Date: June 16th 2010

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Daily Report #5114 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/5a88dff44bc44f43?hl=en
Daily Report #5115 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/3f59786d29b1a223?hl=en
Daily Report #5116 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/19d4b763c360ce78?hl=en
Daily Report #5117 - 1 messages, 1 author http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/f0453d8f6d9f35d5?hl=en

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Report #5114

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/5a88dff44bc44f43?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Thurs, Jun 10 2010 8:08Ã‚Â am From: "Cooper, Joe"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5114

PERIOD COVERED: 5am June 9 - 5am June 10, 2010 (DOY 160/09:00z-161/09:00z)

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: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                 SCHEDULED    SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq 5 5 FGS REAcq 10 10 OBAD with Maneuver 2 2

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED:

ACS/WFC 11995

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 2)

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 320 orbits (20 weeks) from 1 February 2010 to 20 June 2010

ACS/WFC3 11882

CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

This program continues the monthly anneal that has taken place every four weeks for the last three cycles We now obtain WFC biases and darks before and after the anneal in the same sequence as is done for the ACS daily monitor (now done 4 times per week) So the anneal observation supplements the monitor observation sets during the appropriate week Extended Pixel Edge Response (EPER) and First Pixel Response (FPR) data will be obtained over a range of signal levels for the Wide Field Channel (WFC) This program emulates the ACS pre-flight ground calibration and post-launch SMOV testing (program 8948), so that results from each epoch can be directly compared The High Resolution Channel (HRC) visits have been removed since it could not be repaired during SM4

This program also assesses the read noise, bias structure, and amplifier cross-talk of ACS/WFC using the GAIN=1 4 A/D conversion setting This investigation serves as a precursor to a more comprehensive study of WFC performance using GAIN=1 4

COS/NUV 11705

Physical Properties of Quasar Outflows: From BALs to Mini-BALs

Accretion disk outflows are important components of quasar environments They might play a major role in facilitating accretion, regulating star formation in the host galaxies and distributing metals to the surrounding gas They reveal themselves most conspicuously via broad absorption lines (BALs), but they appear even more frequently in other guises such as the weaker and narrower "mini-BALs " How are these diverse outflow features related? Are mini-BALs really just "mini" versions of the BALs, or do they represent a fundamentally different type of outflow, with different degrees of ionization, column densities, mass loss rates, physical origins, etc ?

We propose HST-COS spectroscopy to make the first quantitative assessment of the outflow physical conditions across the full range of weak/narrow mini-BALs to strong/broad BALs Our strategy is to measure key diagnostic lines (SVI, OVI, CIII, SIV, PV, etc ) at 930A - 1130A (rest- frame) in a sample of 7 outflow quasars with known mini-BALs through weak BALs We will then 1) combine the COS data with ground-based spectra of the same quasars to include more lines (CIV, SiIV) at longer wavelengths, and 2) include in our analysis a nearly identical UV/optical dataset obtained previously for a sample of quasars with strong BALs Our study of this combined dataset will be an essential next step toward a more global understanding of quasar outflows

COS/NUV/FUV 11727

UV Spectroscopy of Local Lyman Break Galaxy Analogs: New Clues to Galaxy Formation in the Early Universe

Much of our information about galaxy evolution and the interaction between galaxies and the IGM at high-z has been provided by the Lyman Break Galaxies (LBGs) However, it is difficult to investigate these faint and distant objects in detail To address this, we have used the GALEX All-Sky Imaging Survey and the SDSS to identify for the first time a rare population of low- redshift galaxies with properties remarkably similar to the high-redshift LBGs These local "Lyman Break Analogs" (LBAs) resemble LBGs in terms of morphology, size, UV luminosity, star formation rate, UV surface brightness, stellar mass, velocity dispersion, metallicity, and dust content We are assembling a wide range of data on these objects with the goal of using them as local laboratories for better understanding the relevant astrophysical processes in LBGs These data include HST imaging (95 orbits in Cy15 and 16), Spitzer photometry and spectroscopy, Chandra and XMM X-ray imaging and spectroscopy, and near-IR integral field spectroscopy (VLT, Keck, and Gemini) In this proposal we are requesting the most important missing puzzle piece: far-UV spectra with a signal-to-noise and spectral resolution significantly better than available for typical LBGs We will use these spectra to study the LBA's galactic winds, probe the processes that regulate the escape of Ly-a and Lyman continuum radiation, determine chemical abundances for the stars and gas, and constrain the form of the high-end of the Initial Mass Function Adding these new COS data will give us vital information about these extraordinary sites of star formation in the local universe In so-doing it will also shed new light on the processes that led to the formation of stars, the building of galaxies, and the enrichment and heating of the IGM in the early universe

STIS/CC 11845

CCD Dark Monitor Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

STIS/CC 11847

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 2

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

WFC3/IR 11696

Infrared Survey of Star Formation Across Cosmic Time

We propose to use the unique power of WFC3 slitless spectroscopy to measure the evolution of cosmic star formation from the end of the reionization epoch at z>6 to the close of the galaxy- building era at z~0 3 Pure parallel observations with the grisms have proven to be efficient for identifying line emission from galaxies across a broad range of redshifts The G102 grism on WFC3 was designed to extend this capability to search for Ly-alpha emission from the first galaxies Using up to 250 orbits of pure parallel WFC3 spectroscopy, we will observe about 40 deep (4-5 orbit) fields with the combination of G102 and G141, and about 20 shallow (2-3 orbit) fields with G141 alone

Our primary science goals at the highest redshifts are: (1) Detect Lya in ~100 galaxies with z>5 6 and measure the evolution of the Lya luminosity function, independent of of cosmic variance; 2) Determine the connection between emission line selected and continuum-break selected galaxies at these high redshifts, and 3) Search for the proposed signature of neutral hydrogen absorption at re-ionization At intermediate redshifts we will (4) Detect more than 1000 galaxies in Halpha at 0 5

To identify single-line Lya emitters, we will exploit the wide 0 8--1 9um wavelength coverage of the combined G102+G141 spectra All [OII] and [OIII] interlopers detected in G102 will be reliably separated from true LAEs by the detection of at least one strong line in the G141 spectrum, without the need for any ancillary data We waive all proprietary rights to our data and will make high-level data products available through the ST/ECF

WFC3/IR 11719

A Calibration Database for Stellar Models of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

Studies of galaxy formation and evolution rely increasingly on the interpretation and modeling of near-infrared observations At these wavelengths, the brightest stars are intermediate mass asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars These stars can contribute nearly 50% of the integrated luminosity at near infrared and even optical wavelengths, particularly for the younger stellar populations characteristic of high-redshift galaxies (z>1) AGB stars are also significant sources of dust and heavy elements Accurate modeling of AGB stars is therefore of the utmost importance

The primary limitation facing current models is the lack of useful calibration data Current models are tuned to match the properties of the AGB population in the Magellanic Clouds, and thus have only been calibrated in a very narrow range of sub-solar metallicities Preliminary observations already suggest that the models are overestimating AGB lifetimes by factors of 2-3 at lower metallicities At higher (solar) metallicities, there are no appropriate observations for calibrating the models

We propose a WFC3/IR SNAP survey of nearby galaxies to create a large database of AGB populations spanning the full range of metallicities and star formation histories Because of their intrinsically red colors and dusty circumstellar envelopes, tracking the numbers and bolometric fluxes of AGB stars requires the NIR observations we propose here The resulting observations of nearby galaxies with deep ACS imaging offer the opportunity to obtain large (100-1000's) complete samples of AGB stars at a single distance, in systems with well-constrained star formation histories and metallicities

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark current image scaled by desired exposure time Therefore, dark current images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used in science observations These observations will be used to monitor changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences to be used by Gos in Cycle 17 For each sample sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS)

WFC3/UV 12019

After the Fall: Fading AGN in Post-starburst Galaxies

We propose joint Chandra and HST observations of an extraordinary sample of 12 massive post-starburst galaxies at z=0 4-0 8 that are in the short-lived evolution phase a few 100 Myr after the peak of merger-driven star formation and AGN activity We will use the data to measure X-ray luminosities, black hole masses, and accretion rates; and with the accurate "clocks" provided by post-starburst stellar populations, we will directly test theoretical models that predict a power-law decay in the AGN light curve We will also test whether star formation and black hole accretion shut down in lock-step, quantify whether the black holes transition to radiatively inefficient accretion states, and constrain the observational signatures of black hole mergers

WFC3/UVIS 11595

Turning Out the Light: A WFC3 Program to Image z>2 Damped Lyman Alpha Systems

We propose to directly image the star-forming regions of z>2 damped Lya systems (DLAs) using the WFC3/UVIS camera on the Hubble Space Telescope In contrast to all previous attempts to detect the galaxies giving rise to high redshift DLAs, we will use a novel technique that completely removes the glare of the background quasar Specifically, we will target quasar sightlines with multiple DLAs and use the higher redshift DLA as a ``blocking filter'' (via Lyman limit absorption) to eliminate all FUV emission from the quasar This will allow us to carry out a deep search for FUV emission from the lower redshift DLA, shortward of the Lyman limit of the higher redshift absorber The unique filter set and high spatial resolution afforded by WFC3/UVIS will then enable us to directly image the lower redshift DLA and thus estimate its size, star- formation rate and impact parameter from the QSO sightline We propose to observe a sample of 20 sightlines, selected primarily from the SDSS database, requiring a total of 40 HST orbits The observations will allow us to determine the first FUV luminosity function of high redshift DLA galaxies and to correlate the DLA galaxy properties with the ISM characteristics inferred from standard absorption-line analysis to significantly improve our understanding of the general DLA population

WFC3/UVIS 11697

Proper Motion Survey of Classical and SDSS Local Group Dwarf Galaxies

Using the superior resolution of HST, we propose to continue our proper motion survey of Galactic dwarf galaxies The target galaxies include one classical dwarf, Leo II, and six that were recently identified in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data: Bootes I, Canes Venatici I, Canes Venatici II, Coma Berenices, Leo IV, and Ursa Major II We will observe a total of 16 fields, each centered on a spectroscopically-confirmed QSO Using QSOs as standards of rest in measuring absolute proper motions has proven to be the most accurate and most efficient method HST is our only option to quickly determine the space motions of the SDSS dwarfs because suitable ground-based imaging is only a few years old and such data need several decades to produce a proper motion The two most distant galaxies in our sample will require time baselines of four years to achieve our goal of a 30-50 km/s uncertainty in the tangential velocity; given this and the finite lifetime of HST, it is imperative that first-epoch observations be taken in this cycle The SDSS dwarfs have dramatically lower surface brightnesses and luminosities than the classical dwarfs Proper motions are crucial for determining orbits of the galaxies and knowing the orbits will allow us to test theories for the formation and evolution of these galaxies and, more generally, for the formation of the Local Group

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 (Proposal 11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS)

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11700

Bright Galaxies at z>7 5 with a WFC3 Pure Parallel Survey

The epoch of reionization represents a special moment in the history of the Universe as it is during this era that the first galaxies and star clusters are formed Reionization also profoundly affects the environment where subsequent generations of galaxies evolve Our overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that galaxies are responsible for reionizing neutral hydrogen To do so we propose to carry out a pure parallel WFC3 survey to constrain the bright end of the redshift z>7 5 galaxy luminosity function on a total area of 176 arcmin^2 of sky Extrapolating the evolution of the luminosity function from z~6, we expect to detect about 20 Lyman Break Galaxies brighter than M_* at z~8 significantly improving the current sample of only a few galaxies known at these redshifts Finding significantly fewer objects than predicted on the basis of extrapolation from z=6 would set strong limits to the brightness of M_*, highlighting a fast evolution of the luminosity function with the possible implication that galaxies alone cannot reionize the Universe Our observations will find the best candidates for spectroscopic confirmation, that is bright z>7 5 objects, which would be missed by small area deeper surveys The random pointing nature of the program is ideal to beat cosmic variance, especially severe for luminous massive galaxies, which are strongly clustered In fact our survey geometry of 38 independent fields will constrain the luminosity function like a contiguous single field survey with two times more area at the same depth Lyman Break Galaxies at z>7 5 down to m_AB=26 85 (5 sigma) in F125W will be selected as F098M dropouts, using three to five orbits visits that include a total of four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, F160W) optimized to remove low-redshift interlopers and cool stars Our data will be highly complementary to a deep field search for high- z galaxies aimed at probing the faint end of the luminosity function, allowing us to disentangle the degeneracy between faint end slope and M_* in a Schechter function fit of the luminosity function We waive proprietary rights for the data In addition, we commit to release the coordinates and properties of our z>7 5 candidates within one month from the acquisition of each field

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Report #5115

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/3f59786d29b1a223?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Fri, Jun 11 2010 8:01Ã‚Â am From: "Cooper, Joe"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5115

PERIOD COVERED: 5am June 10 - 5am June 11, 2010 (DOY 161/09:00z-162/09:00z)

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: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                  SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq 7 7 FGS REAcq 9 9 OBAD with Maneuver 5 5

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED:

ACS/WFC3 11734

The Hosts of High Redshift Gamma-Ray Bursts

Gamma-ray bursts are the most luminous explosive events known, acting as beacons to the high redshift universe Long duration GRBs have their origin in the collapse of massive stars and thus select star forming galaxies across a wide range of redshift Due to their bright afterglows we can study the details of GRB host galaxies via absorption spectroscopy, providing redshifts, column densities and metallicities for galaxies far too faint to be accessible directly with current technology We have already obtained deep ground based observations for many hosts and here propose ACS/WFC3 and WFC3 observations of the fields of bursts at z>3 which are undetected in deep ground based images These observations will study the hosts in emission, providing luminosities and morphologies and will enable the construction of a sample of high-z galaxies with more detailed physical properties than has ever been possible before

COS/NUV/FUV/WFC3/UVIS/IR 11520

COS-GTO: QSO Absorbers, Galaxies and Large-Scale Structures in the Local Universe

This is a program to probe the large scale structure of baryons in the universe, including addressing questions of baryon fraction, physical conditions and relationships between absorbers and large-scale structures of galaxies Besides these specific goals, this proposed GTO program also probes a large enough total path length in Ly alpha and OVI to add significantly to what STIS/FUSE has already observed Several Galactic High Velocity Cloud Complexes also are probed by these sightlines, particularly the M Complex The total path length of this proposed program for Ly alpha large-scale structure surveys is delta_z~5 5

We have selected a variety of targets to address these questions, under the following subcategories:

Target 8 bright BL Lac objects to search for low contrast Ly alpha absorbers from the warm- hot interstellar medium (WHIM)
Ly alpha cloud sizes: The targets are a bright AGN pair which yield tangential distance separations of 100--500 kpc at z=0 01--0 05, where galaxy surveys are excellent This pair has two filaments and two voids in this distance range
Probes of starburst outflows: The targets are bright AGN, <= 100 kpc in projection out of the minor axis of nearby starburst galaxies
A large galaxy's gaseous halo: Three probes of the kinematics and metallicity of a single L* galaxy halo These observations includes G130M, G160M exposures at SNR~20 and G285M at 2850A and SNR~10 for MgII The 2L* galaxy, ESO 157-G049 (cz=1678 km/s), being probed by these sightlines has an available H I 21cm map from ATCA, H alpha imaging from CTIO and long- slit spectra from MSSSO
Dwarf galaxy winds: These targets probe the kinematics and metallicities of outflows from active and inactive (in terms of star formation) dwarfs

S/C 12046

COS FUV DCE Memory Dump

Whenever the FUV detector high voltage is on, count rate and current draw information is collected, monitored, and saved to DCE memory Every 10 msec the detector samples the currents from the HV power supplies (HVIA, HVIB) and the AUX power supply (AUXI) The last 1000 samples are saved in memory, along with a histogram of the number of occurrences of each current value

In the case of a HV transient (known as a "crackle" on FUSE), where one of these currents exceeds a preset threshold for a persistence time, the HV will shut down, and the DCE memory will be dumped and examined as part of the recovery procedure However, if the current exceeds the threshold for less than the persistence time (a "mini-crackle" in FUSE parlance), there is no way to know without dumping DCE memory By dumping and examining the histograms regularly, we will be able to monitor any changes in the rate of "mini-crackles" and thus learn something about the state of the detector

STIS/CC 11845

CCD Dark Monitor Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

STIS/CC 11847

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 2

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

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11603

A Comprehensive Study of Dust Formation in Type II Supernovae with HST, Spitzer, and Gemini

The recent discovery of three extremely bright Type II SNe, (2007it, 2007oc, 2007od) gives us a unique opportunity to combine observations with HST, Spitzer, and Gemini to study the little understood dust formation process in Type II Sne Priority 1 Spitzer Cycle 5 and band 1 Gemini 2008A time has already been approved for this project Since late-time Type II Sne are faint and tend to be in crowded fields, we need the high sensitivity and high spatial resolution of ACS and NICMOS/NIC2 for these observations This project is motivated by the recent detection of large amounts of dust in high redshift galaxies The dust in these high-z galaxies must come from young, massive stars so Type II Sne could be potential sources The mechanism and the efficiency of dust condensation in Type II SN ejecta are not well understood, largely due to the lack of observational data We plan to produce a unique dataset, combining spectroscopy and imaging in the visible, near- and mid-IR covering the key phase, 400-700 days after maximum when dust is known to form in the SN ejecta Therefore, we are proposing for coordinated HST/NOAO observations (HST ACS, NICMOS/NIC2 & Gemini/GMOS and TReCS) which will be combined with our Spitzer Cycle 5 data to study these new bright Sne The results of this program will place strong constraints on the formation of dust seen in young high redshift (z>5) galaxies

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

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

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11644

A Dynamical-Compositional Survey of the Kuiper Belt: A New Window Into the Formation of the Outer Solar System

The eight planets overwhelmingly dominate the solar system by mass, but their small numbers, coupled with their stochastic pasts, make it impossible to construct a unique formation history from the dynamical or compositional characteristics of them alone In contrast, the huge numbers of small bodies scattered throughout and even beyond the planets, while insignificant by mass, provide an almost unlimited number of probes of the statistical conditions, history, and interactions in the solar system To date, attempts to understand the formation and evolution of the Kuiper Belt have largely been dynamical simulations where a hypothesized starting condition is evolved under the gravitational influence of the early giant planets and an attempt is made to reproduce the current observed populations With little compositional information known for the real Kuiper Belt, the test particles in the simulation are free to have any formation location and history as long as they end at the correct point Allowing compositional information to guide and constrain the formation, thermal, and collisional histories of these objects would add an entire new dimension to our understanding of the evolution of the outer solar system While ground based compositional studies have hit their flux limits already with only a few objects sampled, we propose to exploit the new capabilities of WFC3 to perform the first ever large-scale dynamical-compositional study of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and their progeny to study the chemical, dynamical, and collisional history of the region of the giant planets The sensitivity of the WFC3 observations will allow us to go up to two magnitudes deeper than our ground based studies, allowing us the capability of optimally selecting a target list for a large survey rather than simply taking the few objects that can be measured, as we have had to do to date We have carefully constructed a sample of 120 objects which provides both overall breadth, for a general understanding of these objects, plus a large enough number of objects in the individual dynamical subclass to allow detailed comparison between and within these groups These objects will likely define the core Kuiper Belt compositional sample for years to come While we have many specific results anticipated to come from this survey, as with any project where the field is rich, our current knowledge level is low, and a new instrument suddenly appears which can exploit vastly larger segments of the population, the potential for discovery -- both anticipated and not -- is extraordinary

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Report #5116

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/19d4b763c360ce78?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Mon, Jun 14 2010 7:00Ã‚Â am From: "Cooper, Joe"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5116

PERIOD COVERED: 5am June 11 - 5am June 14, 2010 (DOY 162/09:00z-165/09:00z)

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

12299 - GSAcq(1,2,1) scheduled at 163/17:35:50z, the REAcqs(1,2,1) scheduled at 163/18:55:04z, at 163/20:30:44z at 163/22:06:24z and at 163/23:42:04z all acquired fine lock backup on FGS 2 due to scan step limit exceeded on FGS 1

Observations possibly affected: COS 99 - 178, Proposal ID#11686

12300 - REAcq(2,1,1) scheduled at 164/02:52:12z took two attempts to achieve CT-DV

Observations possibly affected: COS 179 Proposal ID#11698, WFC3 170-171 Proposal ID#11905, ACS 88 Proposal ID#11995

12301 - REAcq(1,2,1) scheduled at 165/02:46:24 failed

Observations affected: WFC3 3 - 5 Proposal ID#11588

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                   SCHEDULED  SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq 21 21 FGS REAcq 32 31 OBAD with Maneuver 12 12

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED:

COS/FUV 11997

FUV Internal/External Wavelength Scale Monitor

This program monitors the offsets between the wavelength scale set by the internal wavecal versus that defined by absorption lines in external targets This is accomplished by observing two external targets in the SMC: SK191 with G130M and G160M and Cl* NGC 330 ROB B37 with G140L (SK191 is too bright to be observed with G140L) The cenwaves observed in this program are a subset of the ones used during Cycle 17 Observing all cenwaves would require a considerably larger number of orbits Constraints on scheduling of each target are placed so that each target is observed once every ~2-3 months Observing the two targets every month would also require a considerably larger number of orbits

ACS/WFC 11995

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 2)

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

WFC3/UVIS 11912

UVIS Internal Flats

WFC3/UVIS 11908

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

STIS/CC 11847

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 2

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/CC 11845

CCD Dark Monitor Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

NIC1/NIC2 11818

NICMOS Confirmation of an Extrasolar pPanet Candidate Directly Detected with ACS

With ACS/HRC coronagraphy, we have achieved the direct detection of a planet candidate in F606W and F814W around a bright nearby star with a debris belt The planet candidate lies 18 astronomical units interior to the dust belt and we detect counterclockwise orbital motion in observations separated by 1 75 years The candidate has mass no greater than three Jupiter masses based on an analysis of its luminosity and the dynamical argument that a significantly more massive object would disrupt the dust belt Using recent model predictions for 100-300 Myr old planetary atmospheres, the planet candidate has a temperature of ~400 K and a mass 1 6 - 3 4 M_J Variability at optical wavelengths suggests additional sources of luminosity such as H-alpha emission or the episodic accretion of cometary material A key surprise is that the planet candidate is NOT detected in Keck adaptive optics observations at 1 6 microns Two model atmospheres predict a flux a few times greater than our detection limit, though the model predictions disagree with each other by a factor of five due to theoretical uncertainty in the strength of CH4 vibrational bands These models predict the strongest emission centered on the F110W passband of NICMOS such that the F814W - F110W color will be red Here we propose follow-up NICMOS observations to verify that the emission observed in F814W is due to the emergent flux from passive cooling of the planet, as opposed to other explanations, such as reflected light from a Saturn analog with a circumplanetary debris disk that would produce a bluer F814W - F110W color Additional deep images in and and out of the 1 14 micron water trough using NIC1 narrowband filters will test whether or not the emission is produced from the passive cooling of a young massive planet

COS/FUV/NUV 11733

WPVS 007: the little AGN that could

Outflows are important components of AGN, potentially removing angular momentum, enriching the intergalactic medium, and potentially playing a key role in the evolution of galaxies Yet their astrophysics is poorly understood We propose an FUV observation of the Seyfert-luminosity AGN WPVS 007 (M_V=-19 7, z=0 02882) using COS, coordinated with a short Chandra observation Observed to have a miniBAL with maximum velocity v_max~1000 km/s in an 1996 HST observation, it was discovered to have developed an additional BAL flow by the time of the FUSE observation in 2003 The BAL flow has maximum velocity of at least 6, 000 km/s, and the unambiguous presence of PV indicates that it is very optically thick In addition, it was found to have normal X-ray flux during the ROSAT All Sky Survey, but in subsequent observations from 1993 to 2003 it was observed to be X-ray weak, suggesting that the X-rays were absorbed by the emerging BAL

Our proposed observations will contribute to our understanding of outflows in three key areas First, an observed relationship between v_max and luminosity that is plausibly related to the acceleration mechanism is violated in WPVS 007; thus WPVS 007 presents a challenge to outflow models Second, the observed evolution of the BAL flow may be related to the small black hole mass and correspondingly compact emission and absorption regions; thus, WPVS 007 offers the rare opportunity to observe evolution of the outflow on human time scales Finally, while WPVS 007 has been observed to be X-ray weak since 1993, a recent long Swift observation revealed the first detection of hard X-ray emission The proposed observations will reveal whether this emergence of hard X-rays is accompanied by a decrease in the UV absorption, and thus test the relationship between X-ray and UV absorbers in BALQSOs

WFC3/UVIS 11730

Continued Proper Motions of the Magellanic Clouds: Orbits, Internal Kinematics, and Distance

In Cycles 11 and 13 we obtained two epochs of ACS/HRC data for fields in the Magellanic Clouds centered on background quasars We used these data to determine the proper motions of the LMC and SMC to better than 5% and 15% respectively The results had a number of unexpected implications for the Milky Way-LMC-SMC system and received considerable attention in the literature and in the press The implied three-dimensional velocities are larger than previously believed and close to the escape velocity in a standard 10^12 solar mass Milky Way dark halo Our orbit calculations suggest the Clouds may not be bound to the Milky Way or may just be on their first passage, both of which are unexpected in view of traditional interpretations of the Magellanic Stream Alternatively, the Milky Way dark halo may be a factor two more massive than previously believed, which would be surprising in view of other observational constraints Also, the relative velocity between the LMC and SMC was larger than expected, leaving open the possibility that the Clouds may not be bound to each other To further verify and refine our results we requested an additional epoch data in Cycle 16 which is being executed with WFPC2/PC due to the failure of ACS A detailed analysis of one LMC field shows that the field proper motion using all three epochs of data is consistent within 1-sigma with the two- epoch data, thus verifying that there are no major systematic effects in our previous measurements The random errors, however, are only smaller by a factor of 1 4 because of the relatively large errors in the WFPC2 data A prediction for a fourth epoch with measurement errors similar to epochs 1 and 2 shows that the uncertainties will improve by a factor of 3 This will allow us to better address whether the Clouds are indeed bound to each other and to the Milky Way It will also allow us to constrain the internal motions of various populations within the Clouds, and to determine a distance to the LMC using rotational parallax Continuation of this highly successful program is therefore likely to provide important additional insights Execution in SNAPshot mode guarantees maximally efficient use of HST resources

COS/NUV/FUV 11720

Detailed Analysis of Carbon Atmosphere White Dwarfs

We propose to obtain UV spectra for the newly discovered white dwarf stars with a carbon- dominated atmosphere Model calculations show that these stars emit most of their light in the UV part of the electromagnetic spectrum and that an accurate determination of the flux in this region is crucial for an accurate determination of the atmospheric parameters It will also provide a unique opportunity to test the atomic data and broadening theory in stellar conditions never met before This will play a primordial role in our path to understand the origin of these objects as well to obtain a better understanding of the evolution of stars in general The principal objective we hope to achieve with these observations are 1) obtain accurate surface gravity/mass for these stars, 2) constrain/determine the abundance of other elements (O, He, Mg, Ne etc ), especially oxygen, 3) verify the accuracy of the various theoretical atomic data used in the model calculations, 4) understand the origin and evolution of carbon atmosphere white dwarfs, in particular whether progenitor stars as massive as 10 5 solar masses can produce white dwarfs, rather than supernovae We propose to observe 5 objects chosen carefully to cover the range of observed properties among carbon atmosphere white dwarfs (effective temperature, surface gravity, abundance of hydrogen/helium and magnetic field)

WFC3/IR 11719

A Calibration Database for Stellar Models of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

WFC3/UVIS/IR 11702

Search for Very High-z Galaxies with WFC3 Pure Parallel

WFC3 will provide an unprecedented probe to the early universe beyond the current redshift frontier Here we propose a pure parallel program using this new instrument to search for Lyman-break galaxies at 6 520deg) that last for 4 orbits and longer, resulting a total survey area of about 140~230 square arcminute Based on our understanding of the new HST parallel observation scheduling process, we believe that the total number of long-duration pure parallel visits in Cycle 17 should be sufficient to accommodate our program We waive all proprietary rights to our data, and will also make the enhanced data products public in a timely manner

(1) We will use both the UVIS and the IR channels, and do not need to seek optical data from elsewhere

(2) Our program will likely triple the size of the probable candidate samples at z~7 and z~8, and will complement other targeted programs aiming at the similar redshift range

(3) Being a pure parallel program, our survey will only make very limited demand on the scarce HST resources More importantly, as the pure parallel pointings will be at random sight-lines, our program will be least affected by the bias due to the large scale structure ("cosmic variance")

(4) We aim at the most luminous LBG population, and will address the bright-end of the luminosity function at z~8 and z~7 We will constrain the value of L* in particular, which is critical for understanding the star formation process and the stellar mass assembly history in the first few hundred million years of the universe

(5) The candidates from our survey, most of which will be the brightest ones that any surveys would be able to find, will have the best chance to be spectroscopically confirmed at the current 8--10m telescopes

(6) We will also find a large number of extremely red, old galaxies at intermediate redshifts, and the fine spatial resolution offered by the WFC3 will enable us constrain their formation history based on the study of their morphology, and hence shed light on their connection to the very early galaxies in the universe

COS/NUV/FUV 11698

The Structure and Dynamics of Virgo's Multi-Phase Intracluster Medium

The dynamical flows of the intracluster medium (ICM) are largely unknown We propose to map the spatial and kinematic distribution of the warm ICM of the nearby Virgo cluster using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph 15 sightlines at a range of impact parameters within the virial radius of the cluster (0 2 - 1 7 Mpc) will be probed for Lyman-alpha absorption and the data compared to blind HI, dust and x-ray surveys to create a multi-phase map of the cluster's ICM Absorption line sightlines are commonly 40-100 kpc from a galaxy, allowing the flow of baryons between galaxies and the ICM to be assessed The velocity distribution of the absorbers will be directly compared to simulations and used to constrain the turbulent motions of the ICM This proposal will result in the first map of a cluster's warm ICM and provide important tests for our theoretical understanding of cluster formation and the treatment of gas cooling in cosmological simulations

WFC3/IR 11694

Mapping the Lnteraction Between High-Redshift Galaxies and the Lntergalactic Environment

With the commissioning of the high-throughput large-area camera WFC3/IR, it is possible for the first time to undertake an efficient survey of the rest-frame optical morphologies of galaxies at the peak epoch of star formation in the universe We therefore propose deep WFC3/IR imaging of over 320 spectroscopically confirmed galaxies between redshift 1 6 < z < 3 4 in well-studied fields which lie along the line of sight to bright background QSOs The spectra of these bright QSOs probe the IGM in the vicinity of each of the foreground galaxies along the line of sight, providing detailed information on the physical state of the gas at large galactocentric radii In combination with our densely sampled UV/IR spectroscopy, stellar population models, and kinematic data in these fields, WFC3/IR imaging data will permit us to construct a comprehensive picture of the structure, dynamics, and star formation properties of a large population of galaxies in the early universe and their effect upon their cosmological environment

COS/FUV 11686

The Cosmological Impact of AGN Outflows: Measuring Absolute Abundances and Kinetic Luminosities

AGN outflows are increasingly invoked as a major contributor to the formation and evolution of supermassive black holes, their host galaxies, the surrounding IGM, and cluster cooling flows Our HST/COS proposal will determine reliable absolute chemical abundances in six AGN outflows, which influences several of the processes mentioned above To date there is only one such determination, done by our team on Mrk 279 using 16 HST/STIS orbits and 100 ksec of FUSE time The advent of COS and its high sensitivity allows us to choose among fainter objects at redshifts high enough to preclude the need for FUSE This will allow us to determine the absolute abundances for six AGN (all fainter than Mrk 279) using only 40 HST COS orbits This will put abundances studies in AGN on a firm footing, an elusive goal for the past four decades In addition, prior FUSE observations of four of these targets indicate that it is probable that the COS observations will detect troughs from excited levels of C III These will allow us to measure the distances of the outflows and thereby determine their kinetic luminosity, a major goal in AGN feedback research 11686( 7) - 25-Sep-2009 13:44:14 - [ 2]

We will use our state of the art column density extraction methods and velocity-dependent photoionization models to determine the abundances and kinetic luminosity Previous AGN outflow projects suffered from the constraints of deciding what science we could do using ONE of the handful of bright targets that were observable With COS we can choose the best sample for our experiment As an added bonus, most of the spectral range of our targets has not been observed previously, greatly increasing the discovery phase space

WFC3/ACS/IR 11677

Is 47 Tuc Young? Measuring its White Dwarf Cooling Age and Completing a Hubble Legacy

With this proposal we will firmly establish the age of 47 Tuc from its cooling white dwarfs 47 Tuc is the nearest and least reddened of the metal-rich disk globular clusters It is also the template used for studying the giant branches of nearby resolved galaxies In addition, the age sensitive magnitude spread between the main sequence turnoff and horizontal branch is identical for 47 Tuc, two bulge globular clusters and the bulge field population A precise relative age constraint for 47 Tuc, compared to the halo clusters M4 and NGC 6397, both of which we recently dated via white dwarf cooling, would therefore constrain when the bulge formed relative to the old halo globular clusters Of particular interest is that with the higher quality ACS data on NGC 6397, we are now capable with the technique of white dwarf cooling of determining ages to an accuracy of +/-0 4 Gyrs at the 95% confidence level Ages derived from the cluster turnoff are not currently capable of reaching this precision The important role that 47 Tuc plays in galaxy formation studies, and as the metal-rich template for the globular clusters, makes the case for a white dwarf cooling age for this metal-rich cluster compelling

Several recent analyses have suggested that 47 Tuc is more than 2 Gyrs younger than the Galactic halo Others have suggested an age similar to that of the most metal poor globular clusters The current situation is clearly uncertain and obviously a new approach to age dating this important cluster is required

With the observations of 47 Tuc, this project will complete a legacy for HST It will be the third globular cluster observed for white dwarf cooling; the three covering almost the full metallicity range of the cluster system Unless JWST has its proposed bluer filters (700 and 900 nm) this science will not be possible perhaps for decades until a large optical telescope is again in space Ages for globular clusters from the main sequence turnoff are less precise than those from white dwarf cooling making the science with the current proposal truly urgent

ACS/WFC3 11669

The Origins of Short Gamma-Ray Bursts

During the past decade extraordinary progress has been made in determining the origin of long- duration gamma-ray bursts It has been conclusively shown that these objects derive from the deaths of massive stars Nonetheless, the origin of their observational cousins, short-duration gamma-ray bursts (SGRBs) remains a mystery While SGRBs are widely thought to result from the inspiral of compact binaries, this is a conjecture SGRBs have been found in elliptical galaxies, Abell Clusters, star-forming dwarfs and even an edge-on spiral Whether they primarily result from an old population, a young population, or rapid evolution of binaries in globular clusters remains open

Here we propose to employ two related sets of observations which may dramatically advance our understanding of short bursts The first is a variant of a technique that we pioneered and used to great effect in elucidating the origins of long-duration bursts We will examine a statistical sample of hosts and measure the degree to which SGRB locations trace the red or blue light of their hosts, and thus old or young stellar populations This will allow us to study the demographics of the SGRB population in a manner largely free of the distance dependent selection effects which have so far bedeviled this field In the second line of attack we will use two targets of opportunity to obtain extremely precise positions of up to two nearby bursts -- one on a star-forming galaxy and the other on a elliptical Observation of the star-formation galaxy could link at least some bursts directly to a young population; however, a discovery in later images of a globular cluster at the site of the explosion in an elliptical would provide revolutionary evidence that SGRBs are formed from compact binaries

WFC3/UV 11635

In Search of SNIb/Ic Wolf-Rayet Progenitors and Comparison with Red Supergiants (SNII Progenitors) in the Giant ScI Spiral M101

We propose to test two of the clearest predictions of the theory of evolution of massive-star evolution: 1) The formation of Wolf-Rayet stars depends strongly on these stars' metallicity (Z), with relatively fewer WR stars forming at lower Z, and 2) Wolf-Rayet stars die as Type Ib or Ic supernovae To carry out these tests we propose a deep, narrowband imaging survey of the massive star populations in the ScI spiral galaxy M101 Just as important, we will test the hypothesis that Superclusters like 30 Doradus are always richly populated with WR stars, and by implication that these complexes are responsible for the spectral signatures of starburst galaxies

Our previous HST survey of the HII regions in the ScIII galaxy NGC 2403 suggested that the distribution of WR stars and RSG is a sensitive diagnostic of the recent star-forming history of these large complexes: young cores of O and WR stars are surrounded by older halos containing RSG Theory predicts that this must change with metallicity; relatively fewer WR stars form at lower Z A key goal of our proposal is to directly test this paradigm in a single galaxy, M101 being the ideal target The abundance gradient across M101 (a factor of 20) suggests that relatively many more WR will be found in the inner parts of this galaxy than in the outer "suburbs" Second, we note that WR stars are predicted to end their lives as core-collapse or pair-instability supernovae The WR population in M101 may be abundant enough for one to erupt as a Type Ib or Ic supernova within a generation The clear a priori identification of a WR progenitor would be a major legacy of HST Third, we will also determine if "superclusters", heavily populated by WR stars, are common in M101 It is widely claimed that such Superclusters produce the integrated spectral signatures of Starburst galaxies We will be able to directly measure the numbers and emission-line luminosities of thousands of Wolf Rayet stars located in hundreds of M101 Superclusters, and correlate those numbers against the Supercluster sizes and luminosities It is likely (but far from certain) that Supercluster sizes and emission-line luminosities are driven by their Wolf-Rayet star content Our sample will be the largest and best-ever Supercluster/Wolf Rayet sample, an excellent local proxy for characterizing starburst galaxies' Superclusters

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11613

GHOSTS: Stellar Outskirts of Massive Spiral Galaxies

We propose to continue our highly successful GHOSTS HST survey of the resolved stellar populations of nearby, massive disk galaxies using SNAPs These observations provide star counts and color-magnitude diagrams 2-3 magnitudes below the tip of the Red Giant Branch of the outer disk and halo of each galaxy We will measure the metallicity distribution functions and stellar density profiles from star counts down to very low average surface brightnesses, equivalent to ~32 V-mag per square arcsec

This proposal will substantially improve our unique sampling of galaxy outskirts Our targets cover a range in galaxy mass, luminosity, inclination, and morphology As a function of these galaxy properties, this survey provides: - the most extensive, systematic measurement of radial light profiles and axial ratios of the diffuse stellar halos and outer disks of spiral galaxies; - a comprehensive analysis of halo metallicity distributions as function of galaxy type and position within the galaxy; - an unprecedented study of the stellar metallicity and age distribution in the outer disk regions where the disk truncations occur; - the first comparative study of globular clusters and their field stellar populations

We will use these fossil records of the galaxy assembly process to test halo formation models within the hierarchical galaxy formation scheme

WFC3/ACS/UVIS 11603

A Comprehensive Study of Dust Formation in Type II Supernovae with HST, Spitzer, and Gemini

WFC3/UVIS 11588

Galaxy-Scale Strong Lenses from the CFHTLS Survey

We aim to investigate the origin and evolution of early-type galaxies using gravitational lensing, modeling the mass profiles of objects over a wide range of redshifts The low redshift (z = 0 2) sample is already in place following the successful HST SLACS survey; we now propose to build up and analyze a sample of comparable size (~50 systems) at high redshift (0 4 < z < 0 9) using HST WFC3 Snapshot observations of lens systems identified by the SL2S collaboration in the CFHT legacy survey

STIS/CCD/MA2 11568

A SNAPSHOT Survey of the Local Interstellar Medium: New NUV Observations of Stars with Archived FUV Observations

We propose to obtain high-resolution STIS E230H SNAP observations of MgII and FeII interstellar absorption lines toward stars within 100 parsecs that already have moderate or high-resolution far-UV (FUV), 900-1700 A, observations available in the MAST Archive Fundamental properties, such as temperature, turbulence, ionization, abundances, and depletions of gas in the local interstellar medium (LISM) can be measured by coupling such observations Due to the wide spectral range of STIS, observations to study nearby stars also contain important data about the LISM embedded within their spectra However, unlocking this information from the intrinsically broad and often saturated FUV absorption lines of low-mass ions, (DI, CII, NI, OI), requires first understanding the kinematic structure of the gas along the line of sight This can be achieved with high resolution spectra of high-mass ions, (FeII, MgII), which have narrow absorption lines, and can resolve each individual velocity component (interstellar cloud) By obtaining short (~10 minute) E230H observations of FeII and MgII, for stars that already have moderate or high- resolution FUV spectra, we can increase the sample of LISM measurements, and thereby expand our knowledge of the physical properties of the gas in our galactic neighborhood STIS is the only instrument capable of obtaining the required high resolution data now or in the foreseeable future

STIS/CCD 11567

Boron Abundances in Rapidly Rotating Early-B Stars

Models of rotation in early-B stars predict that rotationally driven mixing should deplete surface boron abundances during the main-sequence lifetime of many stars However, recent work has shown that many boron depleted stars are intrinsically slow rotators for which models predict no depletion should have occurred, while observations of nitrogen in some more rapidly rotating stars show less mixing than the models predict Boron can provide unique information on the earliest stages of mixing in B stars, but previous surveys have been biased towards narrow- lined stars because of the difficulty in measuring boron abundances in rapidly rotating stars The two targets observed as part of our Cycle 13 SNAP program 10175, just before STIS failed, demonstrate that it is possible to make useful boron abundance measurements for early-B stars with Vsin(i) above 100 km/s We propose to extend that survey to a large enough sample of stars to allow statistically significant tests of models of rotational mixing in early-B stars

WFC3/UVIS 11565

A Search for Astrometric Companions to Very Low-Mass, Population II Stars

We propose to carry out a Snapshot search for astrometric companions in a subsample of very low-mass, halo subdwarfs identified within 120 parsecs of the Sun These ultra-cool M subdwarfs are local representatives of the lowest-mass H burning objects from the Galactic Population II The expected 3-4 astrometric doubles that will be discovered will be invaluable in that they will be the first systems from which gravitational masses of metal-poor stars at the bottom of the main sequence can be directly measured

WFC3/UV 11556

Investigations of the Pluto System

We propose a set of high SNR observations of the Pluto system that will provide improved lightcurves, orbits, and photometric properties of Nix and Hydra The key photometric result for Nix and Hydra will be a vastly improved lightcurve shape and rotation period to test if the objects are in synchronous rotation or not A second goal of this program will be to retrieve a new epoch of albedo map for the surface of Pluto These observations will also improve masses and in some case densities for the bodies in the Pluto system

NIC 11495

The first direct detection of an extrasolar planetary stratosphere?

We request NICMOS grism spectroscopy to observe the transit of WASP-3b This newly discovered planet is the hottest nearby planet discovered so far The atmosphere is predicted to be so hot that TiO and VO remain in the gas phase, creating a hot, strongly absorbing stratosphere This molecular absorption will cause a 6% enhancement in the transit depth at 0 8 microns, compared to that at 1 3 microns NICMOS/G096 and NICMOS/G141 observations will therefore provide a straightforward test of the hot stratosphere hypothesis The HST observations will provide a precisely determined radius measurement This is required to drive advances in theories of planetary formation, evolution, and atmospheric physics and chemistry The atmospheric TiO and VO absorption is predicted to cause an anomalously high IR brightness temperature for the planet We need HST's direct test of the hot stratosphere hypothesis promptly to enable appropriate cold-Spitzer observations to be planned and interpreted Spitzer is likely to exhaust its cryogens before these observations could be scheduled via the cycle 17 GO process

============================================================================== TOPIC: Daily Report #5117

http://groups google com/group/sci astro hubble/t/f0453d8f6d9f35d5?hl=en

== 1 of 1 == Date: Tues, Jun 15 2010 8:21Ã‚Â am From: "Cooper, Joe"

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #5117

PERIOD COVERED: 5am June 14 - 5am June 15, 2010 (DOY 165/09:00z-166/09:00z)

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

12302 - GSAcq(1,2,1) scheduled at 166/05:02:06z and REAcqs(1,2,1) at 166/06:33:31z and at 166/08:09:26z all resulted in fine lock backup (1,0,1) using FGS 1

Observations possibly affected: COS 16 -21 Proposal ID#11598; WFC3 44, 46, 49 Proposal ID#11700; WFC3 45, 47, 48, 50, 51 Proposal ID#11906; STIS 16 - 17 Proposal ID#11849

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

           SCHEDULED  SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSAcq 12 12 FGS REAcq 5 5 OBAD with Maneuver 7 7

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED:

ACS/SBC 12016

The Stars and Edge-on Disks of PDS 144: An Intermediate-Mass Analog of Wide T Tauri Multiple Stars

High-Inclination PMS stars are optimally oriented to measure disk size, height, to detect jets, and to directly probe disk composition Placing these data into evolutionary context requires dates for the systems and measurements of L bol, and extinction For such stars, X-ray data provide L x, but also N(H) and the total extinction FUV data measures L UV, and constrains the shape of the extinction curve Recent studies have suggested that the frequency of Jovian-mass planets is higher for systems with intermediate-mass stars, due to disk mass or composition While suitable low mass YSOs are well-represented in the Chandra and HST archives, similar data are lacking for higher mass systems We propose joint Chandra and HST imaging of PDS 144 to fill this gap

COS/FUV 11895

FUV Detector Dark Monitor

Monitor the FUV detector dark rate by taking long science exposures without illuminating the detector The detector dark rate and spatial distribution of counts will be compared to pre-launch and SMOV data in order to verify the nominal operation of the detector Variations of count rate as a function of orbital position will be analyzed to find dependence of dark rate on proximity to the SAA Dependence of dark rate as function of time will also be tracked

COS/FUV/COS/NUV 11598

How Galaxies Acquire their Gas: A Map of Multiphase Accretion and Feedback in Gaseous Galaxy Halos

We propose to address two of the biggest open questions in galaxy formation - how galaxies acquire their gas and how they return it to the IGM - with a concentrated COS survey of diffuse multiphase gas in the halos of SDSS galaxies at z = 0 15 - 0 35 Our chief science goal is to establish a basic set of observational facts about the physical state, metallicity, and kinematics of halo gas, including the sky covering fraction of hot and cold material, the metallicity of infall and outflow, and correlations with galaxy stellar mass, type, and color - all as a function of impact parameter from 10 - 150 kpc Theory suggests that the bimodality of galaxy colors, the shape of the luminosity function, and the mass-metallicity relation are all influenced at a fundamental level by accretion and feedback, yet these gas processes are poorly understood and cannot be predicted robustly from first principles We lack even a basic observational assessment of the multiphase gaseous content of galaxy halos on 100 kpc scales, and we do not know how these processes vary with galaxy properties This ignorance is presently one of the key impediments to understanding galaxy formation in general We propose to use the high-resolution gratings G130M and G160M on the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph to obtain sensitive column density measurements of a comprehensive suite of multiphase ions in the spectra of 43 z < 1 QSOs lying behind 43 galaxies selected from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey In aggregate, these sightlines will constitute a statistically sound map of the physical state and metallicity of gaseous halos, and subsets of the data with cuts on galaxy mass, color, and SFR will seek out predicted variations of gas properties with galaxy properties Our interpretation of these data will be aided by state-of-the-art hydrodynamic simulations of accretion and feedback, in turn providing information to refine and test such models We will also use Keck, MMT, and Magellan (as needed) to obtain optical spectra of the QSOs to measure cold gas with Mg II, and optical spectra of the galaxies to measure SFRs and to look for outflows In addition to our other science goals, these observations will help place the Milky Way's population of multiphase, accreting High Velocity Clouds (HVCs) into a global context by identifying analogous structures around other galaxies Our program is designed to make optimal use of the unique capabilities of COS to address our science goals and also generate a rich dataset of other absorption-line systems along a significant total pathlength through the IGM (Delta z ~ 20)

COS/NUV 11538

COS-GTO: Imaging of Mid-UV Emissions from Io in Eclipse

The atmosphere and corona of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io emit light at a wide variety of wavelengths, from FUV neutral O and S lines to SO emission at 1 7 microns These emissions provide important constraints on the distribution and chemistry of Io's atmosphere, and Io's interaction with the Jovian magnetosphere The neutral O and S FUV emissions, shortward of 2000?, have been imaged extensively by HST/STIS and visible emissions (from neutral Na, K and O line emission, and SO2 continuum emission) have been imaged by the Galileo, Cassini, and New Horizons spacecraft, but the spatial distribution of emissions in the 2000-3000? region, thought to be dominated by SO2 electron impact continuum emission, has not yet been determined Earlier long-slit observations with STIS indicated strong concentration of 2800? emission over the active volcano Prometheus (Jessup et al 2004), suggesting local volcanic control, but Cassini images suggest that the SO2 continuum seen at longer wavelengths is instead concentrated over the sub-Jovian and anti-Jovian points where there are magnetic connections between Io and the Jovian magnetosphere- the anti-Jovian point is close to Prometheus A series of 200-second integrations taken in Jupiter eclipse should determine whether emission is concentrated over volcanos or over the sub-Jovian point, and should be able to observe motion of the emission due to changing magnetic field orientation if it is magnetically controlled This observation will also provide experience in the use of COS in imaging mode

COS/NUV 11894

NUV Detector Dark Monitor

Measure the NUV detector dark rate by taking long science exposures with no light on the detector The detector dark rate and spatial distribution of counts will be compared to pre-launch and SMOV data in order to verify the nominal operation of the detector Variations of count rate as a function of orbital position will be analyzed to find dependence of dark rate on proximity to the SAA Dependence of dark rate as function of time will also be tracked

S/C/WFC3/IR 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark current image scaled by desired exposure time Therefore, dark current images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used in science observations These observations will be used to monitor changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences to be used by GOs in Cycle 17 For each sample sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS)

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 11818

NICMOS confirmation of an extrasolar planet candidate directly detected with ACS

With ACS/HRC coronagraphy, we have achieved the direct detection of a planet candidate in F606W and F814W around a bright nearby star with a debris belt The planet candidate, Fomalhaut b, lies 18 astronomical units interior to the dust belt and we detect counterclockwise orbital motion in observations separated by 1 75 years The candidate has mass no greater than three Jupiter masses based on an analysis of its luminosity and the dynamical argument that a significantly more massive object would disrupt the dust belt Using recent model predictions for 100-300 Myr old planetary atmospheres, the planet candidate has a temperature of ~400 K and a mass 1 6 - 3 4 M_J Variability at optical wavelengths suggests additional sources of luminosity such as H-alpha emission or the episodic accretion of cometary material Here we propose follow-up observations with HST/STIS c oronagraphy We employ an observing strategy that is identical to the one used for the detection using ACS/HRC coronagraphy The key goal is recovery of Fomalhaut b in a third epoch that will also provide crucial astrometric information to determine its orbit From the new orbit estimate and models of dynamical interactions with the surrounding debris belt, we aim to further constrain the mass of Fomalhaut b and the evolutionary history of the system

STIS/CCD 11845

CCD Dark Monitor Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD

STIS/CCD 11847

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 2

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 11849

STIS CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

This purpose of this activity is to repair radiation induced hot pixel damage to the STIS CCD by warming the CCD to the ambient instrument temperature and annealing radiation damaged pixels Radiation damage creates hot pixels in the STIS CCD Detector Many of these hot pixels can be repaired by warming the CCD from its normal operating temperature near -83 C to the ambient instrument temperature (~ +5 C) for several hours The number of hot pixels repaired is a function of annealing temperature The effectiveness of the CCD hot pixel annealing process is assessed by measuring the dark current behavior before and after annealing and by searching for any window contamination effects

STIS/CCD/STIS/MA2 11568

A SNAPSHOT Survey of the Local Interstellar Medium: New NUV Observations of Stars with Archived FUV Observations

We propose to obtain high-resolution STIS E230H SNAP observations of MgII and FeII interstellar absorption lines toward stars within 100 parsecs that already have moderate or high-resolution far-UV (FUV), 900-1700 A, observations available in the MAST Archive Fundamental properties, such as temperature, turbulence, ionization, abundances, and depletions of gas in the local interstellar medium (LISM) can be measured by coupling such observations Due to the wide spectral range of STIS, observations to study nearby stars also contain important data about the LISM embedded within their spectra However, unlocking this information from the intrinsically broad and often saturated FUV absorption lines of low-mass ions, (DI, CII, NI, OI), requires first understanding the kinematic structure of the gas along the line of sight This can be achieved with high resolution spectra of high-mass ions, (FeII, MgII), which have narrow absorption lines, and can resolve each individual velocity component (interstellar cloud) By obtaining short (~10 minute) E230H observations of FeII and MgII, for stars that already have moderate or high-resolution FUV spectra, we can increase the sample of LISM measurements, and thereby expand our knowledge of the physical properties of the gas in our galactic neighborhood STIS is the only instrument capable of obtaining the required high resolution data now or in the foreseeable future

WFC3/IR 11694

Mapping the Interaction between High-Redshift Galaxies and the Intergalactic Environment

WFC3/IR 11719

A Calibration Database for Stellar Models of Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars

WFC3/IR 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark current image scaled by desired exposure time Therefore, dark current images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used in science observations These observations will be used to monitor changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences to be used by GOs in Cycle 17 For each sample sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS)

WFC3/UVI 11577

Opening New Windows on the Antennae with WFC3

We propose to use WFC3 to provide key observations of young star clusters in "The Antennae" (NGC4038/39) Of prime importance is the WFC3's ability to push the limiting UV magnitude FIVE mag deeper than our previous WFPC2 observations This corresponds to pushing the limiting cluster mass from ~10*5 to ~103 solar masses for cluster ages ~10*8 yrs In addition, the much wider field of view of the WFC3 IR channel will allow us to map out both colliding disks rather than just the Overlap Region between them This will be especially important for finding the youngest clusters that are still embedded in their placental cocoons The extensive set of narrow-band filters will provide an effective means for determining the properties of shocks, which are believed to be a primary triggering mechanism for star formation We will also use ACS in parallel with WFC3 to observe portions of both the northern and southern tails at no additional orbital cost Finally, one additional primary WFC3 orbit will be used to supplement exisiting HST observations of the star-forming "dwarf" galaxy at the end of the southern tail Hence, when completed we will have full UBVI + H_alpha coverage (or more for the main galaxy) of four different environments in the Antennae In conjunction with the extensive multi-wavelength database we have collected (both HST and ground-based) these observations will provide answers to fundamental questions such as: How do these clusters form and evolve? How is star formation triggered? How do star clusters affect the local and global ISM, and the evolution of the galaxy as a whole? The Antennae galaxies are the nearest example of a major disk--disk merger, and hence may represent our best chance for understanding how mergers form tremendous numbers of clusters and stars, both in the local universe and during galaxy assembly at high redshift

WFC3/UVI 11700

Bright Galaxies at z>7 5 with a WFC3 Pure Parallel Survey

The epoch of reionization represents a special moment in the history of the Universe as it is during this era that the first galaxies and star clusters are formed Reionization also profoundly affects the environment where subsequent generations of galaxies evolve Our overarching goal is to test the hypothesis that galaxies are responsible for reionizing neutral hydrogen To do so we propose to carry out a pure parallel WFC3 survey to constrain the bright end of the redshift z>7 5 galaxy luminosity function on a total area of 176 arcmin^2 of sky Extrapolating the evolution of the luminosity function from z~6, we expect to detect about 20 Lyman Break Galaxies brighter than M_* at z~8 significantly improving the current sample of only a few galaxies known at these redshifts Finding significantly fewer objects than predicted on the basis of extrapolation from z=6 would set strong limits to the brightness of M_*, highlighting a fast evolution of the luminosity function with the possible implication that galaxies alone cannot reionize the Universe Our observations will find the best candidates for spectroscopic confirmation, that is bright z>7 5 objects, which would be missed by small area deeper surveys The random pointing nature of the program is ideal to beat cosmic variance, especially severe for luminous massive galaxies, which are strongly clustered In fact our survey geometry of 38 independent fields will constrain the luminosity function like a contiguous single field survey with two times more area at the same depth Lyman Break Galaxies at z>7 5 down to m_AB=26 85 (5 sigma) in F125W will be selected as F098M dropouts, using three to five orbits visits that include a total of four filters (F606W, F098M, F125W, F160W) optimized to remove low-redshift interlopers and cool stars Our data will be highly complementary to a deep field search for high-z galaxies aimed at probing the faint end of the luminosity function, allowing us to disentangle the degeneracy between faint end slope and M_* in a Schechter function fit of the luminosity function We waive proprietary rights for the data In addition, we commit to release the coordinates and properties of our z>7 5 candidates within one month from the acquisition of each field

WFC3/UVI 11707

Detecting Isolated Black Holes through Astrometric Microlensing

This proposal aims to make the first detection of isolated stellar-mass black holes (BHs) in the Milky Way, and to determine their masses Until now, the only directly measured BH masses have come from radial-velocity measurements of X-ray binaries Our proposed method uses the astrometric shifts that occur when a Galactic-bulge microlensing event is caused by a BH lens Out of the hundreds of bulge microlensing events found annually by the OGLE and MOA surveys, a few are found to have very long durations (>200 days) It is generally believed that the majority of these long-duration events are caused by lenses that are isolated BHs

To test this hypothesis, we will carry out high-precision astrometry of 5 long-duration events, using the ACS/HRC camera The expected astrometric signal from a BH lens is >1 4 mas, at least 7 times the demonstrated astrometric precision attainable with the HRC

This proposal will thus potentially lead to the first unambiguous detection of isolated stellar-mass BHs, and the first direct mass measurement for isolated stellar-mass BHs through any technique Detection of several BHs will provide information on the frequency of BHs in the Galaxy, with implications for the slope of the IMF at high masses, the minimum mass of progenitors that produce BHs, and constraints on theoretical models of BH formation

WFC3/UVI 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/UVI 11906

WFC3 UVIS CCD Gain

The absolute gain of each quadrant of the WFC3 UVIS detector will be measured for the nominal detector readout configuration and at the on-orbit operating temperature

WFC3/UVI 11912

UVIS Internal Flats

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