Date: June 27th 2006

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 4143

PERIOD COVERED: UT June 26, 2006 (DOY 177)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 10612

Binary Stars in Cyg OB2: Relics of Massive Star Formation in a Super-Star Cluster

We propose to make a high angular resolution SNAP survey of the massive stars in the nearby, super-star cluster Cyg OB2 We will use FGS1r TRANS mode observations to search for astrometric companions in the separation range of 0 01 to 1 00 arcsec and in the magnitude difference range smaller than 4 magnitudes The observations will test the idea that the formation of very massive stars involves mergers and the presence of nearby companions Discovery of companions to massive stars in this relatively nearby complex will provide guidance in the interpretation of apparently supermassive stars in distant locations The search for companions will also be important for verification of fundamental parameters derived from spectroscopy, adjustments to main sequence fitting and distance estimations, determining third light contributions of eclipsing binaries, identifying wide colliding wind binaries, studying the relationship between orbital and spin angular momentum, and discovering binaries amenable to future mass determinations The massive star environment in Cyg OB2 may be similar to the kinds found in the earliest epoch of star formation, so that a study of the role of binaries in Cyg OB2 will help us understand the formation processes of the first stars in the Universe

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8793

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 4

A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and every time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50 minutes of coming out of the SAA The darks will be obtained in parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras The POST-SAA darks will be non-standard reference files available to users with a USEAFTER date/time mark The keyword 'USEAFTER=date/time' will also be added to the header of each POST-SAA DARK frame The keyword must be populated with the time, in addition to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8 times per day so each POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate time specified, for users to identify the ones they need Both the raw and processed images will be archived as POST-SAA DARKSs Generally we expect that all NICMOS science/calibration observations started within 50 minutes of leaving an SAA will need such maps to remove the CR persistence from the science images Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors

NIC3 10899

Identifying z>7 galaxies from J-dropouts

NICMOS Parallel Imaging campaigns covered enough sky {250 pointings} with enough sensitivity in the 110W and 160W filters to identify 6 extremely red resolved sources which are prime candidates for J-band dropouts Their complete absence of detectable J band flux can be caused by an opaque Lyman cut-off at z=8-10 We propose to followup these candidates with NICMOS imaging and jointly propose Spitzer IRAC photometry Deep F110W and Spitzer/IRAC 3 5/4 8 micron imaging will confirm if any of these candidates are indeed Lyman Break galaxies observed less than 500 Myrs after the Big Bang Genuine LBGs will remain undetected in F110W, while being detected with flat spectra in the IRAC bands The combined SED will provide information about the stellar mass of these galaxies, and the possible presence of evolved stars or dust reddening The proposed observations will be sensitive enough to detect the F110W flux from galaxies as red as {J-H}=2 8 {AB mags, 5 sigma} If any of the candidates are detected with bluer colors, they will most likely be exceptional "Distant Red Galaxies" at z of 4 to 6 The proposed data will constrain the stellar populations of these extraordinarily red galaxies, which would be candidates for the earliest, most massive galaxies which formed

WFPC2 10132

UV Confirmation of New Quasar Sightlines Suitable for the Study of Intergalactic Helium

The reionization of intergalactic helium is thought to have occurred between redshifts of about 3 and 4 The study of HeII Lyman-alpha absorption towards a half-dozen quasars at 2 72 9 SDSS quasars, but with special emphasis on extending helium studies to the highest redshift sightlines Our proposed approach has already proven successful, and additional sightlines will enable follow-up spectal observations to measure the spectrum and evolution of the ionizing background radiation, the density of intergalactic baryons, and the epoch of reionization of the IGM

WFPC2 10744

WFPC2 Cycle 14 Decontaminations and Associated Observations

This proposal is for the WFPC2 decons Also included are instrument monitors tied to decons: photometric stability check, focus monitor, pre- and post-decon internals {bias, intflats, kspots, & darks}, UV throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and internal UV flat check

WFPC2 10925

Imaging the Nearest Damped Lyman Alpha Absorbers

We propose to acquire broad-band and H-alpha imaging of three bright, very nearby host galaxies for damped Ly-alpha absorbers {DLAs} Our targets are the only DLA hosts at z < 0 03 {i e , spatial resolutions of < 1 2 kpc} The purpose of these observations is to discover the detailed morphology and kinematics and thus the origins of the gas giving rise to DLAs While ground-based spectroscopy of DLAs is used to infer indirectly the evolution of galaxy metallicity and thick disk kinematics out to z > 4, only with HST imaging of the very lowest redshift DLA galaxies can we discover these relationships directly In conjunction with H I 21-cm VLA emission maps, broad-band and H-alpha images of these DLAs will allow us to determine: {1} the sites of active star formation in the host galaxies and their relationship to the QSO sightline, {2} the presence of stellar streams, supernova shells, or bipolar "superwind" outflows in DLA host galaxies, and {3} the detailed spiral structure of the host galaxies, which will allow us to use the lower resolution H I 21-cm emission line images to determine unambiguous DLA kinematics with respect to the host galaxy {i e , is the DLA rotating with the disk?} Thus, the high resolution imaging will allow us to correctly interpret the kinematics and metallicity information provided by the H I 21-cm VLA maps and HST UV spectroscopy to better inform the high-z results

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS: 10322 - FHST OBAD Failure @ 178/04:47:33z FHST OBAD2 using trackers 1 and 3 (with maneuver) scheduled at 178/04:47:33 failed due to too many angle checks OBAD2 had (RSS) value of 112565 34 arcseconds Pre-acquisition OBAD1 was successful with (RSS) value of 1656 21 arcseconds

10323 - REacq(1,2,1) failed to RGA Control @ 178/04:57:36z The Target REacq(1,2,1) scheduled at 178/04:57:36 - 05:05:31 failed to RGA Hold due to search radius limit exceeded on FGS-1 One 486 ESB "a05" (FGS Coarse Track failed-Search Radius Limit Exceeded) was received at 178/05:03:37 Prior GSAacq using same star id was successful Pre-acquisition OBAD1 was successful, OBAD2 failed per (HSTAR# 10322) Enough attitude error had been introduced that the acquisition could not succeed

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                    SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL      FAILURE TIMES

FGS GSacq 07 07 FGS REacq 07 06 Hstar # 10323 OBAD with Maneuver 27 26 Hstar # 10322

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

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