Notice: Due to the conversion of some ACS WFC or HRC
observations into
WFPC2, or NICMOS observations after
the loss of ACS CCD science
capability in January, there may be an
occasional discrepancy between a
proposal's listed (and correct) instrument
usage and the abstract that
follows it.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT # 4439
PERIOD COVERED: UT August 31, September 01, 02, 03, 2007
(DOY 243, 244, 245,
246)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC 10840
The FUV fluxes of Tauri stars in
the Taurus molecular cloud
Present and forthcoming ground-based and space surveys of
the T Tauri
stars in the Taurus molecular cloud
will provide information from high
energy stellar and accretion radiation
to low energy solid state and
molecular emission from the disk, making
those stars perfect
laboratories to carry out self-consistent
studies of disk physics and
evolution. We propose to complete this wealth
of information by
obtaining ACS/FUV spectra for a
significant sample of Taurus T Tauri
stars, covering a range of accretion
properties and dust evolutionary
stages. FUV fluxes carry ~ 10 - 100
more energy than X-rays into these
disks and are thus crucial gas
heating agents and key to disk dispersal
by photoevaporation.
These observations are a pre-requisite to interpret
observations with Spitzer, SOFIA, Herschel,
and ALMA, and will become
one of the important legacies of
HST to the star formation community.
FGS 11210
The Architecture of Exoplanetary
Systems
Are all planetary systems coplanar? Concordance cosmogony
makes that
prediction. It is, however, a prediction
of extrasolar planetary system
architecture as yet untested by direct
observation for main sequence
stars other than the Sun. To provide
such a test, we propose to carry
out FGS astrometric
studies on four stars hosting seven companions. Our
understanding of the planet formation process
will grow as we match not
only system architecture, but formed
planet mass and true distance from
the primary with host star
characteristics for a wide variety of host
stars and exoplanet
masses. We propose that a series of FGS astrometric
observations with demonstrated 1 millisecond
of arc per- observation
precision can establish the degree of coplanarity and component true
masses for four extrasolar
systems: HD 202206 {brown dwarf+planet}; HD
128311 {planet+planet}, HD
160691 = mu Arae {planet+planet}, and HD
222404AB = gamma Cephei {planet+star}. In each case the companion is
identified as such by assuming that the
minimum mass is the actual mass.
For the last target, a known stellar binary system, the
companion orbit
is stable only if coplanar with
the AB binary orbit.
FGS 11212
Filling the Period Gap for Massive Binaries
The current census of binaries among the massive O-type
stars is
seriously incomplete for systems in the
period range from years to
millennia because the radial velocity
variations are too small and the
angular separations too close for easy
detection. Here we propose to
discover binaries in this observational
gap through a Faint Guidance
Sensor SNAP survey of relatively bright targets listed in
the Galactic O
Star Catalog. Our primary goal is to determine
the binary frequency
among those in the
cluster/association, field, and runaway groups. The
results will help us assess the role of
binaries in massive star
formation and in the processes that lead
to the ejection of massive
stars from their natal clusters. The
program will also lead to the
identification of new, close binaries that
will be targets of long term
spectroscopic and high angular resolution
observations to determine
their masses and distances. The
results will also be important for the
interpretation of the spectra of suspected and
newly identified binary
and multiple systems.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8794
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration -
CR Persistence Part 5
A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence
problem of
NICMOS. Dark frames will be obtained
immediately upon exiting the SAA
contour 23, and every time a NICMOS
exposure is scheduled within 50
minutes of coming out of the SAA. The
darks will be obtained in parallel
in all three NICMOS Cameras. The
POST-SAA darks will be non- standard
reference files available to users with a
USEAFTER date/time mark. The
keyword 'USEAFTER=date/time' will also
be added to the header of each
POST-SAA DARK frame. The keyword must be populated
with the time, in
addition to the date, because HST
crosses the SAA ~8 times per day so
each POST-SAA DARK will need to have
the appropriate time specified, for
users to identify the ones they need.
Both the raw and processed images
will be archived as POST-SAA DARKs. 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.
NIC2 10897
Coronagraphic imaging of the submillimeter debris disk of a 200Myr old
M-dwarf
A recent sub-millimeter survey has unambiguously
discovered a new debris
disk around the M0.5 dwarf GJ842.2
which is 200 Myr old. Reanalysis of
the IRAS data has shown that there
is also a 25 micron excess toward
this star indicating warm dust close
to the star. It is also only the
second debris disk found among
M-dwarfs that constitute 70 % of the
stars in the Galaxy. Collisional and Poynting-Roberston
timescale
arguments indicate that the cold grains
detected in the sub-mm are
``primordial'', i.e. original
grains from the protoplanetary phase. The
disk around GJ842.2 is thus unique
in terms of the presence of dust at
such a late stage of evolution and
presents two conundrums: why did it
retain so much primordial dust at
large distances, and why does it
continue to produce dust close to the
star? We propose to conduct high
contrast NICMOS coronagraphic
imaging of GJ842.2 to determine the
spatial distribution of the small
reflecting grains and test the various
scenarios which might explain the IRAS
and sub-mm data e.g.resonant
trapping of dust by planets or
``sandblasting'' by interstellar medium
grains working more aggressively on a
low-luminosity star than on an
A-type star like Beta Pic. Also, we would search for an evolutionary
sequence between GJ842.2 and the only
other M-dwarf with a disk resolved
by HST, the 10 Myr
old AU Mic system.
WFPC2 10818
Very Young Globular Clusters in M31 ?
We propose to use HST's unique
high spatial resolution imaging
capabilities to conclusively confirm or
refute the presence of alleged
very young globular clusters in M31.
Such young globular clusters with
ages < 3 Gyr
are not present in our galaxy, and, if real, would lead to
a striking difference in the age
distribution of the GCs between M31 and
the Milky Way. If the apparent
presence of very young globular clusters
in M31 is confirmed through our
proposed ACS imaging {now WFPC2 imaging}
with HST, this would suggest major
differences in the history of
assembly of the two galaxies, with
probable substantial late accretion
into M31 which did not occur in our
own galaxy.
WFPC2 10787
Modes of Star Formation and Nuclear Activity in an Early
Universe
Laboratory
Nearby compact galaxy groups are uniquely suited to
exploring the
mechanisms of star formation amid repeated
and ongoing gravitational
encounters, conditions similar to those of
the high redshift universe.
These dense groups host a variety of modes of star
formation, and they
enable fresh insights into the role of
gas in galaxy evolution. With
Spitzer mid-IR observations in hand, we have begun to
obtain high
quality, multi-wavelength data for a
well- defined sample of 12 nearby
{<4500km/s} compact groups covering the full range of
evolutionary
stages. Here we propose to obtain
sensitive BVI images with the ACS/WFC,
deep enough to reach the turnover of
the globular cluster luminosity
function, and WFPC2 U-band and ACS
H-alpha images of Spitzer-identified
regions hosting the most recent star
formation. In total, we expect to
detect over 1000 young star clusters
forming inside and outside
galaxies, more than 4000 old globular
clusters in >40 giant galaxies
{including 16 early-type
galaxies}, over 20 tidal features,
approximately 15 AGNs,
and intragroup gas in most of the 12 groups.
Combining the proposed ACS images with Chandra
observations, UV GALEX
observations, ground-based H-alpha imaging,
and HI data, we will conduct
a detailed study of stellar
nurseries, dust, gas kinematics, and AGN.
WFPC2 10818
Very Young Globular Clusters in M31 ?
We propose to use HST's unique
high spatial resolution imaging
capabilities to conclusively confirm or
refute the presence of alleged
very young globular clusters in M31.
Such young globular clusters with
ages < 3 Gyr
are not present in our galaxy, and, if real, would lead to
a striking difference in the age
distribution of the GCs between M31 and
the Milky Way. If the apparent
presence of very young globular clusters
in M31 is confirmed through our
proposed ACS imaging {now WFPC2 imaging}
with HST, this would suggest major
differences in the history of
assembly of the two galaxies, with
probable substantial late accretion
into M31 which did not occur in our
own galaxy.
WFPC2 11022
WFPC2 Cycle 15 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 11028
WFPC2 Cycle 15 UV Earth Flats
Monitor flat field stability. This proposal obtains
sequences of earth
streak flats to improve the quality of
pipeline flat fields for the
WFPC2 UV filter set. These Earth flats will complement the
UV earth flat
data obtained during cycles 8-14.
WFPC2 11029
WFPC2 CYCLE 15 Intflat Linearity
Check and Filter Rotation Anomaly
Monitor
Intflat observations will be taken to
provide a linearity check: the
linearity test consists of a series of intflats in F555W, in each gain
and each shutter. A combination of intflats, visflats, and earthflats
will be used to check the
repeatability of filter wheel motions.
{Intflat sequences tied to decons, visits 1-18 in prop 10363, have been
moved to the cycle 15 decon proposal xxxx for easier
scheduling.} Note:
long-exposure WFPC2 intflats
must be scheduled during ACS anneals to
prevent stray light from the WFPC2
lamps from contaminating long ACS
external exposures.
WFPC2 11206
At the cradle of the Milky Way: Formation of the most
massive field disk
galaxies at z>1
We propose to obtain 2 orbit WFPC2 F814W images of a
sample of the 15
most massive galaxies found at $1
< z < 1.3$. These were culled from
over 20,000 Keck spectra collected
as part of DEEP and are unique among
high redshift
massive galaxy samples in being kinematically
selected.
Through a recent HST NICMOS-2 imaging program {GO- 10532},
we have
confirmed that these galaxies have
regular stellar disks, and their
emission line kinematics are not due to
gradients from merging
components. These potentially very young
galaxies are likely precursors
to massive local disks, assuming
no further merging. The proposed WFPC2
and existing NIC-2 data provide
colors, stellar masses, and ages of
bulge and disk subcomponents, to
assess whether old stellar bulges and
disks are in place at that time or
still being built, and constrain
their formation epochs. Finally, this
sample will yield the first
statistically significant results on the $z
> 1$ evolution of the
size-velocity-luminosity scaling relations, for massive
galaxies at
different wavelengths, and constrain
whether this evolution reflects
stellar mass growth, or passive
evolution, of either bulge or disk
components.
WFPC2 11289
SL2S: The Strong Lensing Legacy
Survey
Recent systematic surveys of strong galaxy-galaxy lenses
{CLASS, SLACS,
GOODS, etc.} are
producing spectacular results for galaxy masses roughly
below a transition mass M~10^13 Mo.
The observed lens properties and
their evolution up to z~0.2,
consistent with numerical simulations, can
be described by isothermal
elliptical potentials. In contrast, modeling
of giant arcs in X-ray luminous
clusters {halo masses M >~10^13 Mo}
favors NFW mass profiles, suggesting
that dark matter halos are not
significantly affected by baryon cooling.
Until recently, lensing
surveys were neither deep nor extended
enough to probe the intermediate
mass density regime, which is
fundamental for understanding the assembly
of structures. The CFHT Legacy
Survey now covers 125 square degrees, and
thus offers a large reservoir of
strong lenses probing a large range of
mass densities up to z~1. We have
extracted a list of 150 strong lenses
using the most recent CFHTLS data
release via automated procedures.
Following our first SNAPSHOT proposal in cycle 15, we
propose to
continue the Hubble follow-up targeting
a larger list of 130 lensing
candidates. These are intermediate mass
range candidates {between
galaxies and clusters} that are selected
in the redshift range of 0.2-1
with no a priori X-ray selection.
The HST resolution is necessary for
confirming the lensing
candidates, accurate modeling of the lenses, and
probing the total mass concentration in
galaxy groups up to z~1 with the
largest unbiased sample available to
date.
WFPC2 11292
The Ring Plane Crossings of Uranus in 2007
The rings of Uranus turn edge-on to Earth in May and
August 2007. In
between, we will have a rare
opportunity to see the unlit face of the
rings. With the nine optically thick
rings essentially invisible, we
will observe features and phenomena
that are normally lost in their
glare. We will use this opportunity
to search thoroughly for the
embedded "shepherd" moons long
believed to confine the edges of the
rings, setting a mass limit roughly
10 times smaller than that of the
smallest shepherd currently known, Cordelia. We will measure the
vertical thicknesses of the rings and
study the faint dust belts only
known to exist from a single Voyager
image. We will also study the
colors of the newly-discovered faint,
outer rings; recent evidence
suggests that one ring is red and the
other blue, implying that each
ring is dominated by a different set
of physical processes. We will
employ near- edge-on photometry from
2006 and 2007 to derive the
particle filling factor within the
rings, to observe how ring epsilon
responds to the "traffic jam"
as particles pass through its narrowest
point, and to test the latest models
for preserving eccentricities and
apse alignment within the rings.
Moreover, this data set will allow us
to continue monitoring the motions
of the inner moons, which have been
found to show possibly chaotic
orbital variations; by nearly doubling
the time span of the existing
Hubble astrometry, the details of the
variations will become much clearer.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are
preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal
performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
10968 - ZERO GYRO SAFEMODE ENTRY
HST
entered Zero Gyro Software Sunpoint at 243/23:01:54 Z
due to failure
of Gyro 2(GRG1_2MC) current reading 0.00ma. ACS safed in ZGSP. Two Gyro
Configuration
Test failed at 243/23:01:54.
10970 - OTA Temperatures Out of Limits
At
244/16:45:27 EMRA1T began breaking high yellow limit at -7.79134.
At
244/16:47:23 ESPID6T began breaking high yellow at -15.7403.
At
244/17:44:02 ESPID3T began breaking high yellow limit at -11.5197.
10972 - NICMOS safed @ 245/0258z
NICMOS
safed at 245/02:58:50 with two status buffer
messages:
Exec 323, P=120712,
T=16922
NICMOS 671, P=160145,
T=16922
("NED_AD_DATAFIFO_EMPTY").
An
Engineering Data Report MSERPROC was also received.
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:
18123-1 - Power On Gyro 6
18124-1 - ZGSP Recovery
18130-0 - Uplink N02Z8260B, Set ATP Pointer, and Clear ENGREPs
18129-0 - 2nd LBBIAS post G6 Insertion
18128-0 - Bias update post G6 insertion
18127-1 - Modify T2G Rate Damp Timer and Rate Damping
Moving Target Limit
18126-0 - PSEA RGA configuration following the failure of
RGA-2
18125-1 - FSW Gyro Reconfiguration due to Gyro 2 Failure
18134-1 - Enable FSW Gyro Bias Correction for Slot B (G6)
18132-0 - Perform RGA Bias Update Using LBBIAS
18136-1 - Perform RGA Bias Update using OBSINT
18137-0 - Update on-board gyro bias limit
18141-0 - LBBIAS after long M2G interval
COMPLETED OPS NOTES:
1636-0 - Adjust Structure Current Limit in ZGSP
1638-0 - Temporarily Change Primary Mirror Temperature
Limits
1637-0 - Limit Modifications for Gyro 2 Failure and Gyro 6
Power On
1635-0 - Temporarily Change OTA Baffle Temperature Limits
1639-0 - Adjust Safing Limits
for Gyro 2 Failure
1640-1 - Adjust PCS Limits for Gyro 2 Failure
1636-2 - Adjust Structure Current Limit in ZGSP
1609-4 - Change JERRCNT Limit
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq
11
11
FGS REacq
07
07
OBAD with Maneuver 44
44
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
FLASH REPORT: Zero Gyro Software Sunpoint
entry
At
243/23:01:54 UTC Gyro 2 disparity counts exceeded limits during an
LOS
period and HST entered Zero Gyro Software Sun Point. The vehicle was
in M2G mode in orbit night with a vehicle slew in progress
when this
occurred. Gyro 2's motor current and digital data were zero
after
telemetry was reestablished.
FLASH REPORT: Gyro 6 power on
After
examination of the Gyro 2 failure data, Project gave the go ahead
for the power on of Gyro 6. Ops Request 18123-1 was executed
at 2007/244
05:55.
Gyro turn on was nominal.
Zero Gyro Status Briefing Flash Report - Sept 1, 2007
On
Saturday, September 1st at 9am EST a Zero Gyro Entry
(Gyro 2 failure)
Status
Briefing was held with the Mission Operations Team, Science
Institute and HST Project. Status of each subsystem was
provided. PCS
confirmed Gyro 2 failure and that Gyro 6 was powered on at
244/0554 GMT.
Other
subsystems are performing nominally and as expected. TCS did
change yellow limits on the OTA Baffle temperature to the SM
limits
(w/AD closed). EPS reported a change in the structure current
profile
following the anomaly. An Ops Note was issued to increase
structure
current ground limits by 0.4 amps (5.4 to 5.8A). There was
an increase
of up to 1.5 amps in the structure current profile which EPS
is
monitoring.
The
team reviewed Safemode Procedure 10 TGS Zero Gyro Sunpoint Safemode
Response
and authority to proceed with the recovery was granted. A
telecon was held with the STScI to coordinate the delivery of the Health
&
Safety (H&S) SMS and the Science Intercept SMS. STScI
reported that
the two SMSs will be generated in
parallel and all products should be
delivered around the same time.
Flash Report - Health and Safety Load
The
Health and Safety Load for recovering for the ZGSP safe mode
recovery was uplinked at
245/06:30, and started executing nominally at
245/08:00 GMT.
Flash Report NICMOS Safing - STB
671
NICMOS
Safed at 2007/245/02:58:50 UTC with a NICMOS 671
status buffer
message indicating the NED A/D data collection FIFO register
was empty.
At
the time of the event, HST was in orbit day and not passing through
the SAA. ACS remains in Safe and all other SIs are continuing to operate
nominally.
Since
that time, HST has commenced operations on the Health & Safety SMS
at 245/08:02:46 UTC. NICMOS commanding later in this SMS
will not be
executed until and unless the instrument is recovered.
Flash Report:
Commenced Execution of Science Intercept SMS
Execution
of the 486 and NSSC-1 Science Intercept SMS loads commenced as
planned on Sunday September 2nd at 8 pm. EST (i.e.,
246/00:00:00 UTC).
Flash Report:
All
Acquisitions beginning the 246 SMS have been successful through
246/1800. No LOL events have been observed. PCS and FSW are
actively
working issues with gyro bias updates. These issues will be
discussed at
the 5:00 PM meeting this evening.
-Lynn
____________________________________________________________
Lynn F. Bassford
Hubble Space Telescope
CHAMP Mission Operations
Manager
CHAMP Flight Operations Team Manager
Lockheed Martin Mission Services (LMMS)
NASA GSFC PH#: 301-286-2876
"The Hubble Space Telescope is the
astronomical observatory and key to unlocking the most cosmic mysteries of the
past, present and future." - 7/26/6