HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #4923
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am September 2 - 5am September 3, 2009 (DOY 245/09:00z-246/09:00z)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
ACS/WFC3
11879
CCD
Daily Monitor (Part 1)
This
program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and dark
current
of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels. The
recorded
frames are used to create bias and dark reference images for
science
data reduction and calibration. This program will be executed
four
days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of Cycle 17. To
facilitate
scheduling, this program is split into three proposals. This
proposal
covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August 2009 to 31 January
2010.
COS/NUV
11480
COS
NUV Structural and Thermal Stability
The
goal of this program is to measure OTA-COS pointing jitter or
drifts,
over timescales of seconds to hours. In particular, our
priorities
are to test the level of OSM1 drift, thermal day-night
transitions,
and orbital 'breathing'. Pointing-related thermal offsets
with
their related drifts during thermal settling will be overlaid upon
the
signatures of the other components of positional change. Three
different
instrumental configurations/transitions will be tested: NUV
and
FUV spectroscopy, and NUV imaging using Mirror A, all with the PSA.
No
FP-POS motions, nor grating changes, will be made during the
spectroscopy
in order to limit the variables contributing to any changes
in
position of the spectra.
ID:
COS 20 (11480) & COS 35 (11493) This is the NUV portion of this
experiment.
It was initially estimated to be a 6-orbit program, but has
been
expanded to 10 orbits in order to improve the statistical sample of
the
day-night/breathing transitions.
STIS/CCD
11721
Verifying
the Utility of Type Ia Supernovae as Cosmological Probes:
Evolution
and Dispersion in the Ultraviolet Spectra
The
study of distant type Ia supernova (SNe Ia) offers the most
practical
and immediate discriminator between popular models of dark
energy.
Yet fundamental questions remain over possible
redshift-dependent
trends in their observed and intrinsic properties.
High-quality
Keck spectroscopy of a representative sample of 36
intermediate
redshift SNe Ia has revealed a surprising, and unexplained,
diversity
in their rest-frame UV fluxes. One possible explanation is
hitherto
undiscovered variations in the progenitor metallicity.
Unfortunately,
this result cannot be compared to local UV data as only
two
representative SNe Ia have been studied near maximum light. Taking
advantage
of two new `rolling searches' and the restoration of STIS, we
propose
a non-disruptive TOO campaign to create an equivalent comparison
local
sample. This will allow us to address possible evolution in the
mean
UV spectrum and its diversity, an essential precursor to the study
of
SNe beyond z~1.
STIS/CCD
11843
STIS
CCD Performance Monitor
This
activity measures the baseline performance and commandability of
the
CCD subsystem. Only primary amplifier D is used. Bias and Flatfield
exposures
are taken in order to measure bias level, read noise, CTE, and
gain.
Numerous bias frames are taken to permit construction of
"superbias"
frames in which the effects of read noise have been rendered
negligible.
Full frame and binned observations are made, with binning
factors
of 2 x 1, 1 x 2, 2 x 2. Bias frames are taken in subarray
readouts
to check the bias level for ACQ and ACQ/PEAK observations. All
exposures
are internals.
STIS/CCD
11844
CCD
Dark Monitor Part 1
Monitor
the darks for the STIS CCD.
STIS/CCD
11846
CCD
Bias Monitor-Part 1
Monitor
the bias in the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1,
and
1x1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the
evolution
of hot columns.
STIS/CCD
11850
CCD
Sparse Field CTE Internal
CTE
measurements are made using the "internal sparse field test", along
the
parallel axis. The "Pos=" optional parameter, introduced during
Cycle
11, is used to provide off- center MSM positionings of some slits.
All
exposures are internals.
STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2
11690
EG
And: Providing the Missing Link Required for Modeling Red Giant
Mass-Loss
For
the majority of red giant stars, the basic mass-loss processes at
work
are unknown. Indeed, for stars of spectral types between K0 III and
M5-M6
III, much remains unknown about the regions above the visible
photosphere
and the transportation of the processed material outwards to
the
ISM. Eclipsing symbiotic binary systems, consisting of an evolved
giant
in orbit with a white dwarf, provide an opportunity to take
advantage
of the finite size of the hot component to probe different
levels
of the chromosphere and wind acceleration region in absorption.
This
provides spatially resolved thermal, ionisation and dynamic
information
on the wind which can then be compared against predictions
of
hydrodynamical stellar atmosphere codes. The symbiotic binary EG And
can
be considered as a Rosetta Stone for understanding the winds of
these
objects. The system is ideal on a number of counts for utilizing
the
ultraviolet eclipse of the white dwarf (WD) component to probe,
layer-by-layer,
the thermal and dynamic conditions at the very base of
the
wind and chromosphere of the RG. This information is vital for
constraining,
testing and calibrating the new generation of cool giant
wind+chromosphere
models and is not possible to obtain for isolated RGs.
This
team has studied the UV eclipses of this system in depth and
detail,
however in order to definitively constrain the wind acceleration
profile
and identify the location of the temperature rise just above the
photosphere,
we require 4 STIS E140M observations of EG And at specific
orbital
phases. We are also requesting a E230M observation of an
isolated
spectral standard, corresponding to the RG in the binary, which
will
help place the EG And results into the context of the general RG
population
from analysis of the MgII wind diagnostic lines.
STIS/CCD/MA2
11860
MAMA
Spectroscopic Sensitivity and Focus Monitor
Monitor
sensitivity of each MAMA grating mode to detect any change due
to
contamination or other causes. Also monitor the STIS focus in a
spectroscopic
and an imaging mode.
STIS20
11402
STIS-20
NUV MAMA Dark Monitor
The
STIS NUV-MAMA dark current is dominated by a phosphorescent glow
from
the detector window. Meta-stable states in this window are
populated
by cosmic ray impacts, which, days later, can be thermally
excited
to an unstable state from which they decay, emitting a UV
photon.
The equilibrium population of these meta-stable states is larger
at
lower temperatures; so warming up the detector from its cold safing
will
lead to a large, but temporary, increase in the dark current.
To
monitor the decay of this glow, and to determine the equilibrium dark
current
for Cycle 17, four 1380s NUV-MAMA ACCUM mode darks should be
taken
each week during the SMOV period. Once the observed dark current
has
reached an approximate equilibrium with the mean detector
temperature,
the frequency of this monitor can be reduced to one pair of
darks
per week.
WFC3/ACS/IR
11235
HST
NICMOS Survey of the Nuclear Regions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
in
the Local Universe
At
luminosities above 10^11.4 L_sun, the space density of far-infrared
selected
galaxies exceeds that of optically selected galaxies. These
`luminous
infrared galaxies' (LIRGs) are primarily interacting or
merging
disk galaxies undergoing enhanced star formation and Active
Galactic
Nuclei (AGN) activity, possibly triggered as the objects
transform
into massive S0 and elliptical merger remnants. We propose
NICMOS
NIC2 imaging of the nuclear regions of a complete sample of 88
L_IR
> 10^11.4 L_sun luminous infrared galaxies in the IRAS Revised
Bright
Galaxy Sample (RBGS: i.e., 60 micron flux density > 5.24 Jy).
This
sample is ideal not only in its completeness and sample size, but
also
in the proximity and brightness of the galaxies. The superb
sensitivity
and resolution of NICMOS NIC2 on HST enables a unique
opportunity
to study the detailed structure of the nuclear regions,
where
dust obscuration may mask star clusters, AGN, and additional
nuclei
from optical view, with a resolution significantly higher than
possible
with Spitzer IRAC. This survey thus provides a crucial
component
to our study of the dynamics and evolution of IR galaxies
presently
underway with Wide-Field, HST ACS/WFC3, and Spitzer IRAC
observations
of these 88 galaxies. Imaging will be done with the F160W
filter
(H-band) to examine as a function of both luminosity and merger
stage:
(i) the luminosity and distribution of embedded star clusters,
(ii)
the presence of optically obscured AGN and nuclei, (iii) the
correlation
between the distribution of 1.6 micron emission and the
mid-IR
emission as detected by Spitzer IRAC, (iv) the evidence of bars
or
bridges that may funnel fuel into the nuclear region, and (v) the
ages
of star clusters for which photometry is available via ACS/WFC3
observations.
The NICMOS data, combined with the HST ACS, Spitzer, and
GALEX
observations of this sample, will result in the most comprehensive
study
of merging and interacting galaxies to date.
WFC3/ACS/IR
11563
Galaxies
at z~7-10 in the Reionization Epoch: Luminosity Functions to
<0.2L*
from Deep IR Imaging of the HUDF and HUDF05 Fields
The
first generations of galaxies were assembled around redshifts
z~7-10+,
just 500-800 Myr after recombination, in the heart of the
reionization
of the universe. We know very little about galaxies in this
period.
Despite great effort with HST and other telescopes, less than
~15
galaxies have been reliably detected so far at z>7, contrasting with
the
~1000 galaxies detected to date at z~6, just 200-400 Myr later, near
the
end of the reionization epoch. WFC3 IR can dramatically change this
situation,
enabling derivation of the galaxy luminosity function and its
shape
at z~7-8 to well below L*, measurement of the UV luminosity
density
at z~7-8 and z~8-9, and estimates of the contribution of
galaxies
to reionization at these epochs, as well as characterization of
their
properties (sizes, structure, colors). A quantitative leap in our
understanding
of early galaxies, and the timescales of their buildup,
requires
a total sample of ~100 galaxies at z~7-8 to ~29 AB mag. We can
achieve
this with 192 WFC3 IR orbits on three disjoint fields
(minimizing
cosmic variance): the HUDF and the two nearby deep fields of
the
HUDF05. Our program uses three WFC3 IR filters, and leverages over
600
orbits of existing ACS data, to identify, with low contamination, a
large
sample of over 100 objects at z~7-8, a very useful sample of ~23
at
z~8-9, and limits at z~10. By careful placement of the WFC3 IR and
parallel
ACS pointings, we also enhance the optical ACS imaging on the
HUDF
and a HUDF05 field. We stress (1) the need to go deep, which is
paramount
to define L*, the shape, and the slope alpha of the luminosity
function
(LF) at these high redshifts; and (2) the far superior
performance
of our strategy, compared with the use of strong lensing
clusters,
in detecting significant samples of faint z~7-8 galaxies to
derive
their luminosity function and UV ionizing flux. Our recent z~7.4
NICMOS
results show that wide-area IR surveys, even of GOODS-like depth,
simply
do not reach faint enough at z~7-9 to meet the LF and UV flux
objectives.
In the spirit of the HDF and the HUDF, we will waive any
proprietary
period, and will also deliver the reduced data to STScI. The
proposed
data will provide a Legacy resource of great value for a wide
range
of archival science investigations of galaxies at redshifts z~2-9.
The
data are likely to remain the deepest IR/optical images until JWST
is
launched, and will provide sources for spectroscopic followup by
JWST,
ALMA and EVLA.
WFC3/IR
11915
IR
Internal Flat Fields
This
program is the same as 11433 (SMOV) and depends on the completion
of
the IR initial alignment (Program 11425). This version contains three
instances
of 37 internal orbits: to be scheduled early, middle, and near
the
end of Cycle 17, in order to use the entire 110-orbit allocation.
In
this test, we will study the stability and structure of the IR
channel
flat field images through all filter elements in the WFC3-IR
channel.
Flats will be monitored, i.e. to capture any temporal trends in
the
flat fields and delta flats produced. High signal observations will
provide
a map of the pixel-to-pixel flat field structure, as well as
identify
the positions of any dust particles.
WFC3/UVIS
11432
UVIS
Internal Flats
This
proposal will be used to assess the stability of the flat field
structure
for the UVIS detector. Flat fields will be obtained for all
filters
using the internal D2 and tungsten lamps.
This
proposal corresponds to Activity Description ID WF19. It should
execute
only after the following proposals have executed: WF08 - 11421
WF09
- 11422 WF11 - 11424 WF15 - 11428
WFC3/UVIS
11905
WFC3
UVIS CCD Daily Monitor
The
behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set of
full-frame,
four-amp bias and dark frames. A smaller set of 2Kx4K
subarray
biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the
cycle
to support subarray science observations. The internals from this
proposal,
along with those from the anneal procedure (11909), will be
used
to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference files
for
the calibration pipeline (CDBS).
WFC3/UVIS
11908
Cycle
17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor
Ground
testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the
UVIS
detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days.
Initially
found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield
ratios,
subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown
that
it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire
CCD,
i.e., a QE offset without any discernable pattern. These lab tests
have
further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels
several
times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the
bowtie.
Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3x3 binned
internal
flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect
any
bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie
if
it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that
the
bowtie is gone.
WFC3/UVIS
11912
UVIS
Internal Flats
This
proposal will be used to assess the stability of the flat field
structure
for the UVIS detector throughout the 15 months of Cycle 17.
The
data will be used to generate on- orbit updates for the delta-flat
field
reference files used in the WFC3 calibration pipeline, if
significant
changes in the flat structure are seen.
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:
18695-0
- Adjust NCS PID Control Setpoints @ 245/150021z
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSAcq
8
8
FGS
REAcq
8
8
OBAD
with Maneuver
6
6
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS:
NCS
PID Control Setpoint Adjustment
OR
18695-0 to adjust the NCS PID control setpoint temperature was
successfully
completed at 145/15:00:21 UTC.