HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT # 4309
PERIOD COVERED: UT February 28, 2007 (DOY 059)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC 10862
Comprehensive Auroral Imaging of Jupiter and Saturn during
the
International Heliophysical Year
A comprehensive set of observations of the auroral
emissions from
Jupiter and Saturn is proposed for the International
Heliophysical Year
in 2007, a unique period of especially concentrated
measurements of
space physics phenomena throughout the solar system. We
propose to
determine the physical relationship of the various auroral
processes at
Jupiter and Saturn with conditions in the solar wind at
each planet.
This can be accomplished with campaigns of observations,
with a sampling
interval not to exceed one day, covering at least one
solar rotation.
The solar wind plasma density approaching Jupiter will be
measured by
the New Horizons spacecraft, and a separate campaign near
opposition in
May 2007 will determine the effect of large-scale
variations in the
interplanetary magnetic field {IMF} on the Jovian aurora
by
extrapolation from near-Earth solar wind measurements. A
similar Saturn
campaign near opposition in Jan. 2007 will combine
extrapolated solar
wind data with measurements from a wide range of locations
within the
Saturn magnetosphere by Cassini. In the course of making
these
observations, it will be possible to fully map the auroral
footprints of
Io and the other satellites to determine both the local
magnetic field
geometry and the controlling factors in the
electromagnetic interaction
of each satellite with the corotating magnetic field and
plasma density.
Also in the course of making these observations, the
auroral emission
properties will be compared with the properties of the
near-IR
ionospheric emissions {from ground-based observations} and
non thermal
radio emissions, from ground-based observations for
Jupiter?s decametric
radiation and Cassini plasma wave measurements of the
Saturn Kilometric
Radiation {SKR}.
WFPC2 10918
Reducing Systematic Errors on the Hubble Constant:
Metallicity
Calibration of the
Reducing the systematic errors on the Hubble constant is
still of
significance and of immediate importance to modern
cosmology. One of the
largest remaining uncertainties in the Cepheid-based
distance scale
{which itself is at the foundation of the HST Key Project
determination
of H_o} which can now be addressed directly by HST, is the
effect of
metallicity on the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation.
Three chemically
distinct regions in M101 will be used to directly measure
and thereby
calibrate the change in zero point of the
range of metallicities that run from SMC-like, through
Solar, to
metallicities as high as the most metal-enriched galaxies
in the pure
Hubble flow. ACS for the first time offers the opportunity
to make a
precise calibration of this effect which currently
accounts for at least
a third of the total systematic uncertainty on Ho. The
calibration will
be made in the V and I bandpasses so as to be immediately
and directly
applicable to the entire HST Cepheid-based distance scale
sample, and
most especially to the highest-metallicity galaxies that
were hosts to
the Type Ia supernovae, which were then used to extend the
the distance
scale calibration out to cosmologically significant
distances.
ACS/SBC 11052
Internal Flat Fields
FGS 10912
Trigonometric Calibration of the Distance Scale for
Classical Novae
The distance scale for classical novae is important for
understanding
the stellar physics of their thermonuclear runaways, their
contribution
to Galactic nucleosynthesis, and their use as
extragalactic standard
candles. Although it is known that there is a relationship
between their
absolute magnitudes at maximum light and their subsequent
rates of
decline--the well-known maximum-magnitude rate-of-decline
{MMRD}
relation--it is difficult to set the zero-point for the
MMRD because of
the very uncertain distances of Galactic novae. We propose
to measure
precise trigonometric parallaxes for the quiescent
remnants of the four
nearest classical novae. We will use the Fine Guidance
Sensors, which
are proven to be capable of measuring parallaxes with
errors of ~0.2
mas, well below what is possible from the ground.
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.
NIC2 10811
Morphology of a most spectactular Spitzer selected galaxy
By using ground based sub-millimeter observations to
followup
Spitzer-selected galaxies, we have discovered a starburst
dominated
hyperluminous infrared galaxy. A mid-infrared spectrum
obtained with
Spitzer-IRS provides a redshift of z=1.325, which has been
subsequently
confirmed using both NIR spectroscopy at Keck, and sub-mm
spectroscopy
with IRAM and the CSO. By combining the Spitzer and ground
based sub-mm
data, we measure an integrated IR luminosity of 4 x 10^13
Lsun. This is
the only such object found in the 9 square degree NDWFS
survey, and
hence is incredibly rare. The only other dusty galaxies
this bright show
strong evidence of AGN activity, but this source does not.
One reason
this object could be so bright is due to lensing, and
indeed a
foreground source spectroscopically confirmed at z=1.034
seems directly
aligned with the target. However it is unlikely that the
geometry of
this galaxy-galaxy lensing system could support an
amplification more
than a factor of a few. Our IRAC images reveal very faint
and red
satellite systems near our target, hence another
possibility is that the
galaxy is so luminous because of merging induced
star-formation
activity. Morphology is the best way to discriminate
between these
hypotheses, and hence HST observations are essential since
the scales on
which the merging or lensing are occuring are much smaller
than what can
be resolved from the ground.
NIC2 10906
The Fundamental Plane of Massive Gas-Rich Mergers: II. The
QUEST QSOs
We propose deep NICMOS H-band imaging of a carefully
selected sample of
23 local QSOs. This program is the last critical element
of a
comprehensive investigation of the most luminous mergers
in the nearby
universe, the ultraluminous infrared galaxies {ULIRGs} and
the quasars.
This effort is called QUEST: Quasar / ULIRG Evolutionary
STudy. The
high-resolution HST images of the QUEST QSOs will
complement an
identical set of images on the ULIRG sample obtained
during Cycle 12, an
extensive set of ground- based data that include long-slit
NIR spectra
from a Large VLT Program, and a large set of mid-infrared
spectra from a
Cycle 1 medium-size program with Spitzer. This unique
dataset will allow
us to derive with unprecedented precision structual,
kinematic, and
activity parameters for a large unbiased sample of objects
spanning the
entire ULIRG/QSO luminosity function. These data will
refine the
fundamental plane of massive gas-rich mergers and enable
us to answer
the following quesitons: {1} Do ultraluminous mergers form
elliptical
galaxies, and in particular, giant ellipticals? {2} Do
ULIRGs evolve
into optical bright QSOs? The results from this detailed
study of
massive mergers in the local universe will be relevant to
understanding
the basic physical processes involved in creating massive
early-type
host on the one hand, and growing/feeding embedded massive
black holes
on the other, in major galaxy mergers. This is an
important question
since 50% of cosmic star formation at high-z and most of
the big BHs
appear to be formed in this process.
NIC2 10802
SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark
energy
The present uncertainty in the value of the Hubble
constant {resulting
in an uncertainty in Omega_M} and the paucity of
redshifts exceeding 1 are now the leading obstacles to
determining the
nature of dark energy. We propose a single, integrated set
of
observations for Cycle 15 that will provide a 40%
improvement in
constraints on dark energy. This program will observe
known Cepheids in
six reliable hosts of
uncertainty in H_0 by a factor of two because of the
smaller dispersion
along the instability strip, the diminished extinction,
and the weaker
metallicity dependence in the infrared. In parallel with
ACS, at the
same time the NICMOS observations are underway, we will
discover and
follow a sample of
measurements, along with prior constraints from WMAP, will
provide a
great improvement in HST's ability to distinguish between
a static,
cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy. The Hubble
Space
Telescope is the only instrument in the world that can
make these IR
measurements of Cepheids beyond the Local Group, and it is
the only
telescope in the world that can be used to find and follow
supernovae at
z > 1. Our program exploits both of these unique
capabilities of HST to
learn more about one of the greatest mysteries in science.
NIC3 10792
Quasars at Redshift z=6 and Early Star Formation History
We propose to observe four high-redshift quasars {z=6} in
the NIR in
order to estimate relative Fe/Mg abundances and the
central black hole
mass. The results of this study will critically constrain
models of
joint quasar and galaxy formation, early star formation,
and the growth
of supermassive black holes. Different time scales and
yields for
alpha-elements {like O or Mg} and for iron result into an
iron
enrichment delay of ~0.3 to 0.6 Gyr. Hence, despite the
well-known
complexity of the FeII emission line spectrum, the ratio
iron/alpha -
element is a potentially useful cosmological clock. The
central black
hole mass will be estimated based on a recently revised
back hole mass -
luminosity relationship. The time delay of the iron
enrichment and the
time required to form a supermassive black hole {logM>8
Msol, tau
~0.5Gyr} as evidenced by quasar activity will be used to
date the
beginning of the first intense star formation, marking the
formation of
the first massive galaxies that host luminous quasars, and
to constrain
the epoch when supermassive black holes start to grow by
accretion.
NIC3 10836
The Red Sequence at 1.3 < z < 1.4 in Galaxy Clusters
We propose to obtain NIC3/F160W imaging of three new
IRAC-selected
galaxy clusters at 1.3 < z < 1.5. In combination
with deep ACS/F850LP
images being obtained in Cycle 14, the resulting precision
photometry in
a rest ~U - R color will allow us to construct color-
magnitude diagrams
which can be used to measure the slope and scatter in the
red sequence
galaxies, thereby constraining the history of star
formation in the
early-type galaxies. The number of
morphologically-selected early-type
galaxies more luminous than L* will allow us to test the
predictions of
the hierarchical merging scenario for galaxy formation in
clusters at
the highest available redshifts in galaxy clusters.
WFPC2 10871
Observations of the Galilean Satellites in Support of the
New Horizons
Flyby
On February 28 2007 the New Horizons {NH} spacecraft will
fly by Jupiter
on its way to Pluto, and will conduct an extensive series
of
observations of the Jupiter system, including the Galilean
satellites.
We propose HST observations to support and complement the
New Horizons
observations in four ways: 1} Determine the distribution
and variability
of Io's plumes in the two weeks before NH closest
approach, to look for
correlations with Io- derived dust streams that may be
detected by New
Horizons, to understand the origin of the dust streams; 2}
Imaging of
SO2 and S2 gas absorption in Io's plumes in Jupiter
transit, which
cannot be done by NH; 3} Color imaging of Io's surface to
determine the
effects of the plumes and volcanos seen by New Horizons on
the surface-
New Horizons cannot image the sunlit surface in color due
to saturation;
4} Imaging of far-UV auroral emissions from the
atmospheres of Io,
Europa, and Ganymede in Jupiter eclipse, near-
simultaneously with
disk-integrated NH UV spectra, to locate the source of the
UV emissions
seen by NH and use the response of the satellite
atmospheres to the
eclipse to constrain production mechanisms.
WFPC2 11096
Hubble Heritage imaging of Jupiter during the New Horizons
encounter HST
Proposal 11096
WFPC2 images of Jupiter in Feb 2007 in support of New
Horizons flyby of
Jupiter. This Hubble Heritage DD program is working in
concert with the
existing GO programs by John Clarke {10862} and John
Spencer {10871}.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are
preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
10718 - OBAD Failed Identification (ESB 1902)
OBAD1 scheduled at 059/10:00:14 failed. At
10:03:03 OBAD1 had a RSS
value of 42159.69. OBAD2 and the GSacq were
successful
10719 - GSACQ(2,1,2) fine lock backup on FGS 2
GSACQ(2,1,2) at 059/11:53:16 acquired in fine
lock backup on FGS 2 only,
with QF1STOPF and QSTOP flags set on FGS 1 at
11:57:56. No other flags
were seen.
GSACQ(2,1,2) at 059/13:29:11 also acquired in
fine lock backup on FGS 2
only, with QF1STOPF and QSTOP flags set on FGS
1, same guide stars as
previous GSACQ.
10721 - GSAcq (1,0,1) failed to RGA Hold
GSAcq (1,0,1) scheduled from
059/21:30:02-21:35:42 failed to RGA Hold
(Gyro Control) due to QF1STOPF & QSTOP
flaggs on FGS 1.
OBAD #1: V1 -338.20, V2 -3747.54, V3 1196.53,
RSS 3948.43
OBAD #2: V1 2.42, V2 -0.67, V3 -17.09, RSS
17.28
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq 12 11
FGS REacq 03 03
OBAD with Maneuver 31 30
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)