HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE<br /><br />DAILY REPORT # 3164<br /><br />PERIOD COVERED: DOY 205<br /><br />OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED (see HSTARS below for possible observation problems)<br /><br />NICMOS 8790<br /><br />NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 1.<br /><br />A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS. Dark<br />frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and every<br />time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50 minutes of coming out of the SAA.<br />The darks will be obtained in parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras. The POST-SAA<br />darks will be non-standard reference files available to users with a USEAFTER<br />date/time mark.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 8902<br /><br />Dark Monitor-Part 2.<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 8904<br /><br />Bias Monitor-Part 2.<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the bias in<br />the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4 in order<br />to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns.<br /><br />STIS/MA1/MA2 8920<br /><br />Cycle 10 MAMA Dark Measurements.<br /><br />the MAMA detector dark noise, and is the primary means of checking on health of<br />the MAMA detectors systems through frequent monitoring of the background count<br />rate.<br /><br />WFPC2 8938<br /><br />WFPC2 CYCLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt3/3.<br /><br />This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide data<br />for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 9066<br /><br />Closing in on the Hydrogen Reionization Edge of the Universe.<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in parallel constrain<br />the Hydrogen reionization edge in emission that marks the transition from a<br />neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted redshifts.<br /><br />ACS/WFC/HRC 9075<br /><br />Cosmological Parameters from Type Ia Supernovae at High Redshift.<br /><br />The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to obtain a Hubble<br />diagram of Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} that will be of long lasting value as a<br />record of the expansion history of the universe.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 9317<br /><br />Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10.<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform the default<br />archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 10.<br /><br />NICMOS/STIS CCD 9405<br /><br />The Origin of Gamma-Ray Bursts<br /><br />The rapid and accurate localization of gamma-ray bursts {GRBs} promised by a<br />working HETE-2 during the coming year may well revolutionize our ability to<br />study these enigmatic, highly luminous transients. We propose a program of HST<br />and Chandra observations to capitalize on this extraordinary opportunity. We<br />will perform some of the most stringent tests yet of the standard model, in<br />which GRBs represent collimated relativistic outflows from collapsing massive<br />stars. NICMOS imaging and STIS CCD spectroscopy will detect broad atomic<br />features of supernovae underlying GRB optical transients, at luminosities more<br />than three times fainter than SN 1998bw. UV, optical, and X-ray spectroscopy<br />will be used to study the local ISM around the GRB. Chandra spectroscopy will<br />investigate whether the GRB X-ray lines are from metals freshly ripped from the<br />stellar core by the GRB. HST and CTIO infra-red imaging of the GRBs and their<br />hosts will be used to determine whether `dark' bursts are the product of<br />unusually strong local extinction; imaging studies may for the first time locate<br />the hosts of `short' GRBs. Our early polarimetry and late-time broadband imaging<br />will further test physical models of the relativistic blast wave that produces<br />the bright GRB afterglow, and will provide unique insight into the influence of<br />the GRB environment on the afterglow.<br /><br />ACS 9427<br /><br />Globular Cluster Systems in Supergiant E Galaxies<br /><br />he most populous globular cluster systems are found in the giant ellipticals at<br />the centers of galaxy clusters {Brightest Cluster Galaxies}. It is among this<br />BCG class that the characteristics of globular cluster systems display their<br />widest range in metallicity distribution and specific frequency and thus<br />confront galaxy formation models with their most varied challenges. Were these<br />systems built primarily by early in situ conversion of gas clouds, by later<br />mergers, or by ongoing accretions of dwarfs? Their extensive halo cluster<br />systems contain many clues to these relic events. BCGs are the biggest and<br />rarest type of galaxy, and to date the globular clusters in only two BCGs {M87,<br />NGC 1399} are well studied. The ACS camera now brings many more such systems<br />within reach. We propose to image the globular cluster systems in 13 BCGs in the<br />distance regime cz ~eq 2000 - 5000 km s^-1. With deep {B, I} exposures we will<br />measure the globular cluster metallicity distribution functions, specific<br />frequency, radial distributions, and luminosity distributions, as well as<br />correlations among these quantities. This work will be the first comprehensive,<br />homogeneous deep survey of globular clusters in BCGs. The superior area and<br />sensitivity of ACS will yield a gain of a factor of eight over previous WFPC2<br />studies for sample size and metallicity discrimination.<br /><br />ACS 9443<br /><br />Calibration of the Geometric Distortion of ACS<br /><br />We propose to calibrate the geometric distortion of the WFC and HRC of ACS,<br />using the state-of-the-art techniques that we have developed for WFPC2. We are<br />confident that we can measure the distortion to at least an order or magnitude<br />higher accuracy than is called for in the ACS Manual. We will use the images<br />that are to be taken in GO-9028 and will re- image the field used there at<br />different orientation and through different filters, so as to improve knowledge<br />of the skewness of the field and the dependence of distortion on wavelength. Our<br />results will not only enhance the accuracy of our own proposed proper-motion<br />work in star clusters; they will greatly increase the accuracy of sparse-field<br />astrometry by others, such as solar-system and extragalactic work.<br /><br />NICMOS 9485<br /><br />Completing A Near-Infrared Search for Very Low Mass Companions to Stars within<br />10 pc of the Sun<br /><br />Most stars are fainter and less massive than the Sun. Nevertheless, our<br />knowledge of very low mass {VLM} red dwarfs and their brown dwarf cousins is<br />quite limited. Unknown are the true luminosity function {LF}, multiplicity<br />fraction, mass function, and mass-luminosity relation for red and brown dwarfs,<br />though they dominate the Galaxy in both numbers and total mass. The best way to<br />constrain these relations is a search for faint companions to nearby stars. Such<br />a search has several advantages over field surveys, including greater<br />sensitivity to VLM objects and the availability of precise parallaxes from which<br />luminosities and masses can be derived. We propose to complete our four-filter<br />NICMOS snapshot search for companions to stars within 10 pc. With a 10 sigma<br />detection limit of M_J ~ 20 at 10 pc, we can detect companions between 10 and<br />100 AU that are at least 9 mag fainter than the empirical end of the main<br />sequence and at least 6.5 mag fainter than the brown dwarf Gl 229B. When<br />completed, our search will be the largest, most sensitive, volume-limited search<br />for VLM companions ever undertaken. Our four-filter search will permit<br />unambiguous identification of VLM-companion candidates for follow-up<br />observation. Together with IR speckle and deep imaging surveys, our program will<br />firmly establish the LF for VLM companions at separations of 1-1000 AU and the<br />multiplicity fraction of all stars within 10 pc.<br /><br />ACS/CAL 9558<br /><br />ACS weekly Test<br /><br />This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the development<br />of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This<br />programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS.<br /><br />STIS 9618<br /><br />STIS MAMA Dispersion Solutions<br /><br />Obtain wavecals just deep enough to constrain wavelength and spatial distortion<br />maps without overusing the calibration lamp. For the first time on orbit, data<br />will be obtained at all available central wavelengths. This information will<br />help constrain global models of STIS optical performance being developed at ECF<br />and STScI. During the observations, MSM monthly offsets will be set to zero to<br />complement observations over the past couple of cycles, which occurred at extreme<br />monthly offsets. The echelle observations at zero offset will yield dispersion<br />solutions that are directly applicable to all echelle science data obtained<br />after monthly offsets are disabled.<br /><br />WFPC2 9634<br /><br />POMS Test Proposal: WFII targeted parallel archive proposal<br /><br />slightly different way from the normal pure parallels. Local Group galaxies<br />offer the opportunity for a closer look at young stellar populations.<br />Narrow-band images in F656N can be used both to identify young stars via their<br />emission lines, and to map the gas distribution in star-forming regions. Thus,<br />the filter F656N is added to the four standard filters. Near more distant<br />galaxies, up to about 10 Mpc, we can map the population of globular clusters;<br />for this purpose, F300W is less useful, and only F450W, F606W, and F814W will be<br />used.<br /><br />ACS 9665<br /><br />Extreme Red Stars<br /><br />ACS provides unprecedented sensitivity in the far red, this coupled with recent<br />astronomical pushes to ever cooler objects {e.g. new classifications for L and T<br />stellar dwarfs, and extremely high redshift galaxies} increases the need for<br />extending the photometric calibration to include such objects. We propose<br />observations of 4 stellar objects for which excellent ground based optical and<br />near-IR data exist that span V-I colors of 4.5 at M7 to > 6.0 at L5.<br /><br />ACS 9672<br /><br />Grism/Prism Calibration<br /><br />A Planetary Nebula in the LMC and two Galactic White Dwarfs are observed through<br />the prisms of the HRC and the SBC to measure: 1} the dispersion of the prisms<br />and its field dependence; 2} the prisms throughput and its field dependence.<br />Therefore, these measurements will be carried out at several positions on the<br />chip including the centre and the corners of the HRC and SBC chips.<br /><br />WFPC2 9676<br /><br />POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal<br /><br />This is the generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel program.<br />The program will be used to take parallel images of random areas of the sky,<br />following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels Working Group. FLIGHT<br />OPERATIONS SUMMARY:<br /><br />HSTARS: (For details see http://hst-sers.hst.nasa.gov/SERS/HST/HSTAR.nsf)<br /><br />HSTARS: None<br /><br />COMPLETED OPS REQs: NONE<br /><br />OPS NOTES EXECUTED: NONE<br /><br /> SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES<br />FGS GSacq 7 7<br />FGS REacq 4 4<br />FHST Update 12 12<br />LOSS of LOCK 204/1734:56,1735:34,1736:12z<br /> (reference HSTAR 8745)<br /><br />Operations Notes: None<br /><br />SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:<br />Successfully completed routinely scheduled (every 6 months) RF Transfer<br />Switch 1 and 2 Scrub @ 205/12:53Z (OR 16804 and HST RF Transfer Switch<br />Scrub script). Cycled each RF Transfer switch 5 times and recorded TDRSS<br />MAR and SSAR Eb/No in both cross-strapped and straight-through positions.<br /><br />Successfully completed SN Interface testing with SOC, RFSOC, WSC, and<br />GSFC NOM 205/14:00Z - 19:40Z using CCS "B" and "G" Strings. Each string<br />was exercised in both serial and IP mode with CCS Release 4.0.1. Telemetry<br />was processed nominally at 4kbps, 32kbps, .5kbps engineering data, and<br />1.024 Mbps science data through the HSTPS. All commanding was nominal at<br />125 bps and 1 kbps.<br /><br />HST CCS "B" String Extended Command test scheduled 206/12:00Z - 16:00Z<br />with GDOC, SOC, HITT, and CCS using CCS "B" String with Release 4.0.1 and<br />PRD D06100R2. The objective of this test is to verify CCS Release 4.0.1<br />properly handles command scenarios between the CCS "B" String and the SOC.<br /><br />HST DSN Interface testing scheduled 206/18:00Z - 00:00Z with STOCC, JPL,<br />GDOC, and NASCOM/NISN using CCS "B" and "G" Strings with CCS Release 4.0.1<br />and PRD D06100R2. The objective of this test is to verify the IP and<br />serial telemetry and command interfaces between CCS "B"and "G" Strings<br />and DSS 16 (Goldstone).