Notice: For the foreseeable future, the daily reports may
contain
apparent discrepancies between some proposal descriptions
and the listed
instrument usage. This is due to the conversion of
previously approved
ACS WFC or HRC observations into WFPC2, or NICMOS
observations
subsequent to the loss of ACS CCD science capability in
late January.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT # 4313
PERIOD COVERED: UT March 06, 2007 (DOY 065)
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}.
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 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 11080
Exploring the Scaling Laws of Star Formation
As a variety of surveys of the local and distant Universe
are
approaching a full census of galaxy populations, our
attention needs to
turn towards understanding and quantifying the physical
mechanisms that
trigger and regulate the large-scale star formation rates
{SFRs} in
galaxies.
WFPC2 11083
The Structure, Formation and Evolution of Galactic Cores
and Nuclei
A surprising result has emerged from the ACS Virgo Cluster
Survey
{ACSVCS}, a program to obtain ACS/WFC gz imaging for a
large, unbiased
sample of 100 early-type galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. On
subarcsecond
scales {i.e., <0.1"-1"}, the HST brightness
profiles vary systematically
from the brightest giants {which have nearly constant
surface brightness
cores} to the faintest dwarfs {which have compact stellar
nuclei}.
Remarkably, the fraction of galaxy mass contributed by the
nuclei in the
faint galaxies is identical to that contributed by
supermassive black
holes in the bright galaxies {0.2%}. These findings
strongly suggest
that a single mechanism is responsible for both types of
Central Massive
Object: most likely internally or externally modulated gas
inflows that
feed central black holes or lead to the formation of "nuclear
star
clusters". Understanding the history of gas
accretion, star formation
and chemical enrichment on subarcsecond scales has thus
emerged as the
single most pressing question in the study of nearby
galactic nuclei,
either active or quiescent. We propose an ambitious HST
program {199
orbits} that constitutes the next, obvious step forward:
high-resolution, ultraviolet {WFPC2/F255W} and infrared
{NIC1/F160W}
imaging for the complete ACSVCS sample. By capitalizing on
HST's unique
ability to provide high-resolution images with a sharp and
stable PSF at
UV and IR wavelengths, we will leverage the existing
optical HST data to
obtain the most complete picture currently possible for
the history of
star formation and chemical enrichment on these small
scales. Equally
important, this program will lead to a significant
improvement in the
measured structural parameters and density distributions
for the stellar
nuclei and the underlying galaxies, and provide a
sensitive measure of
"frosting" by young stars in the galaxy cores.
By virtue of its superb
image quality and stable PSF, NICMOS is the sole
instrument capable of
the IR observations proposed here. In the case of the
WFPC2
observations, high-resolution UV imaging {< 0.1"}
is a capability unique
to HST, yet one that could be lost at any any time.
WFPC2 11020
Cycle 15 Focus Monitor
The focus of HST is measured primarily with ACS/HRC over
full CVZ orbits
to obtain accurate mean focus values via a well sampled
breathing curve.
Coma and astigmatism are also determined from the same
data in order to
further understand orbital effects on image quality and
optical
alignments. To monitor the stability of ACS to WFPC2
relative focii,
we've carried over from previous focus monitor programs
parallel
observations taken with the two cameras at suitable
orientations of
previously observed targets, and interspersed them with
the HRC CVZ
visits.
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
10
10
FGS
REacq
06
06
OBAD with Maneuver
32
32
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)