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 # 4386
PERIOD COVERED: UT June 18, 2007 (DOY 169)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
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 11024
WFPC2 CYCLE 15 INTERNAL MONITOR
This calibration proposal is the Cycle 15 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.
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 10808
Morphologies of spectroscopically-confirmed "red and
dead" galaxies at
z~2.5
Using a combination of wide-field near-infrared imaging
and very deep
follow-up near-infrared spectroscopy we have identified a
population of
massive "red and dead" galaxies at z~2.5. The
galaxies lack emission
lines and have strong Balmer/4000 Angstrom breaks,
demonstrating
directly that they have evolved stellar populations. These
objects are
very likely progenitors of massive ellipticals today and
may be
descendants of the first generation of galaxies. We
propose to image 10
of these objects with the NIC2 camera to determine their
morphologies.
The goals are to 1} determine whether they have the sizes
of present-day
early-types or are more compact, as predicted by models,
2} determine
the morphology, using visual classification and
quantitative methods,
and 3} constrain the evolution of the Kormendy relation
from z~2.5 to
the present. These observations will show whether the
oldest and most
massive galaxies at z~2.5 were already fully formed or
still in the
process of assembly.
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.
WFPC2 10869
The upper atmosphere and the escape state of the
transiting
very-hot-Jupiter HD189733b
The observation of the HD209458b transits in Lyman-alpha
revealed that
the atmosphere of this planet is escaping. These
observations raised the
question of the evaporation state of hot-Jupiters. Is the
evaporation
specific to HD209458b or general to hot-Jupiters? What is
the
evaporation mechanism, and how does the escape rate depend
on the
planetary system characteristics? The recent discovery of
HD189733b, a
planet transiting a bright and nearby K0 star {V=7.7},
offers the
unprecedented opportunity to answer these questions.
Indeed, among the
stars harboring transiting planets, HD189733 presents the
largest
apparent brightness in Lyman-alpha, providing capabilities
to constrain
the escape rate to high accuracy. With ACS/PR110L we will
observe
stellar emission lines to search for atmospheric
absorptions during the
transits. HD189733b being a very short period planet
orbiting a nearby
late type star with bright chromospheric emission lines,
it is by far
the best target to make significant progress in that
field.
WFPC2 11023
WFPC2 CYCLE 15 Standard Darks - part 1
This dark calibration program obtains dark frames every
week in order to
provide data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark
current rate,
and to monitor and characterize the evolution of hot
pixels. Over an
extended period these data will also provide a monitor of
radiation
damage to the CCDs.
WFPC2 11079
Treasury Imaging of Star Forming Regions in the Local
Group:
Complementing the GALEX and NOAO Surveys
We propose to use WFPC2 to image the most interesting
star-forming
regions in the Local Group galaxies, to resolve their
young stellar
populations. We will use a set of filters including F170W,
which is
critical to detect and characterize the most massive
stars, to whose hot
temperatures colors at longer wavelengths are not
sensitive. WFPC2's
field of view ideally matches the typical size of the
star-forming
regions, and its spatial resolution allows us to measure
indvidual
stars, given the proximity of these galaxies. The
resulting H- R
diagrams will enable studies of star-formation properties
in these
regions, which cover largely differing metallicities {a
factor of 17,
compared to the factor of 4 explored so far} and
characteristics. The
results will further our understanding of the
star-formation process, of
the interplay between massive stars and environment, the
properties of
dust, and will provide the key to interpret integrated
measurements of
star-formation indicators {UV, IR, Halpha} available for
several
hundreds more distant galaxies. Our recent deep surveys of
these
galaxies with GALEX {FUV, NUV} and ground-based imaging
{UBVRI, Halpha,
[OIII] and [SII]} provided the identification of the most
relevant SF
sites. In addition to our scientific analysis, we will
provide catalogs
of HST photometry in 6 bands, matched corollary
ground-based data, and
UV, Halpha and IR integrated measurements of the
associations, for
comparison of integrated star-formation indices to the
resolved
populations. We envisage an EPO component.
FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are
preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be
investigated.)
HSTARS:
10865 - GSAcq(1,2,2) failed to RGA Hold (Gyro Control)
The GSAcq(1,2,2) scheduled at 169/21:13:04 - 21:21:09 failed to RGA Hold
due to a Search Radius Limit Exceeded Error on FGS-1. Pre-acquisition
OBADs had (RSS) attitude correction values of 1728.53 and 159.45
arcseconds. Acquisition walk down failed due to attitude error in excess
of
the search radius.
Post-acquisition OBAD/MAP had 3-axis (RSS) error value of 88.00
arcseconds
COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:
18102-0 - MSS/CSS Converged Add/Remove
Gyro1Tests#27 for day 169
18054-0 - Preview KF Sun Vector Data via Telemetry Diags
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq 07
06
FGS REacq
07
07
OBAD with Maneuver
28
28
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Evaluation of Universal Kalman Filter performance continued.
Multiple
text segments were executed, all of them successfully.
Details follow.
The Kalman filter was disabled at 169/15:38, Gyro 1 input
was disabled,
and the Kalman filter was re-initialized at 15:40. This
established the
MSS/CSS only pre-test configuration of the KF.
At 16:00, Gyro 1 input to the converged Kalman filter was
enabled during
a vehicle maneuver (test case # 27).
At 17:35 Gyro 1 input to the converged Kalman filter was
disabled during a vehicle maneuver (test case # 31).
The Kalman Filter is continuing to operate in the MSS/CSS
only configuration.