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 # 4361
PERIOD COVERED: UT May 11,12,13, 2007 (DOY 131,132,133)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
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 11072
Measuring the Physical Properties of the first two WASP
transiting
extrasolar planets
We have recently discovered the first two transiting
extrasolar planets
from the Wide Angle Search for Planets {WASP} project and
confirmed both
as planets using SOPHIE radial velocity measurements. Both
WASP-1b and
WASP-2b orbit about stars brighter than V=12, and are thus
ideal targets
for HST followup. WASP-1b is probably inflated in a manner
similar to
HD209458b but is in a closer orbit about the parent, which
itself is the
earliest-type parent star yet announced for a transiting
extrasolar
planet. At 0.03 AU from the parent star, WASP-2b is close
to the minimum
separation at which planets of this mass range are thought
to survive.
We request DD observations of WASP-1b and WASP- 2b, to
constrain the
masses and radii of both objects to a precision of a few
tenths of a
percent. Both parent stars have very similar brightnesses
to the TrES-1
parent star, thus we will achieve equivalent photometric
precision to
previous successful observations of TrES-1b. As all
further physical
investigations {such as interior heating} depend on
precise mass- and
radius-determinations, this investigation is the essential
next step in
uncovering the physical characteristics of these planets
and their
parent stars. We have requested 12 orbits, though 9 orbits
would provide
the minimum acceptable coverage for our program. The
consortium will
formally announce the discoveries of WASP-1b and WASP-2b
on Tuesday 26th
September 2006. We ask that all material in this proposal
be kept
confidential until that date. We can supply the discovery
paper on
request after this date.
NIC1 11063
NICMOS Focus Monitoring
This program is a version of the standard focus sweep used
since cycle
7. It has been modified to go deeper and uses more narrow
filters for
improved focus determination. For Cycle14 a new source has
been added in
order to accomodate 2-gyro mode: the open cluster NGC1850.
The old
target, the open cluster NGC3603, will be used whenever
available and
the new target used to fill the periods when NGC3603 is
not visible.
Steps: a} Use refined target field positions as determined
from cycle 7
calibrations b} Use MULTIACCUM sequences of sufficient
dynamic range to
account for defocus c} Do a 17- point focus sweep, +/- 8mm
about the PAM
mechanical zeropoint for each cameras 1 and 2, in 1.0mm
steps. d} Use
PAM X/Y tilt and OTA offset slew compensations refined
from previous
focus monitoring/optical alignment activities
FGS 11019
Monitoring FGS1r's Interferometric Response as a Function
of Spectral
Color
This proosal uses FGS1r in Transfer mode to observe
standard single
stars of a variety of spectral types to obtain point
source
interferograms for the Transfer mode calibration library.
In specific
cases, the calibration star will also be observed in POS
mode multiple
times with the F583W and F5ND elements to provide the data
to verify the
stabiligy of the cross filter calibration.
ACS/SBC 10907
New Sightlines for the Study of Intergalactic Helium: A
Dozen
High-Confidence, UV-Bright Quasars from SDSS/GALEX
The reionization of intergalactic helium is thought to
have occurred
between redshifts of about 3 and 4. Detailed study of HeII
Lyman-alpha
absorption toward a handful quasars at 2.7<z<3.3
demonstrates the great
potential of such probes of the IGM, but the current
critically-small
sample limits confidence in resulting cosmological
inferences. The
requisite unobscured quasar sightlines to high-redshift
are extremely
rare, especially due to severe absorption in random
intervening
Lyman-limit systems, but SDSS provides thousands of
z>3.1 quasars
potentially suitable for HeII studies. We have
cross-correlated SDSS
quasars with GALEX UV sources to obtain a dozen new, very
high-confidence, candidate quasars/sightlines {z=3.1 to
4.1} potentially
useful for detailed HeII studies even with current HST
instruments. We
propose brief, 2-orbit per target, reconnaissance spectral
exposures
with the ACS SBC prism to definitively verify UV flux down
to the HeII
break. Our combined SDSS/GALEX selection insures a very
high-yield of
confirmations, as the quasars are already known to be
UV-bright from
broadband GALEX images. The additional sightlines,
extending to very
high-redshift, will directly enable ensemble spectral
stacks, as well as
long exposure follow-up spectra, at high S/N with the
ACS/SBC
ultraviolet prisms {or perhaps STIS or
measure the spectrum and evolution of the ionizing
background radiation,
the evolution of HeII opacity, and the density of
intergalactic baryons.
NIC1 10889
The Nature of the Halos and Thick Disks of Spiral Galaxies
We propose to resolve the extra-planar stellar populations
of the thick
disks and halos of seven nearby, massive, edge-on galaxies
using ACS,
NICMOS, and WFPC2 in parallel. These observations will
provide accurate
star counts and color-magnitude diagrams 1.5 magnitudes
below the tip of
the Red Giant Branch sampled along the two principal axes
and one
intermediate axis of each galaxy. We will measure the
metallicity
distribution functions and stellar density profiles from
star counts
down to very low average surface brightnesses, equivalent
to ~32 V-mag
per square arcsec. These observations will provide the
definitive HST
study of extra-planar stellar populations of spiral
galaxies. Our
targets cover a range in galaxy mass, luminosity, and
morphology and as
function of these galaxy properties we will provide: - The
first
systematic study of the radial and isophotal shapes of the
diffuse
stellar halos of spiral galaxies - The most detailed
comparative study
to date of thick disk morphologies and stellar populations
- A
comprehensive analysis of halo and thick disk metallicity
distributions
as a function of galaxy type and position within the
galaxy. - A
sensitive search for tidal streams - The first opportunity
to directly
relate globular cluster systems to their field stellar
population We
will use these fossil records of the galaxy assembly
process preserved
in the old stellar populations to test halo and thick disk
formation
models within the hierarchical galaxy formation scheme. We
will test
LambdaCDM predictions on sub-galactic scales, where it is
difficult to
test using CMB and galaxy redshift surveys, and where it
faces its most
serious difficulties.
WFPC2 10880
The host galaxies of QSO2s: AGN feeding and evolution at
high
luminosities
Now that the presence of supermassive black holes in the nuclei
of
galaxies is a well established fact, other questions
related to the AGN
phenomena still have to be answered. Problems of
particular interest are
how the AGN gets fed, how the black hole evolves and how
the evolution
of the black hole is related to the evolution of the
galaxy bulge. Here
we propose to address some of these issues using ACS/WFC +
F775W
snapshot images of 73 QSO2s with redshifts in the range
0.3<z<0.4. These
observations will be combined with similar archival data
of QSO1s and
ground based data of Seyfert and normal galaxies. First,
we will
intestigate whether interactions are the most important
feeding
mechanism in high luminosity AGNs. This will be done in a
quantitative
way, comparing the asymmetry indices of QSO2 hosts with
those of lower
luminosity AGNs and normal galaxies. Second, we will do a
detailed study
of the morphology of the host galaxies of both QSO types,
to determine
if they are similar, or if there is an evolutionary trend
from QSO2s to
QSO1s. The results from this project will represent an
important step in
the understanding of AGN evolution, and may also introduce
a substantial
modification to the Unified Model.
WFPC2 10877
A Snapshot Survey of the Sites of Recent, Nearby
Supernovae
During the past few years, robotic {or nearly robotic}
searches for
supernovae {SNe}, most notably our Lick Observatory
Supernova Search
{LOSS}, have found hundreds of SNe, many of them in quite
nearby
galaxies {cz < 4000 km/s}. Most of the objects were
discovered before
maximum brightness, and have follow-up photometry and
spectroscopy; they
include some of the best-studied SNe to date. We propose
to conduct a
snapshot imaging survey of the sites of some of these
nearby objects, to
obtain late-time photometry that {through the shape of the
light and
color curves} will help reveal the origin of their
lingering energy. The
images will also provide high-resolution information on
the local
environments of SNe that are far superior to what we can
procure from
the ground. For example, we will obtain color-color and
color-magnitude
diagrams of stars in these SN sites, to determine the SN
progenitor
masses and constraints on the reddening. Recovery of the
SNe in the new
HST images will also allow us to actually pinpoint their
progenitor
stars in cases where pre- explosion images exist in the
HST archive.
This proposal is an extension of our successful Cycle 13
snapshot survey
with ACS. It is complementary to our Cycle 15 archival
proposal, which
is a continuation of our long-standing program to use
existing HST
images to glean information about SN environments.
WFPC2 10867
SAINTS - Supernova 1987A INTensive Survey
SAINTS is a program to observe SN 1987A, the brightest
supernova in 383
years, as it morphs into the youngest supernova remnant at
age 19. HST
is a unique tool for spatially- resolved observations of
the many
physical components of SN 1987A. A violent encounter is
now underway
between the fastest-moving debris and the circumstellar
ring: the
collision excites "hotspots" that light up
suddenly. The optical,
infrared and X-ray fluxes are rising rapidly and vary
significantly on
6-month time scales: regularly-spaced HST, SPITZER, and
CHANDRA
observations are needed to understand the physics of these
shocked
regions. In Cycle 15, the many separate hotspots may begin
to fuse as
the shock fully enters the circumstellar ring. Photons
from these shocks
may excite previously invisible gas outside the ring,
revealing the true
extent of the mass loss that preceded the explosion of
Sanduleak -69
202. The inner debris of the explosion itself, still
excited by
radioactive isotopes produced in the explosion, is now
resolved by ACS
and seen to be aspherical, providing direct evidence on
the asymmetry of
the explosion. Many questions about SN 1987A remain
unanswered despite
our diligent efforts at observation and analysis since the
launch of
HST. How did the enigmatic three rings form? Precisely
what took place
in the core during the core collapse and bounce? Is a
black hole or a
neutron star left behind in the debris? The rich and deep
data set from
SAINTS will be a resource for current use and for future
reference to
help answer these central questions of supernova science.
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 10832
Solving the microlensing puzzle: An HST high-resolution
imaging approach
We propose to use the HST Advanced Camera for Surveys High
Resolution
Channel to obtain high resolution imaging data for 10
bona-fide LMC
microlensing events seen in the original MACHO survey. The
purpose of
this survey will be to assess whether or not the lens and
source stars
have separated enough to be resolved since the original
microlensing
event took place - about a decade has passed since the
original MACHO
survey and the HST WFPC2 follow-up observations of the
microlensing
events. If the components of the lensing event are
resolved, we will
determine the apparent magnitude and color of both the
lens and the
source stars. These data, in combination with Spitzer/IRAC
data and
Magellan near-IR JHK data, will be used to ascertain the
basic
properties of the lens stars. With the majority of the
microlensing
events in the original MACHO survey observed at the highest
spatial
resolution currently possible, we will be able to draw
important
conclusions as to what fraction of these events have
lenses which belong
to some population of dwarf stars in the disk and what
fraction must be
due to lenses in the halo or beyond. These data will
greatly increase
our understanding of the structure of the Galaxy by
characterizing the
stellar population responsible for the gravitational
microlensing.
WFPC2 10800
Kuiper Belt Binaries: Probes of Early Solar System
Evolution
Binaries in the Kuiper Belt are a scientific windfall: in
them we have
relatively fragile test particles which can be used as
tracers of the
early dynamical evolution of the outer Solar System. We
propose to
continue a Snapshot program using the ACS/HRC that has a
demonstrated
discovery potential an order of magnitude higher than the
HST
observations that have already discovered the majority of
known
transneptunian binaries. With this continuation we seek to
reach the
original goals of this project: to accumulate a
sufficiently large
sample in each of the distinct populations collected in
the Kuiper Belt
to be able to measure, with statistical significance, how
the fraction
of binaries varies as a function of their particular
dynamical paths
into the Kuiper Belt. Today's Kuiper Belt bears the
imprints of the
final stages of giant-planet building and migration;
binaries may offer
some of the best preserved evidence of that long-ago era.
WFPC2 10786
Rotational state and composition of Pluto's outer satellites
We propose an intricate set of observations aimed at
discovering the
rotational state of the newly discovered satellites of
Pluto, S/2005 P1
and S/2005 P2. These observations will indicate if the
satellites are in
synchronous rotation or not. If they are not, then the
observations will
determine the rotational period or provide tight
constraints on the
amplitude. The other primary goal is to extend the
wavelength coverage
of the colors of the surface and allow us to constrain the
surface
compositions of both objects. From these data we will also
be able to
significantly improve the orbits of P1 and P2, improve the
measurement
of the bulk density of Charon, and search for albedo
changes on the
surface of Pluto.
WFPC2 10782
Quit winking: Jupiter opens its other eye
This week {March 6} a new red spot on Jupiter was
announced, dubbed "Red
Spot Jr.'' by the press. It appears to be White Oval BA,
the remanant of
the three White Ovals that merged during 1998-2000. The
new spot is deep
red like the Great Red Spot {GRS} rather than bright white
as were the
ovals. We believe that the color change of the oval from
white to red is
indicative of a temperature change, as predicted by one of
us in a
Nature paper in 2004. The goal of our proposed observations
is to test
our theory of jovian climate change through observations
of dynamical
features of Red Spot Jr. and its surroundings, which
provide indirect
measurements of changes in the temperature and
stratification of the
jovian weather layer.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are
preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
10809 - GSACQ(2,1,2) failed
GSACQ(2,1,2) at 133/12:18:16 failed to RGA control at 12:22:47 with
QF2STOPF and QSTOP flags set. REACQ(2,1,2) at 13:53:16 also failed at
13:57:00.
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:
18076-0 - MSS/Gyro2 Initialization Test #35
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq
24
23
FGS
REacq
14
13
OBAD with Maneuver
76
76
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Evaluation of Universal Kalman Filter performance
continued. Details
follow.
Background Kalman Filter Operation Flash Report for day
131
The KF was halted at 131/16:20 (OR 18076-0). The filter
was restarted at
131/16:24 during orbit day and during an M2G guiding
interval. The
filter was activated with MSS and Gyro2 sensor inputs
enabled. The
filter was activated during orbit day, during a vehicle
slew, during an
M2G guiding interval and during slow changing B-field. All
UKF
parameters showed nominal operation. The test was an
MSS/Gyro2
Initialization test case during a slow changing B-field
and during a
vehicle slew (M_G2_IVS, Test #35).
The filter was reconfigured for MSS only input and
restarted at 18:15 to
provide a long baseline of MSS only performance.