HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #5132
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am July 6 - 5am July 7, 2010 (DOY 187/09:00z-188/09:00z)
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
3
3
FGS
REAcq 11
11
OBAD
with Maneuver 3
3
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED:
COS/NUV/ACS/WFC/FUV
11658
Probing
the Outer Regions of M31 with QSO Absorption Lines
We
propose HST-COS spectroscopy of 10 quasars behind M31. Absorption
lines
due to MgII, FeII, CIV, and a variety of other lines will be
searched
for and measured. Six quasars lie between 1 and 4.2 Holmberg
radii
near the major axis on the southwest side, where confusion with
Milky
Way gas is minimized. Two lie even farther out on the southwest
side
of the major axis. One lies within 1 Holmberg radius. Two of the 10
pass
through M31's high velocity clouds seen in a detailed 21 cm
emission
map. Exposure time estimates were based on SDSS magnitudes and
available
GALEX magnitudes. Thus, using the most well-studied external
spiral
galaxy in the sky, our observations will permit us to check,
better
than ever before, the standard picture that quasar metal-line
absorption
systems such as MgII and CIV arise in an extended gaseous
halo/disk
of a galaxy well beyond its observable optical radius. The
observations
will yield insights into the nature of the gas and its
connection
to the very extended stellar components of M31 that have
recently
been studied. Notably the observations have the potential of
extending
M31's rotation curve to very large galactocentric distances,
thereby
placing new constrants on M31's dark matter halo.
Finally,
we also request that the coordinated parallel orbits be
allocated
to this program so that we may image the resolved stellar
content
of M31's halo and outer disk.
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/IR
11235
HST
NICMOS Survey of the Nuclear Regions of Luminous Infrared Galaxies
in
the Local Universe
At
luminosities above 10^11.4 L_sun, the space density of far-infrared
selected
galaxies exceeds that of optically selected galaxies. These
`luminous
infrared galaxies' (LIRGs) are primarily interacting or
merging
disk galaxies undergoing enhanced star formation and Active
Galactic
Nuclei (AGN) activity, possibly triggered as the objects
transform
into massive S0 and elliptical merger remnants. We propose
NICMOS
NIC2 imaging of the nuclear regions of a complete sample of 88
L_IR
> 10^11.4 L_sun luminous infrared galaxies in the IRAS Revised
Bright
Galaxy Sample (RBGS: i.e., 60 micron flux density > 5.24 Jy).
This
sample is ideal not only in its completeness and sample size, but
also
in the proximity and brightness of the galaxies. The superb
sensitivity
and resolution of NICMOS NIC2 on HST enables a unique
opportunity
to study the detailed structure of the nuclear regions,
where
dust obscuration may mask star clusters, AGN, and additional
nuclei
from optical view, with a resolution significantly higher than
possible
with Spitzer IRAC. This survey thus provides a crucial
component
to our study of the dynamics and evolution of IR galaxies
presently
underway with Wide-Field, HST ACS/WFC3, and Spitzer IRAC
observations
of these 88 galaxies. Imaging will be done with the F160W
filter
(H-band) to examine as a function of both luminosity and merger
stage:
(i) the luminosity and distribution of embedded star clusters,
(ii)
the presence of optically obscured AGN and nuclei, (iii) the
correlation
between the distribution of 1.6 micron emission and the
mid-IR
emission as detected by Spitzer IRAC, (iv) the evidence of bars
or
bridges that may funnel fuel into the nuclear region, and (v) the
ages
of star clusters for which photometry is available via ACS/WFC3
observations.
The NICMOS data, combined with the HST ACS, Spitzer, and
GALEX
observations of this sample, will result in the most comprehensive
study
of merging and interacting galaxies to date.
WFC3/ACS/UVIS
11360
Star
Formation in Nearby Galaxies
Star
formation is a fundamental astrophysical process; it controls
phenomena
ranging from the evolution of galaxies and nucleosynthesis to
the
origins of planetary systems and abodes for life. The WFC3,
optimized
at both UV and IR wavelengths and equipped with an extensive
array
of narrow-band filters, brings unique capabilities to this area of
study.
The WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC) proposes an
integrated
program on star formation in the nearby universe which will
fully
exploit these new abilities. Our targets range from the
well-resolved
R136 in 30 Dor in the LMC (the nearest super star cluster)
and
M82 (the nearest starbursting galaxy) to about half a dozen other
nearby
galaxies that sample a wide range of star-formation rates and
environments.
Our program consists of broad band multiwavelength imaging
over
the entire range from the UV to the near-IR, aimed at studying the
ages
and metallicities of stellar populations, revealing young stars
that
are still hidden by dust at optical wavelengths, and showing the
integrated
properties of star clusters. Narrow-band imaging of the same
environments
will allow us to measure star-formation rates, gas
pressure,
chemical abundances, extinction, and shock morphologies. The
primary
scientific issues to be addressed are: (1) What triggers star
formation?
(2) How do the properties of star-forming regions vary among
different
types of galaxies and environments of different gas densities
and
compositions? (3) How do these different environments affect the
history
of star formation? (4) Is the stellar initial mass function
universal
or determined by local conditions?
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
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.
WFC3/UV/ACS/WFC
11710
The
Extreme Globular Cluster System of Abell 1689: The Ultimate Test of
Universal
Formation Efficiency
The
stellar masses of the most luminous galaxies poorly represent the
masses
of the halos in which they reside. However, recent studies of the
very
rich globular cluster (GC) populations in the centers of galaxy
clusters
point toward an apparently linear scaling of the number of GCs
with
the total core mass of the galaxy cluster. Thus, unlike for the
stars
in cD galaxies, GC formation in these systems appears to have
proceeded
with a roughly universal mass conversion efficiency. GCs are
also
distinct in that their spatial distributions are more extended than
the
starlight, and recent simulations suggest that they follow the mass
density
profile of the merged dark matter halos that formed stars at
high
redshift. To provide a definitive test of the universal efficiency
hypothesis
requires measuring the number of GCs in the most massive
galaxy
clusters, where the number should be a factor of 5 or more
greater
than seen in M87. Likewise, the relationship between GCs and
mass
density can only be tested in systems where the total mass and mass
density
are well-determined. Fortunately, the imaging power of HST
brings
the GC population of Abell 1689, the most extreme high-mass
lensing
cluster, into range. Estimates of the size of the A1689 GC
population
from available data suggest an unprecedented 100, 000 GCs,
but
this number is based on the tip of the iceberg and is extremely
uncertain.
We propose to obtain the first accurate measurement of the
number
of GCs and their density profile in this extraordinary system -
the
most massive and most distant GC system ever studied - and thus make
the
ultimate test of the universal GC formation hypothesis. Our deep
I-band
image will also provide a stringent "null-detection" test of
several
known z>7 galaxy candidates and improve the mass model of the
system
by increasing the number of usable lensed background galaxies.
Finally,
we will take deep multi-band parallel observations with WFC3/IR
to
help in quantifying the abundance of rare faint red objects.
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.