HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT # 4506
PERIOD
COVERED: UT December 12, 2007 (DOY 346)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
ACS/SBC
11309
Chemical
Composition of an Exo-Neptune
The
recent discovery that the
its
host star has presented us the first chance to observationally study
ice
giant formation beyond our solar system {Gillon et al. 2007}. Using
Directors
Discretionary time, we propose to obtain a high-precision
light
curve of the GJ 436 b transit with the FGS in order to improve the
current
radius determination for this planet. Measuring a precise radius
for
GJ 436 b will allow us to ascertain whether the planet has a pure
water
vapor or H/He envelope like Uranus and Neptune. Knowing this will
constrain
its formation and evolution and help place our own solar
system
ice giants in a broader context. Additionally, a precise radius
for
GJ 436 b will be a necessity for interpreting the certain follow-up
observations
of this unique system.
WFPC2
10886
The
Sloan Lens ACS Survey: Towards 100 New Strong Lenses
As
a continuation of the highly successful Sloan Lens ACS {SLACS} Survey
for
new strong gravitational lenses, we propose one orbit of ACS-WFC
F814W
imaging for each of 50 high-probability strong galaxy-galaxy lens
candidates.
These observations will confirm new lens systems and permit
immediate
and accurate photometry, shape measurement, and mass modeling
of
the lens galaxies. The lenses delivered by the SLACS Survey all show
extended
source structure, furnishing more constraints on the projected
lens
potential than lensed-quasar image positions. In addition, SLACS
lenses
have lens galaxies that are much brighter than their lensed
sources,
facilitating detailed photometric and dynamical observation of
the
former. When confirmed lenses from this proposal are combined with
lenses
discovered by SLACS in Cycles 13 and 14, we expect the final
SLACS
lens sample to number 80--100: an approximate doubling of the
number
of known galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses and an
order-of-magnitude
increase in the number of optical Einstein rings. By
virtue
of its homogeneous selection and sheer size, the SLACS sample
will
allow an unprecedented exploration of the mass structure of the
early-type
galaxy population as a function of all other observable
quantities.
This new sample will be a valuable resource to the
astronomical
community by enabling qualitatively new strong lensing
science,
and as such we will waive all but a short {3-month} proprietary
period
on the observations.
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.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
8795
NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 6
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 i
mages.
Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA
passages
leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.
NIC3
11191
NICMOS
Imaging of a z>4 High-Redshift Ultraluminous Submillimeter Source
We
propose 16 orbits of deep NICMOS 1.6 um imaging of GOODS850-5, a
unique
z>4 candidate SCUBA source that is bright in the submillimeter
{submm}
but extremely faint at all other wavelengths. GOODS850-5 is a 11
mJy
850 um source discovered in our GOODS- N SCUBA survey. It does not
have
a radio counterpart and its accurate location was recently
determined
with the SMA interferometer. It is not detected by the
GOODS-N
HST ACS imaging and is just above the detection limit of the
ultradeep
Spitzer imaging at 3.6-24 um. Its faint radio flux and its
Spitzer
color suggest a redshift of z>4, and potentially even z>6. It
has
an incredible star formation rate of ~1000 solar mass per year, and
it
can quickly grow into a >10^11 solar mass massive galaxy. Radio faint
submm
sources like GOODS850-5 may be a new population of high-redshift
massive
galaxies that are not picked up by any of the previous optical,
near-IR,
and radio surveys, and therefore it is crucial to obtain the
redshift
of GOODS850-5. However, because of its extreme optical
faintness,
the only way to constrain its redshift is photometric
redshift
with the existing Spitzer photometry and the proposed NICMOS
1.6
um photometry. NICMOS is the only instrument that can provide
information
about its redshift and morphology among all space- based and
ground-based
instruments at all wavelengths. The proposed observation
will
provide unique insight on galaxy evolution and mass assembly at
high
redshift.
WEPC2
11196
An
Ultraviolet Survey of Luminous Infrared Galaxies in the Local
Universe
At
luminosities above 10^11.4 L_sun, the space density of far-infrared
selected
galaxies exceeds that of optically selected galaxies. These
Luminous
Infrared Galaxies {LIRGs} are primarily interacting or merging
disk
galaxies undergoing starbursts and creating/fueling central AGN. We
propose
far {ACS/SBC/F140LP} and near {WFPC2/PC/F218W} UV imaging of a
sample
of 27 galaxies drawn from the complete IRAS Revised Bright Galaxy
Sample
{RBGS} LIRGs sample and known, from our Cycle 14 B and I-band ACS
imaging
observations, to have significant numbers of bright {23 < B < 21
mag}
star clusters in the central 30 arcsec. The HST UV data will be
combined
with previously obtained HST, Spitzer, and GALEX images to {i}
calculate
the ages of the clusters as function of merger stage, {ii}
measure
the amount of UV light in massive star clusters relative to
diffuse
regions of star formation, {iii} assess the feasibility of using
the
UV slope to predict the far- IR luminosity {and thus the star
formation
rate} both among and within IR-luminous galaxies, and {iv}
provide
a much needed catalog of rest-frame UV morphologies for
comparison
with rest-frame UV images of high-z LIRGs and Lyman Break
Galaxies.
These observations will achieve the resolution required to
perform
both detailed photometry of compact structures and spatial
correlations
between UV and redder wavelengths for a physical
interpretation
our IRX-Beta results. The HST UV data, combined with the
HST
ACS, Spitzer, Chandra, and GALEX observations of this sample, will
result
in the most comprehensive study of luminous starburst galaxies to
date.
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.
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:
18162-2
- FSW 3.1B RAM Installation
18054-0
- Preview KF Sun Vector data via Telemetry Diags
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSacq
06
06
FGS
REacq
08
08
OBAD
with Maneuver
26
26
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS:
FSW
3.1 Release B was successfully installed in HST486 RAM. The 3.1B RAM
loads
were completed at 346/11:59:33. The patch operation to activate FSW 3.1
Release
B was executed during M2G mode at 346/14:01:28, which
initialized
FSW 3.1B in VSS operations. After software activation A and
T
formats were monitored to ensure telemetry was nominal. The post
installation
RAM memory dump was completed at 346/15:30:00 and verified
by
FSW. The database value for Hybrid mode KG (Zero the CT nutation
radius)
was patched at 346/15:39:02.