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       # 4372

 

PERIOD COVERED: UT May 29, 2007 (DOY 149)

 

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 10603

 

Multiwavelength Imaging of Edge-on Protoplanetary Disks: Quantifying the

Growth of Circumstellar Dust

 

Young, edge-on circumstellar disks are uniquely valuable laboratories

for the study of planet formation. In these objects, the central star is

occulted from direct view, significant PSF artifacts are absent, and the

disk is clearly seen as a central dust lane flanked by faint disk

reflected light. The detailed morphology of these nebulae and its

variation with wavelength provide crucial information on the disk

internal structure and the properties of its constituent dust grains. A

key observable is the slope defining the wavelength dependence of the

dust scattering opacity, which becomes shallower when grain growth has

taken place; multiwavelength resolved disk images are the key dataset

enabling such measurements. Recent analyses of three different edge-on

disks have revealed a diversity in their dust properties that is

indicative of different degrees of dust grain evolution having taken

place in each system. This characterization of disk grain growth, when

applied comparatively to a larger sample of these objects, would enable

the construction of an evolutionary sequence of young disks at

successive stages on the road to planet formation. In pursuit of this

goal, we have identified a sample of 15 edge-on disks previously

discovered by HST or groundbased telescopes, but for which high

fidelity, high spatial resolution images do not yet exist in both the

optical and near-infrared. We propose broad- band multicolor imaging

with NICMOS of all these targets, and ACS imaging of nine of these

targets In combination with existing data, the proposed images will form

a complete database of high resolution optical/near-IR images for these

15 disk systems. Scattered light modeling will be used to derive the

disk structure and dust properties, yielding results that will be of

fundamental importance for our understanding of grain properties during

protoplanetary disk evolution.

 

NIC3 11082

 

NICMOS Imaging of GOODS: Probing the Evolution of the Earliest Massive

Galaxies, Galaxies Beyond Reionization, and the High Redshift Obscured

Universe

 

Deep near-infrared imaging provides the only avenue towards

understanding a host of astrophysical problems, including: finding

galaxies and AGN at z > 7, the evolution of the most massive galaxies,

the triggering of star formation in dusty galaxies, and revealing

properties of obscured AGN. As such, we propose to observe 60 selected

areas of the GOODS North and South fields with NICMOS Camera 3 in the

F160W band pointed at known massive M > 10^11 M_0 galaxies at z > 2

discovered through deep Spitzer imaging. The depth we will reach {26.5

AB at 5 sigma} in H_160 allows us to study the internal properties of

these galaxies, including their sizes and morphologies, and to

understand how scaling relations such as the Kormendy relationship

evolved. Although NIC3 is out of focus and undersampled, it is currently

our best opportunity to study these galaxies, while also sampling enough

area to perform a general NIR survey 1/3 the size of an ACS GOODS field.

These data will be a significant resource, invaluable for many other

science goals, including discovering high redshift galaxies at z > 7,

the evolution of galaxies onto the Hubble sequence, as well as examining

obscured AGN and dusty star formation at z > 1.5. The GOODS fields are

the natural location for HST to perform a deep NICMOS imaging program,

as extensive data from space and ground based observatories such as

Chandra, GALEX, Spitzer, NOAO, Keck, Subaru, VLT, JCMT, and the VLA are

currently available for these regions. Deep high-resolution

near-infrared observations are the one missing ingredient to this

survey, filling in an important gap to create the deepest, largest, and

most uniform data set for studying the faint and distant universe. The

importance of these images will increase with time as new facilities

come on line, most notably WFC3 and ALMA, and for the planning of future

JWST observations.

 

WFPC2 10561

 

A deep UV imaging survey of the Globular Cluster M 30

 

We propose to carry out a deep FUV and NUV survey of M30 {NGC 7099} in

order to find and study the hot and/or dynamically-formed stellar

populations in the globular cluster. In particular, we will {i} search

for the UV counterpart to a MSP binary, {ii} find and study the full

population of cataclysmic variables in this cluster, {iii} study the UV

properties of the cluster's extensive blue straggler population, {iv}

detect the first set of white dwarfs in this cluster. Our survey will be

sensitive to variability on time-scales from minutes to weeks, allowing

us to search for variable stars in all of the FUV populations.

 

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 11022

 

WFPC2 Cycle 15 Decontaminations and Associated Observations

 

This proposal is for the WFPC2 decons. Also included are instrument

monitors tied to decons: photometric stability check, focus monitor,

pre- and post-decon internals {bias, intflats, kspots, & darks}, UV

throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and internal UV flat check.

 

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)

 

                       SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL 

FGS GSacq               09                  09                  

FGS REacq               05                  05                  

OBAD with Maneuver 26                  26                 

 

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)