HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #5139
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am July 15 - 5am July 16, 2010 (DOY 196/09:00z-197/09:00z)
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
9
9
FGS
REAcq
9
9
OBAD with
Maneuver 5
5
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED:
COS/FUV/STIS/CCD/MA1
11592
Testing the
Origin(s) of the Highly Ionized High-Velocity Clouds: A
Survey of
Galactic Halo Stars at z>3 kpc
Cosmological
simulation predicts that highly ionized gas plays an
important
role in the formation and evolution of galaxies and their
interplay
with the intergalactic medium. The NASA HST and FUSE missions
have revealed
high-velocity CIV and OVI absorption along extragalactic
sightlines
through the Galactic halo. These highly ionized high-velocity
clouds
(HVCs) could cover 85% of the sky and have a detection rate
higher than
the HI HVCs. Two competing, equally exciting, theories may
explain the
origin of these highly ionized HVCs: 1) the "Galactic"
theory,
where the HVCs are the result of feedback processes and trace
the
disk-halo mass exchange, perhaps including the accretion of matter
condensing
from an extended corona; 2) the "Local Group" theory, where
they are
part of the local warm-hot intergalactic medium, representing
some of the
missing baryonic matter of the Universe. Only direct
distance
determinations can discriminate between these models. Our group
has found
that some of these highly ionized HVCs have a Galactic origin,
based on
STIS observations of one star at z<5.3 kpc. We propose an HST
FUV
spectral survey to search for and characterize the high velocity NV,
CIV, and
SiIV interstellar absorption toward 24 stars at much larger
distances
than any previous searches (4<d<21 kpc, 3<|z|<13 kpc). COS
will
provide atomic to highly ionized species (e.g.,OI, CII, CIV, SiIV)
that can be
observed at sufficient resolution (R~22, 000) to not only
detect
these highly ionized HVCs but also to model their properties and
understand
their physics and origins. This survey is only possible
because of
the high sensitivity of COS in the FUV spectral range.
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.
STIS/CCD 11999
JWST
Calibration from a Consistent Absolute Calibration of Spitzer &
Hubble
Recently,
Gordon, Bohlin, et al. submitted a successful Spitzer proposal
for cross
calibration of HST and Spitzer. The cross-calibration targets
are stars
in three categories: WDs, A-stars, and G-stars. Traditionally,
IR flux
standards are extrapolations of stellar models that are tied to
absolute
fluxes at shorter wavelengths. HST absolute flux standards are
among the
best available with a solid basis that uses pure hydrogen
models of
hot WD stars for the SED slopes and is tied to Vega at 5556A
via precise
Landolt V-band photometry. Consistently matching models to
our three
categories of HST observations along with Spitzer photometry
and the few
existing absolute IR flux determinations will provide a
solid basis
for JWST flux calibration over its 0.8-30micron range. The
goal of
this proposal is to complete the HST observations of the set of
HST/Spitzer
cross-calibration stars. Using a variety of standard stars
with three
different spectral types will ensure that the final
calibration
is not significantly affected by systematic uncertainties.
WFC3/IR
11666
Chilly
Pairs: A Search for the Latest-type Brown Dwarf Binaries and the
Prototype Y
Dwarf
We propose
to use HST/WFC3 to image a sample of 27 of the nearest (< 20
pc) and
lowest luminosity T-type brown dwarfs in order to identify and
characterize
new very low mass binary systems. Only 3 late-type T dwarf
binaries
have been found to date, despite that fact that these systems
are
critical benchmarks for evolutionary and atmospheric models at the
lowest
masses. They are also the most likely systems to harbor Y dwarf
companions,
an as yet unpopulated putative class of very cold (T < 600
K) brown
dwarfs. Our proposed program will more than double the number
of T5-T9
dwarfs imaged at high resolution, with an anticipated yield of
~5 new
binaries with initial characterization of component spectral
types. We
will be able to probe separations sufficient to identify
systems
suitable for astrometric orbit and dynamical mass measurements.
We also
expect one of our discoveries to contain the first Y-type brown
dwarf. Our
proposed program complements and augments ongoing
ground-based
adaptive optics surveys and provides pathway science for
JWST.
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
11605
Obtaining
the Missing Links in the Test of Very Low Mass Evolutionary
Models with
HST
We are
proposing for spatially resolved ACS+HRC observations of 11 very
low mass
binaries spanning late-M, L and T spectral types in order to
obtain
precise effective temperature measurements for each component.
All of our
targets are part of a program in which we are measuring
dynamical
masses of very low-mass binaries to an unprecedented precision
of 10% (or
better). However, without precise temperature measurements,
the full
scientific value of these mass measurements cannot be realized.
Together,
mass and temperature measurements will allow us to distinguish
between
brown dwarf evolutionary models that make different assumptions
about the
interior and atmospheric structure of these ultra-cool
objects.
While dynamical masses can be obtained from the ground in the
near-IR,
obtaining precise temperatures require access to optical data
which, for
these sub-arcsecond binaries, can only be obtained from space
with
Hubble.
WFC3/UV/ACS/WFC/IR
12057
A
Panchromatic Hubble Andromeda Treasury - I
We propose
to image the north east quadrant of M31 to deep limits in the
UV, optical,
and near-IR. HST imaging should resolve the galaxy into
more than
100 million stars, all with common distances and foreground
extinctions.
UV through NIR stellar photometry (F275W, F336W with
WFC3/UVIS,
F475W and F814W with ACS/WFC, and F110W and F160W with
WFC3/NIR)
will provide effective temperatures for a wide range of
spectral
types, while simultaneously mapping M31's extinction. Our
central
science drivers are to: understand high-mass variations in the
stellar IMF
as a function of SFR intensity and metallicity; capture the
spatially-resolved
star formation history of M31; study a vast sample of
stellar
clusters with a range of ages and metallicities. These are
central to
understanding stellar evolution and clustered star formation;
constraining
ISM energetics; and understanding the counterparts and
environments
of transient objects (novae, SNe, variable stars, x-ray
sources,
etc.). As its legacy, this survey adds M31 to the Milky Way and
Magellanic
Clouds as a fundamental calibrator of stellar evolution and
star-formation
processes for understanding the stellar populations of
distant
galaxies. Effective exposure times are 977s in F275W, 1368s in
F336W,
4040s in F475W, 4042s in F814W, 699s in F110W, and 1796s in
F160W,
including short exposures to avoid saturation of bright sources.
These
depths will produce photon-limited images in the UV. Images will
be
crowding-limited in the optical and NIR, but will reach below the red
clump at
all radii. The images will reach the Nyquist sampling limit in
F160W,
F475W, and F814W.
WFC3/UVIS
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 ~10**3 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/UVIS
11594
A WFC3
Grism Survey for Lyman Limit Absorption at z=2
We propose
to conduct a spectroscopic survey of Lyman limit absorbers at
redshifts
1.8 < z < 2.5, using WFC3 and the G280 grism. This proposal
intends to
complete an approved Cycle 15 SNAP program (10878), which was
cut short
due to the ACS failure. We have selected 64 quasars at 2.3 < z
< 2.6
from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectroscopic Quasar Sample, for
which no
BAL signature is found at the QSO redshift and no strong metal
absorption
lines are present at z > 2.3 along the lines of sight. The
survey has
three main observational goals. First, we will determine the
redshift
frequency dn/dz of the LLS over the column density range 16.0 <
log(NHI)
< 20.3 cm^-2. Second, we will measure the column density
frequency
distribution f(N) for the partial Lyman limit systems (PLLS)
over the
column density range 16.0 < log(NHI) < 17.5 cm^-2. Third, we
will
identify those sightlines which could provide a measurement of the
primordial
D/H ratio. By carrying out this survey, we can also help
place
meaningful constraints on two key quantities of cosmological
relevance.
First, we will estimate the amount of metals in the LLS using
the f(N),
and ground based observations of metal line transitions.
Second, by
determining f(N) of the PLLS, we can constrain the amplitude
of the
ionizing UV background at z~2 to a greater precision. This survey
is ideal
for a snapshot observing program, because the on-object
integration
times are all well below 30 minutes, and follow-up
observations
from the ground require minimal telescope time due to the
QSO sample
being bright.
WFC3/UVIS
11661
The Black
Hole Mass - Bulge Luminosity Relationship for the Nearest
Reverberation-Mapped
AGNs
We propose
to obtain WFC3 host galaxy images of the eight nearest AGNs
with masses
from reverberation mapping, and one star as a PSF model.
These
images will allow us to determine with unprecedented accuracy the
bulge
luminosities of the host galaxies, a goal which is not achievable
from the
ground due to the blurring of the very bright PSF component
under
typical, and even very good, seeing conditions. High-resolution
ACS images
of the host galaxies of more luminous AGNs reveal that the
black hole
mass-bulge luminosity and black hole mass-bulge mass
relationships
for AGNs are not well constrained and arise from what
appear to
be fundamentally flawed data sets. With the addition of the
images
proposed here to our current sample of ACS images, we will be
able to
extend our determinations of the black hole mass- bulge
luminosity
and black hole mass-bulge mass relationships for AGNs by an
order of
magnitude and test our preliminary results for these
fundamentally
important relationships against those previously
determined
for quiescent galaxies.
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
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.
NASA
office: 301-286-2876
__________________________________________________________
Lynn F. Bassford
Hubble Space Telescope
CHAMP Mission Operations Manager
CHAMP Flight Operations Team Manager
Lockheed Martin Mission Services (LMMS)
"...Hubble is the most
significant science instrument of all time in terms of its
productivity..." Scott Altman @12:45pm 5/21/9
STS-125 Senate Subcommittee Hearing