HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT #4735
PERIOD COVERED: 5am November 10 - 5am November 12, 2008
(DOY
315/1000z-317/1000z)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
FGS 11942
Increasing the Accuracy of HST Astrometry with FGS1r
We propose to observe six exoplanetary system host stars
and two
planetary nebulae central stars with FGS1r. All objects
have been
previously observed under proposals GO-09233, -09969,
-10989, and
-11210. These observations will significantly extend the
time baseline,
permitting improvements in the determination of proper
motion. This
systematic motion must be removed to get at the
perturbation of
interest, either due to exoplanetary companions or the
orbital motion of
the Earth (parallax). In most cases the perturbation
orbits will also
improve. We improve either companion mass or PN parallax.
For one
target, GJ 876, theoretical dynamical modelers have
proposed an
inclination closer to 50 degrees, while FGS3 measurements
indicated an
inclination closer to 84 degrees. These new data, once
combined with our
older FGS3 data, will permit an independent remeasurement
of the
inclination of the outermost companion, and a re-evalution
of widely
used dynamical algorithms.
WFPC2 11867
HH 30
This is a end-of-life WFPC2 imaging program of the disk
and jet of the
young star HH 30. HH 30 will be observed on PC1 in filters
F555W, F675W,
and F814W. Jet emission will be seen in F675W extending to
the NNW.
F555W and F814W each get one orbit of long exposures, and
F675W gets two
orbits to see the jet at large distances. The orientation
is specified
to ensure that the jet is not truncated by the chip edge
and to place
the nearby star XZ Tau in the far corner of WF2.
WFPC2 11796
WFPC2 Cycle 16 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.
FGS 11789
An Astrometric Calibration of Population II Distance
Indicators
In 2002 HST produced a highly precise parallax for RR
Lyrae. That
measurement resulted in an absolute magnitude, M(V)=
0.61+/-0.11, a
useful result, judged by the over ten refereed citations
each year
since. It is, however, unsatisfactory to have the direct,
parallax-based, distance scale of Population II variables
based on a
single star. We propose, therefore, to obtain the
parallaxes of four
additional RR Lyrae stars and two Population II Cepheids,
or W Vir
stars. The Population II Cepheids lie with the RR Lyrae
stars on a
common K-band Period-Luminosity relation. Using these
parallaxes to
inform that relationship, we anticipate a zero-point error
of 0.04
magnitude. This result should greatly strengthen
confidence in the
Population II distance scale and increase our understanding
of RR Lyrae
star and Pop II Cepheid astrophysics.
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.
WFPC2 11130
AGNs with Intermediate-mass Black Holes: Testing the Black
Hole-Bulge
Paradigm, Part II
The recent progress in the study of central black holes in
galactic
nuclei has led to a general consensus that supermassive
{10^6-10^9 solar
mass} black holes are closely connected with the formation
and
evolutionary history of large galaxies, especially their
bulge
component. Two outstanding issues, however, remain
unresolved. Can
central black holes form in the absence of a bulge? And
does the mass
function of central black holes extend below 10^6 solar
masses?
Intermediate-mass black holes {<10^6 solar masses}, if
they exist, may
offer important clues to the nature of the seeds of
supermassive black
holes. Using the SDSS, our group has successfully
uncovered a new
population of AGNs with intermediate-mass black holes that
reside in
low-luminosity galaxies. However, very little is known
about the
detailed morphologies or structural parameters of the host
galaxies
themselves, including the crucial question of whether they
have bulges
or not. Surprisingly, the majority of the targets of our
Cycle 14 pilot
program have structural properties similar to dwarf
elliptical galaxies.
The statistics from this initial study, however, are
really too sparse
to reach definitive conclusions on this important new
class of black
holes. We wish to extend this study to a larger sample, by
using the
Snapshot mode to obtain WFPC2 F814W images from a parent
sample of 175
AGNs with intermediate- mass black holes selected from our
final SDSS
search. We are particularly keen to determine whether the
hosts contain
bulges, and if so, how the fundamental plane properties of
the host
depend on the mass of their central black holes. We will
also
investigate the environment of this unique class of AGNs.
WFPC2 11113
Binaries in the Kuiper Belt: Probes of Solar System
Formation and
Evolution
The discovery of binaries in the Kuiper Belt and related
small body
populations is powering a revolutionary step forward in
the study of
this remote region. Three quarters of the known binaries
in the Kuiper
Belt have been discovered with HST, most by our snapshot
surveys. The
statistics derived from this work are beginning to yield
surprising and
unexpected results. We have found a strong concentration
of binaries
among low-inclination Classicals, a possible size cutoff
to binaries
among the Centaurs, an apparent preference for nearly
equal mass
binaries, and a strong increase in the number of binaries
at small
separations. We propose to continue this successful
program in Cycle 16;
we expect to discover at least 13 new binary systems,
targeted to
subgroups where these discoveries can have the greatest
impact.
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:
18357-2 - ESM Side Switch & FSW Update 315/22:33z
18357-2 - ESM Side Switch & FSW Update 315/22:33z
18358-0 - ESM Return to Side A @ 316/00:55z
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSacq
27
27
FGS
REacq
01
01
OBAD with Maneuver
58
58
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Flash Report: ESM Side Switch, FSW Update, and Return to
Side A
At approximately 315/22:36 UTC, Ops Request 18357 was
completed,
configuring the ESM to use RIU-B and MCU-B in an effort to
further
isolate the potential cause of the NCS pressure telemetry
disparities
noted since DOY 290. Upon powering the PCE on the B-side
and receiving
valid pressure telemetry, no change in the disparities
between the TBA
and compressor inlet pressures, and the fill bottle and
circulator inlet
pressures were observed when being read through the
redundant
electronics. 8051 FSW version 7.0.0 was then
successfully loaded into
both the high and low banks of EEPROM on MCU-B.
Following validation of the load integrity, after
approximately 1 hour
of ingesting B-side telemetry, the ESM was transitioned
down and
reconfigured back to the original RIU-A/MCU-A
configuration. While in
Boot, the opportunity was taken to load 8051 FSW version
7.00 in to the
remaining high EEPROM bank on the A-side as well.
Power was restored to
the PCE and the NCS CPL was returned to its Standby mode
at
approximately 316/00:54 UTC, successfully completing Ops
Request 18358.
The pressure disparities remain unchanged since returning
to the A-side.