HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT #
4168
PERIOD COVERED: UT August 1, 2006 (DOY 213)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/WFC 10829
Secular Evolution at the End of the Hubble Sequence
The bulgeless disk galaxies at the end of the Hubble Sequence evolve
at
a glacial pace relative to their more violent, earlier-type cousins.
The
causes of their internal, or secular evolution are important because
secular evolution represents the future fate of all galaxies in our
accelerating Universe and is a key ingredient to understanding
galaxy
evolution in lower-density environments at present. The rate of
secular
evolution is largely determined by the stability of the cold ISM
against
collapse, star formation, and the buildup of a central bulge. Key
diagnostics of the ISM's stability are the presence of compact
molecular
clouds and narrow dust lanes. Surprisingly, edge-on, pure disk
galaxies
with circular velocities below 120 km/s do not appear to contain
such
dust lanes. We propose to obtain ACS/WFC F606W images of a
well-selected
sample of extremely late-type disk galaxies to measure the
characteristic scale size of the cold ISM and determine if they
possess
the unstable, cold ISM necessary to drive secular evolution. Our
sample
has been carefully constructed to include disk galaxies above and
below
the critical circular velocity of 120 km/s where the dust properties
of
edge-on disks change so remarkably. We will then use surface
brightness
profiles to search for nuclear star clusters and pseudobulges, which
are
early indicators that secular evolution is at work, as well as
measure
the pitch angle of the dust lanes as a function of radius to
estimate
the central mass concentrations.
ACS/WFC/NIC2 10496
Decelerating and Dustfree: Efficient Dark Energy Studies with
Supernovae
and Clusters
We propose a novel HST approach to obtain a dramatically more useful
"dust free" Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} dataset than available
with the
previous GOODS searches. Moreover, this approach provides a
strikingly
more efficient search-and-follow-up that is primarily pre-scheduled.
The
resulting dark energy measurements do not share the major systematic
uncertainty at these redshifts, that of the extinction correction with
a
prior. By targeting massive galaxy clusters at z > 1 we obtain a
five-times higher efficiency in detection of Type Ia supernovae in
ellipticals, providing a well-understood host galaxy environment.
These
same deep cluster images then also yield fundamental calibrations
required for future weak lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements
of
dark energy, as well as an entire program of cluster studies. The
data
will make possible a factor of two improvement on supernova
constraints
on dark energy time variation, and much larger improvement in
systematic
uncertainty. They will provide both a cluster dataset and a SN Ia
dataset that will be a longstanding scientific resource.
FGS 10103
FGS Astrometry of a Star Hosting an Extrasolar Planet: The Mass of
Upsilon Andromedae d
We propose observations with HST/FGS 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, easily
within the reach of HST/FGS fringe tracking astrometry. The proposed
observations will yield a planetary mass, rather than, as previous
investigations have done, only suggest a planetary mass companion.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8794
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 5
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
images. Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA
passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.
NIC3 10538
Near-IR Spectrophotometry of 2MASSWJ 1207334-393254B - An
Extra-Solar
Planetary Mass Companion
We propose to obtain "short" wavelength near-IR diagnostic
and
characterizing spectra of the very high probability candidate
extra-solar giant planet {EGP} companion to 2MASSWJ 1207334-393254
{2M1207}, a young brown dwarf and TW Hydrae Association member.
Recent
NICMOS camera 1 multi-band photometric imaging of the companion
candidate, 0.77" {54 AU projected} from 2M1207 - initially detected
at
longer wavelengths with VLT/NACO - implicate an object of several
Jupiter masses based on cooling models of EGPs and the likely age of
2M1207 {~ 8 Myr}. Physical companionship of the EGP candidate with
2M1207 has been established at the 99.1% level of confidence via
second-
epoch NICMOS astrometric observations. Diagnostic spectra in the 0.8
to
1.9 micron region {unobtainable from the ground and overlapping the
NICMOS imaging observations} will {a} critically inform on the
physical
nature of the EGP, {b} provide currently non-existing information to
test/constrain theoretical models of EGP properties and evolution,
and
{c} unequivocally confirm the imaging of a bone fide EGP. Background
light from 2M1207 would normally swamp the EGP spectrum with direct
spectral imaging. To obviate this, we propose PSF-subtracted grism
spectra of the EGP using 2M1207 as its own spectral template via
two-orientation high-contrast image subtraction. The temporal
stability
of the HST+NICMOS PSF enables self-subtractions of targets at
different
field orientations resulting in contrast enhancements of 5 to 6
stellar
magnitudes in the circumstellar background at ~ 0.8" at these
wavelengths. With the grism field oriented to place the EGP
"above" and
"below" 2M1207 {at two observational epochs} two independent
spectra of
the EGP will emerge from a difference image. This prototypical
spectrum
will serve to test and improve upon current models of young EGPs
which
predict flux suppression by molecular absorption in their atmospheres.
WFPC2 10745
WFPC2 CYCLE 14 INTERNAL MONITOR
This calibration proposal is the Cycle 14 routine internal monitor
for
WFPC2, to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. A
variety
of internal exposures are obtained in order to provide a monitor of
the
integrity of the CCD camera electronics in both bays {both gain 7
and
gain 15 -- to test stability of gains and bias levels}, a test for
quantum efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for possible buildup
of
contaminants on the CCD windows. These also provide raw data for
generating annual super-bias reference files for the calibration
pipeline.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies:
(The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal
performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
#10388 REacq(2,1,2) results in fine lock backup @ 213/13:37:40z
The REacq(2,1,2) resulted in fine lock backup (2,0,2).OBAD2 showed
errors of V1=7.44, V2=-5.21, V3=-1.76, and RSS=9.25. The Map at
13:41:25
showed errores of V1=-1.15, V2=-4.97, V3=-2.12, and RSS= 5.52.
Observations affected: ACS 67 and 68, NIC 5
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:
#17865-0 Battery 1 Capacity Test Script & 5 Battery Pressure Limit
COP
(completed through step = 18)
#17876-0 Continuous Engineering Recording for Battery 1 BCT (ESTR
Power
on @ 214/ 0842z)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSacq
10
10
FGS
REacq
04
04
OBAD with Maneuver
28
28
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Battery 1 Capacity Test Flash Report:
Commanding for the Battery 1 Capacity Test started as scheduled on
DOY
213/1058 GMT (08/01 at 6:58 am) with the setting of the Battery
Pressure
Test for a 5-battery system. Battery 1 was taken off-line and
started
discharging on the first opportunity at 1214 GMT (08/01 at 8:14 am).
The
discharge is expected to continue for approximately 50 hours.
Following
completion of the discharge, which is expected to occur around
215/1414
GMT (08/03 at 10:14 am), Battery 1 will be placed back online in
hardware during orbit night. Following its recovery period, Battery
1
will be placed back on-line in FSW on 216/1655 GMT (08/04 at 12:55 pm).
The Battery 1 discharge switched from the High-rate to the Low-rate
resistor at 213/2122 GMT.
-Lynn
Lynn F. Bassford
CHAMP HST Missions Operations Manager
Lockheed Martin Technical Operations
GSFC PH#: 301-286-2876
"The Hubble Space Telescope is the astronomical observatory and
key to unlocking the most cosmic mysteries of the past, present and
future." - 7/26/6
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