Notice: Due to the conversion of some ACS WFC or HRC observations into

WFPC2, or NICMOS observations after the loss of ACS CCD science

capability in January, there may be an occasional discrepancy between a

proposal's listed (and correct) instrument usage and the abstract that

follows it.

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT      # 4494

PERIOD COVERED: UT November 26, 2007 (DOY 330)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/SBC 10840

The FUV fluxes of Tauri stars in the Taurus molecular cloud

Present and forthcoming ground-based and space surveys of the T Tauri

stars in the Taurus molecular cloud will provide information from high

energy stellar and accretion radiation to low energy solid state and

molecular emission from the disk, making those stars perfect

laboratories to carry out self-consistent studies of disk physics and

evolution. We propose to complete this wealth of information by

obtaining ACS/FUV spectra for a significant sample of Taurus T Tauri

stars, covering a range of accretion properties and dust evolutionary

stages. FUV fluxes carry ~ 10 - 100 more energy than X-rays into these

disks and are thus crucial gas heating agents and key to disk dispersal

by photoevaporation. These observations are a pre-requisite to interpret

observations with Spitzer, SOFIA, Herschel, and ALMA, and will become

one of the important legacies of HST to the star formation community.

ACS/SBC WFPC2 11175

UV Imaging to Determine the Location of Residual Star Formation in

Galaxies Recently Arrived on the Red Sequence

We have identified a sample of low-redshift {z = 0.04 - 0.10} galaxies

that are candidates for recent arrival on the red sequence. They have

red optical colors indicative of old stellar populations, but blue

UV-optical colors that could indicate the presence of a small quantity

of continuing or very recent star formation. However, their spectra lack

the emission lines that characterize star-forming galaxies. We propose

to use ACS/SBC to obtain high- resolution imaging of the UV flux in

these galaxies, in order to determine the spatial distribution of the

last episode of star formation. WFPC2 imaging will provide B, V, and I

photometry to measure the main stellar light distribution of the galaxy

for comparison with the UV imaging, as well as to measure color

gradients and the distribution of interstellar dust. This detailed

morphological information will allow us to investigate the hypothesis

that these galaxies have recently stopped forming stars and to compare

the observed distribution of the last star formation with predictions

for several different mechanisms that may quench star formation in

galaxies.

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.

FGS 11212

Filling the Period Gap for Massive Binaries

The current census of binaries among the massive O-type stars is

seriously incomplete for systems in the period range from years to

millennia because the radial velocity variations are too small and the

angular separations too close for easy detection. Here we propose to

discover binaries in this observational gap through a Faint Guidance

Sensor SNAP survey of relatively bright targets listed in the Galactic O

Star Catalog. Our primary goal is to determine the binary frequency

among those in the cluster/association, field, and runaway groups. The

results will help us assess the role of binaries in massive star

formation and in the processes that lead to the ejection of massive

stars from their natal clusters. The program will also lead to the

identification of new, close binaries that will be targets of long term

spectroscopic and high angular resolution observations to determine

their masses and distances. The results will also be important for the

interpretation of the spectra of suspected and newly identified binary

and multiple systems.

FGS 11299

Calibrating the Mass-Luminosity Relation at the End of the Main Sequence

We propose to use HST-FGS1R to finish calibrating the mass-luminosity

relation for stars less massive than 0.5 Msun, with special emphasis on

objects near the stellar/substellar border. Our goals are to determine

Mv values to 0.05 magnitude and masses to 5%, and thereby build the

fundamental database of stellar masses that we will use to test

theoretical models as never before. This program uses the combination of

HST- FGS3/FGS1R at optical wavelengths, historical infrared speckle

data, ground-based parallax work, metallicity studies, and radial

velocity monitoring to examine nearby, subarcsecond binary systems. The

high precision separation and position angle measurements with

HST-FGS3/FGS1R {to 1 mas in the separations} for these faint {V = 10-15}

targets simply cannot be equaled by any ground-based technique. As a

result of these measurements, we are deriving high quality luminosities

and masses for the components in the systems, and characterizing their

spectral energy distributions from 0.5 to 2.2 microns. One of the

objects, GJ 1245 C with mass 0.074 +/- 0.002 Msun, is the only object

known with an accurate dynamical mass less than 0.10 Msun. The payoff of

this proposal is high because the six systems selected for final

observations in Cycles 15 and 16 have already been resolved during

Cycles 5-13 with HST FGS3/FGS1R and contain most of the reddest objects

for which accurate dynamical masses can be determined.

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 DARKs. 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 10852

Coronagraphic Polarimetry with NICMOS: Dust grain evolution in T Tauri

stars

The formation of planetary systems is intimately linked to the dust

population in circumstellar disks, thus understanding dust grain

evolution is essential to advancing our understanding of how planets

form. By combining {1} the coronagraphic polarimetry capabilities of

NICMOS, {2} powerful 3-D radiative transfer codes, and {3} observations

of objects known to span the Class II-III stellar evolutionary phases,

we will gain crucial insight into dust grain growth. By observing

objects representative of a known evolutionary sequence of YSOs, we will

be able to investigate how the dust population evolves in size and

distribution during the crucial transition from a star+disk system to a

system containing planetesimals. When combine with our previous study on

dust grain evolution in the Class I-II phase, the proposed study will

help to establish the fundamental time scales for the depletion of

ISM-like grains: the first step in understanding the transformation from

small submicron sized dust grains, to large millimeter sized grains, and

untimely to planetary bodies.

NIC2 11197

Sweeping Away the Dust: Reliable Dark Energy with an Infrared Hubble

Diagram

We propose building a high-z Hubble Diagram using type Ia supernovae

observed in the infrared rest-frame J-band. The infrared has a number of

exceptional properties. The effect of dust extinction is minimal,

reducing a major systematic that may be biasing dark energy

measurements. Also, recent work indicates that type Ia supernovae are

true standard candles in the infrared meaning that our Hubble diagram

will be resistant to possible evolution in the Phillip's relation over

cosmic time. High signal-to-noise measurements of 16 type Ia events at

z~0.4 will be compared with an independent optical Hubble diagram from

the ESSENCE project to test for a shift in the derived dark energy

equation of state due to a systematic bias. In Cycle 15 we obtained

NICMOS photometry of 8 ESSENCE supernovae and are awaiting template

observations to place them on the IR Hubble diagram. Here we request

another 8 supernovae be studied in the final season of the ESSENCE

search. Because of the bright sky background, H-band photometry of z~0.4

supernovae is not feasible from the ground. Only the superb image

quality and dark infrared sky seen by HST makes this test possible. This

experiment may also lead to a better, more reliable way of mapping the

expansion history of the universe with the Joint Dark Energy Mission.

WFPC2 10915

ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey

Existing HST observations of nearby galaxies comprise a sparse and

highly non-uniform archive, making comprehensive comparative studies

among galaxies essentially impossible. We propose to secure HST's

lasting impact on the study of nearby galaxies by undertaking a

systematic, complete, and carefully crafted imaging survey of ALL

galaxies in the Local Universe outside the Local Group. The resulting

images will allow unprecedented measurements of: {1} the star formation

history {SFH} of a >100 Mpc^3 volume of the Universe with a time

resolution of Delta[log{t}]=0.25; {2} correlations between spatially

resolved SFHs and environment; {3} the structure and properties of thick

disks and stellar halos; and {4} the color distributions, sizes, and

specific frequencies of globular and disk clusters as a function of

galaxy mass and environment. To reach these goals, we will use a

combination of wide-field tiling and pointed deep imaging to obtain

uniform data on all 72 galaxies within a volume-limited sample extending

to ~3.5 Mpc, with an extension to the M81 group. For each galaxy, the

wide-field imaging will cover out to ~1.5 times the optical radius and

will reach photometric depths of at least 2 magnitudes below the tip of

the red giant branch throughout the limits of the survey volume. One

additional deep pointing per galaxy will reach SNR~10 for red clump

stars, sufficient to recover the ancient SFH from the color-magnitude

diagram. This proposal will produce photometric information for ~100

million stars {comparable to the number in the SDSS survey} and uniform

multi- color images of half a square degree of sky. The resulting

archive will establish the fundamental optical database for nearby

galaxies, in preparation for the shift of high- resolution imaging to

the near-infrared.

WFPC2 11070

WFPC2 CYCLE 15 Standard Darks - part II

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 11103

A Snapshot Survey of The Most Massive Clusters of Galaxies

We propose the continuation of our highly successful SNAPshot survey of

a sample of 125 very X-ray luminous clusters in the redshift range

0.3-0.7. As demonstrated by the 25 snapshots obtained so far in Cycle14

and Cycle15 these systems frequently exhibit strong gravitational

lensing as well as spectacular examples of violent galaxy interactions.

The proposed observations will provide important constraints on the

cluster mass distributions, the physical nature of galaxy-galaxy and

galaxy-gas interactions in cluster cores, and a set of optically bright,

lensed galaxies for further 8-10m spectroscopy. All of our primary

science goals require only the detection and characterization of

high-surface-brightness features and are thus achievable even at the

reduced sensitivity of WFPC2. Because of their high redshift and thus

compact angular scale our target clusters are less adversely affected by

the smaller field of view of WFPC2 than more nearby systems.

Acknowledging the broad community interest in this sample we waive our

data rights for these observations. Due to a clerical error at STScI our

approved Cycle15 SNAP program was barred from execution for 3 months and

only 6 observations have been performed to date - reinstating this SNAP

at Cycle16 priority is of paramount importance to reach meaningful

statistics.

WFPC2 11128

Time Scales Of Bulge Formation In Nearby Galaxies

Traditionally, bulges are thought to fit well into galaxy formation

models of hierarchical merging. However, it is now becoming well

established that many bulges formed through internal, secular evolution

of the disk rather than through mergers. We call these objects

pseudobulges. Much is still unknown about pseudobulges, the most

pressing questions being: How, exactly, do they build up their mass? How

long does it take? And, how many exist? We are after an answer to these

questions. If pseudobulges form and evolve over longer periods than the

time between mergers, then a significant population of pseudobulges is

hard to explain within current galaxy formation theories. A pseudobulge

indicates that a galaxy has most likely not undergone a major merger

since the formation of the disk. The ages of pseudobulges give us an

estimate for the time scale of this quiescent evolution. We propose to

use 24 orbits of HST time to complete UBVIH imaging on a sample of 33

nearby galaxies that we have observed with Spitzer in the mid-IR. These

data will be used to measure spatially resolved stellar population

parameters {mean stellar age, metallicity, and star formation history};

comparing ages to star formation rates allows us to accurately constrain

the time scale of pseudobulge formation. Our sample of bulges includes

both pseudo- and classical bulges, and evenly samples barred and

unbarred galaxies. Most of our sample is imaged, 13 have complete UBVIH

coverage; we merely ask to complete missing observations so that we may

construct a uniform sample for studying bulge formation. We also wish to

compare the stellar population parameters to a variety of bulge and

global galaxy properties including star formation rates, dynamics,

internal bulge morphology, structure from bulge-disk decompositions, and

gas content. Much of this data set is already or is being assembled.

This will allow us to derive methods of pseudobulge identification that

can be used to accurately count pseudobulges in large surveys. Aside

from our own science goals, we will present this broad set of data to

the community. Thus, we waive proprietary periods for all observations.

WFPC2 11289

SL2S: The Strong Lensing Legacy Survey

Recent systematic surveys of strong galaxy-galaxy lenses {CLASS, SLACS,

GOODS, etc.} are producing spectacular results for galaxy masses roughly

below a transition mass M~10^13 Mo. The observed lens properties and

their evolution up to z~0.2, consistent with numerical simulations, can

be described by isothermal elliptical potentials. In contrast, modeling

of giant arcs in X-ray luminous clusters {halo masses M >~10^13 Mo}

favors NFW mass profiles, suggesting that dark matter halos are not

significantly affected by baryon cooling. Until recently, lensing

surveys were neither deep nor extended enough to probe the intermediate

mass density regime, which is fundamental for understanding the assembly

of structures. The CFHT Legacy Survey now covers 125 square degrees, and

thus offers a large reservoir of strong lenses probing a large range of

mass densities up to z~1. We have extracted a list of 150 strong lenses

using the most recent CFHTLS data release via automated procedures.

Following our first SNAPSHOT proposal in cycle 15, we propose to

continue the Hubble follow-up targeting a larger list of 130 lensing

candidates. These are intermediate mass range candidates {between

galaxies and clusters} that are selected in the redshift range of 0.2-1

with no a priori X-ray selection. The HST resolution is necessary for

confirming the lensing candidates, accurate modeling of the lenses, and

probing the total mass concentration in galaxy groups up to z~1 with the

largest unbiased sample available to date.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports

of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)

HSTARS:

11080 - OBAD Failed Identification At 01:00:51 received 486 ESB 1902

           "OBAD Failed ID". OBAD #1 was successful and showed values of: V1 -2.51,

           V2 -6.15, V3 -0.79, RSS 6.69. OBAD #2 failed and showed values of: V1

           -155021.17, V2 127693.68, V3 -177590.52, RSS 268096.31. OBAD flag

           mnemonics showed GOBSTAT=255 (Attitude Determination Error) and

           GCHACL09=1 or a failed state. The GSAcq @ 01:04:49 was successful. At

           01:52:51 OBAD MAP showed values of: V1 -1.25, V2 -4.43, V3 4.90, RSS

           6.72.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                      SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq               09                 09                 

FGS REacq               03                 03                     

OBAD with Maneuver 24                 23           

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)