HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT         # 4168

PERIOD COVERED:  UT  August 1, 2006 (DOY 213)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED


ACS/WFC 10829

Secular Evolution at the End of the Hubble Sequence

The bulgeless disk galaxies at the end of the Hubble Sequence evolve at
a glacial pace relative to their more violent, earlier-type cousins. The
causes of their internal, or secular evolution are important because
secular evolution represents the future fate of all galaxies in our
accelerating Universe and is a key ingredient to understanding galaxy
evolution in lower-density environments at present. The rate of secular
evolution is largely determined by the stability of the cold ISM against
collapse, star formation, and the buildup of a central bulge. Key
diagnostics of the ISM's stability are the presence of compact molecular
clouds and narrow dust lanes. Surprisingly, edge-on, pure disk galaxies
with circular velocities below 120 km/s do not appear to contain such
dust lanes. We propose to obtain ACS/WFC F606W images of a well-selected
sample of extremely late-type disk galaxies to measure the
characteristic scale size of the cold ISM and determine if they possess
the unstable, cold ISM necessary to drive secular evolution. Our sample
has been carefully constructed to include disk galaxies above and below
the critical circular velocity of 120 km/s where the dust properties of
edge-on disks change so remarkably. We will then use surface brightness
profiles to search for nuclear star clusters and pseudobulges, which are
early indicators that secular evolution is at work, as well as measure
the pitch angle of the dust lanes as a function of radius to estimate
the central mass concentrations.

ACS/WFC/NIC2 10496

Decelerating and Dustfree: Efficient Dark Energy Studies with Supernovae
and Clusters

We propose a novel HST approach to obtain a dramatically more useful
"dust free" Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} dataset than available with the
previous GOODS searches. Moreover, this approach provides a strikingly
more efficient search-and-follow-up that is primarily pre-scheduled. The
resulting dark energy measurements do not share the major systematic
uncertainty at these redshifts, that of the extinction correction with a
prior. By targeting massive galaxy clusters at z > 1 we obtain a
five-times higher efficiency in detection of Type Ia supernovae in
ellipticals, providing a well-understood host galaxy environment. These
same deep cluster images then also yield fundamental calibrations
required for future weak lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements of
dark energy, as well as an entire program of cluster studies. The data
will make possible a factor of two improvement on supernova constraints
on dark energy time variation, and much larger improvement in systematic
uncertainty. They will provide both a cluster dataset and a SN Ia
dataset that will be a longstanding scientific resource.

FGS 10103

FGS Astrometry of a Star Hosting an Extrasolar Planet: The Mass of
Upsilon Andromedae d

We propose observations with HST/FGS to determine the astrometric
elements {perturbation orbit semimajor axis and inclination} produced by
the outermost extra-solar planet orbiting the F8V star Upsilon
Andromedae. These observations will permit us to determine the actual
mass of the planet by providing the presently unknown sin i factor
intrinsic to the radial velocity method which discovered this object. An
inclination, i = 30degrees, within the range of one very low precision
determination using reanalyzed HIPPARCOS intermediate data products,
would produce the observed radial velocity amplitude, K = 66 ms with a
companion mass of ~8 M_Jupiter. Such a mass would induce in Upsilon
Andromedae a perturbation semi-major axis, Alpha = 0arcs0012, easily
within the reach of HST/FGS fringe tracking astrometry. The proposed
observations will yield a planetary mass, rather than, as previous
investigations have done, only suggest a planetary mass companion.

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 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 10538

Near-IR Spectrophotometry of 2MASSWJ 1207334-393254B - An Extra-Solar
Planetary Mass Companion

We propose to obtain "short" wavelength near-IR diagnostic and
characterizing spectra of the very high probability candidate
extra-solar giant planet {EGP} companion to 2MASSWJ 1207334-393254
{2M1207}, a young brown dwarf and TW Hydrae Association member. Recent
NICMOS camera 1 multi-band photometric imaging of the companion
candidate, 0.77" {54 AU projected} from 2M1207 - initially detected at
longer wavelengths with VLT/NACO - implicate an object of several
Jupiter masses based on cooling models of EGPs and the likely age of
2M1207 {~ 8 Myr}. Physical companionship of the EGP candidate with
2M1207 has been established at the 99.1% level of confidence via second-
epoch NICMOS astrometric observations. Diagnostic spectra in the 0.8 to
1.9 micron region {unobtainable from the ground and overlapping the
NICMOS imaging observations} will {a} critically inform on the physical
nature of the EGP, {b} provide currently non-existing information to
test/constrain theoretical models of EGP properties and evolution, and
{c} unequivocally confirm the imaging of a bone fide EGP. Background
light from 2M1207 would normally swamp the EGP spectrum with direct
spectral imaging. To obviate this, we propose PSF-subtracted grism
spectra of the EGP using 2M1207 as its own spectral template via
two-orientation high-contrast image subtraction. The temporal stability
of the HST+NICMOS PSF enables self-subtractions of targets at different
field orientations resulting in contrast enhancements of 5 to 6 stellar
magnitudes in the circumstellar background at ~ 0.8" at these
wavelengths. With the grism field oriented to place the EGP "above" and
"below" 2M1207 {at two observational epochs} two independent spectra of
the EGP will emerge from a difference image. This prototypical spectrum
will serve to test and improve upon current models of young EGPs which
predict flux suppression by molecular absorption in their atmospheres.

WFPC2 10745

WFPC2 CYCLE 14 INTERNAL MONITOR

This calibration proposal is the Cycle 14 routine internal monitor for
WFPC2, to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. A variety
of internal exposures are obtained in order to provide a monitor of the
integrity of the CCD camera electronics in both bays {both gain 7 and
gain 15 -- to test stability of gains and bias levels}, a test for
quantum efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for possible buildup of
contaminants on the CCD windows. These also provide raw data for
generating annual super-bias reference files for the calibration
pipeline.


FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:
#10388 REacq(2,1,2) results in fine lock backup @ 213/13:37:40z
The REacq(2,1,2) resulted in fine lock backup (2,0,2).OBAD2 showed
errors of V1=7.44, V2=-5.21, V3=-1.76, and RSS=9.25. The Map at 13:41:25
showed errores of V1=-1.15, V2=-4.97, V3=-2.12, and RSS= 5.52.
Observations affected: ACS 67 and 68, NIC 5

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:
#17865-0 Battery 1 Capacity Test Script & 5 Battery Pressure Limit COP
(completed through step = 18)

#17876-0 Continuous Engineering Recording for Battery 1 BCT (ESTR Power
on @ 214/ 0842z)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                         SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq                  10            10                
FGS REacq                  04            04                
OBAD with Maneuver     28            28                

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Battery 1 Capacity Test Flash Report:
Commanding for the Battery 1 Capacity Test started as scheduled on DOY
213/1058 GMT (08/01 at 6:58 am) with the setting of the Battery Pressure
Test for a 5-battery system. Battery 1 was taken off-line and started
discharging on the first opportunity at 1214 GMT (08/01 at 8:14 am). The
discharge is expected to continue for approximately 50 hours. Following
completion of the discharge, which is expected to occur around 215/1414
GMT (08/03 at 10:14 am), Battery 1 will be placed back online in
hardware during orbit night. Following its recovery period, Battery 1
will be placed back on-line in FSW on 216/1655 GMT (08/04 at 12:55 pm).

The Battery 1 discharge switched from the High-rate to the Low-rate
resistor at 213/2122 GMT.

-Lynn

Lynn F. Bassford
CHAMP HST Missions Operations Manager
Lockheed Martin Technical Operations
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
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