Status Report

NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4723

By SpaceRef Editor
October 27, 2008
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HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT #4723

Continuing to collect World Class Science

PERIOD COVERED: 5am October 23 – 5am October 24, 2008 (DOY 297/0900z-298/0900z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11901

Filling the Period Gap for Massive Binaries

The current census of binaries among the massive O-type stars is seriously incomplete for systems in the period range from years to millennia because the radial velocity variations are too small and the angular separations too close for easy detection. Here we propose to discover binaries in this observational gap through a Faint Guidance Sensor SNAP survey of relatively bright targets listed in the Galactic O Star Catalog. Our primary goal is to determine the binary frequency among those in the cluster/association, field, and runaway groups. The results will help us assess the role of binaries in massive star formation and in the processes that lead to the ejection of massive stars from their natal clusters. The program will also lead to the identification of new, close binaries that will be targets of long term spectroscopic and high angular resolution observations to determine their masses and distances. The results will also be important for the interpretation of the spectra of suspected and newly identified binary and multiple systems.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS: (None)

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

18338-0 – Recovery of SIC&DH-B to Normal Mode @ 297/1720z

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                        SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq               11                   11
FGS REacq               00                   00
OBAD with Maneuver      22                   22

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Flash Report: SIC&DH B-Side Recovery

At 297/17:19:43 UTC, Ops Request 18338-0 was successfully completed, returning the SIC&DH to Normal mode.

Regulator B was powered on at approximately 297/17:14:05, followed by the Normal mode transition and initialization of the NSSC-1 at 297/17:18:03 UTC.

SpaceRef staff editor.