transient event detections at high redshift and {2} dramatically improve current high redshift Type IIn selection criteria. We show that the inherent properties of Type IIn SNe facilitate high redshift detection. We will observe the rest-frame FUV of a sample of eight 0.02 < z < 0.33 Type IIn SNe to directly measure the survival of Ly-alpha photons in low to intermediate redshift Type IIn SNe environments and extrapolate the results to high redshift. We will calibrate relationships such as FUV luminosity vs. emission line flux and measure emission line evolution vs. FUV light evolution. The intent is to categorize and improve the utility of Type IIn SNe.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 11330

NICMOS Cycle 16 Extended Dark

This takes a series of Darks in parallel to other instruments.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795

NICMOS Post-SAA Calibration – CR Persistence Part 6

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. The keyword ‘USEAFTER=date/time’ will also be added to the header of each POST-SAA DARK frame. The keyword must be populated with the time, in addition to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8 times per day so each POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate time specified, for users to identify the ones they need. Both the raw and processed images will be archived as POST-SAA DARKSs. Generally we expect that all NICMOS science/calibration observations started within 50 minutes of leaving an SAA will need such maps to remove the CR persistence from the science i mages. Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.

NIC2 11208

The Co-evolution of Spheroids and Black Holes in the Last Six Billion Years

The masses of giant black holes are correlated with the luminosities, masses, and velocity dispersions of the bulges of their host galaxies. This empirical correlation of phenomena on widely different scales {from pcs to kpcs} suggests that the formation and evolution of galaxies and central black holes are closely linked. In Cycle 13, we have started a campaign to map directly the co-evolution of spheroids and black-holes by measuring in observationally favorable redshift windows the empirical correlations connecting their properties. By focusing on Seyfert 1s, where the nucleus and the stars contribute comparable fractions of total light, black hole mass and bulge dispersion are obtained from Keck spectroscopy. HST is required for accurate measurement of the non stellar AGN continuum, the morphology of the galaxy, and the structural parameters of the bulge. The results at z=0.36 indicate a surprisingly fast evolution of bulges in the past 4 Gyrs {significant at the 95%CL}, in the sense that bulges were significantly smaller for a given black hole mass. Also, the large fraction of mergers and disturbed galaxies {4+2 out of 20} identifies gas-rich mergers as the mechanisms responsible for bulge-growth. Going to higher redshift — where evolutionary trends should be stronger — is needed to confirm these tantalizing results. We propose therefore to push our investigation to the next suitable redshift window z=0.57 {lookback-time 6 Gyrs}. Fifteen objects are the minimum number required to map the evolution of the empirical correlations between bulge properties and black-hole mass, and to achieve a conclusive detection of evolution {>99%CL}.

NIC2 11341

Lower Luminosity AGNs at Cosmologically Interesting Redshifts: SEDs and Accretion Rates of z~0.36 Seyferts

We propose a multiwavelength campaign to constrain the SEDs of Seyferts at z~0.36. This epoch, corresponding to a look back time of 4 Gyrs, is cosmologically interesting for studies of the coeval development of black holes and their host galaxy bulges. Our sample, comprising 24 Seyferts, has unprecedented high quality Keck spectroscopy and HST imaging already invested to extract host galaxy bulge properties, estimate black hole masses, and separate nuclear and host optical luminosities. To supplement and extend this successful program, we request 93 ks of Chandra time (to measure the shape and power of the AGN-only X-ray continuum), 11 hrs each of Spitzer and Gemini (to constrain the dust temperature), and 7 orbits of HST (to determine the nuclear luminosity for the final 7 objects).

NIC3 11545

A NICMOS Survey of Newly-Discovered Young Massive Clusters

We are on the cusp of a revolution in massive star research triggered by 2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE, and now is the ideal time to capitalize on these projects by performing the first survey of massive stars in young stellar clusters throughout the Galactic plane. A search of the 2MASS and GLIMPSE surveys has produced over 450 newly-identified massive stellar cluster candidates in the Galactic plane which are hidden from our view at optical wavelengths due to extinction. Here we propose a program of 29 orbits to image the most promising candidate clusters in broad and narrow band filters using HST/NICMOS. We will be complementing these observations with approved Spitzer and Chandra programs, numerous approved and planned ground-based spectroscopic observations, and state-of-the-art modeling. We expect to substantially increase the numbers of massive stars known in the Galaxy, including main sequence OB stars and post-main sequence stars in the Red Supergiant, Luminous Blue Variable and Wolf-Rayet stages. Ultimately, this program will address many of the fundamental topics in astrophysics: the slope to the initial mass function (IMF), an upper-limit to the masses of stars, the formation and evolution of the most massive stars, gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitors, the chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium, and nature of the first stars in the Universe.

WFPC2 11177

The Nature of z=3 Lyman-Alpha Emitters

The advent of large mosaic CCD cameras on 4 — 8 m class telescopes has recently led to a revolution in our ability to detect primordial galaxies. Today, large numbers of strong Ly-alpha emitters (LAEs) are being discovered between 2.4 < z < 6. These are important objects: not only do they sample a part of the galaxy luminosity function that is inaccessible to the Lyman-break technique, but they also tend to be younger and less chemically evolved. In fact, the LAEs now being found are currently our best candidates for galaxies in the act of formation. To investigate the properties of this class of objects, we have conducted an extremely deep narrow-band (5000 Angstrom; FWHM = 50 Angstrom) and broad-band (UBVRIzJK) survey of the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, and have identified a homogeneous sample of strong Ly- alpha emitters at z = 3.11. Twenty-seven of these objects are located within the region surveyed by Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey (GOODS) and have detailed morphological information available from the rest-frame ultraviolet. We propose 0.2" resolution narrow-band imaging of 11 of our LAEs using the F502N filter of WFPC2. By comparing the Ly-alpha and rest-frame UV continuum morphologies of these galaxies, we will be able to look for the presence of outflows, constrain their dust content, and test whether these objects are truly primordial galaxies.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)

HSTARS:

11437 – GSACQ(1,2,1) failed, Search Radius Limit exceeded on FGS 1

Upon acquisition of signal at 228/00:51:00 a 486 ESB message “A07” (“FGS Coarse Track failed – Time out waiting for Data Valid”) was observed along with QF1SRLEX, QF1STOPF, QSRCHEXC and QSTOP flags. GSACQ(1,2,1) at 228/00:21:39 failed while vehicle was LOS. #44 commands did not update from previous values before loss of signal. Three NSSCI status buffer messages ACS 779 (“Fold Mechanism Move was Blocked”) were received at 00:32:32, 00:37:46 and 00:46:01 due to take data flag being down when the fold mechanism move was commanded. Flight Software Error Count (JERRCNT) incremented to 105. OPS Note 1645-22 was executed to change JERRCNT limit to 105.

Observations affected: ACS 9, proposal 11151.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: None

COMPLETED OPS NOTES:

1645-22 – Change JERRCNT Limit @ 228/01:51z

                       SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq                08                  07
FGS REacq                07                  07
OBAD with Maneuver       30                  30

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

SpaceRef staff editor.