HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class
Science
DAILY REPORT #
4555
PERIOD COVERED: UT February 26, 2008 (DOY 057)
OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED
FGS 11210
The Architecture of Exoplanetary
Systems
Are all planetary systems coplanar? Concordance cosmogony
makes that
prediction. It is, however, a prediction
of extrasolar planetary system
architecture as yet untested by direct
observation for main sequence
stars other than the Sun. To provide
such a test, we propose to carry
out FGS astrometric
studies on four stars hosting seven companions. Our
understanding of the planet formation process
will grow as we match not
only system architecture, but formed
planet mass and true distance from
the primary with host star
characteristics for a wide variety of host
stars and exoplanet
masses. We propose that a series of FGS astrometric
observations with demonstrated 1 millisecond
of arc per-observation
precision can establish the degree of coplanarity and component true
masses for four extrasolar
systems: HD 202206 {brown dwarf+planet}; HD
128311 {planet+planet}, HD
160691 = mu Arae {planet+planet}, and HD
222404AB = gamma Cephei {planet+star}. In each case the companion is
identified as such by assuming that the
minimum mass is the actual mass.
For the last target, a known stellar binary system, the
companion orbit
is stable only if coplanar with
the AB binary orbit.
FGS 11211
An Astrometric Calibration of
Population II Distance Indicators
In 2002 HST produced a highly precise parallax for RR Lyrae. That
measurement resulted in an absolute
magnitude, M{V}= 0.61+/-0.11, a
useful result, judged by the over ten
refereed citations each year
since. It is, however, unsatisfactory
to have the direct,
parallax-based, distance scale of Population
II variables based on a
single star. We propose, therefore, to
obtain the parallaxes of four
additional RR Lyrae
stars and two Population II Cepheids, or
stars. The Population II Cepheids lie with the RR Lyrae
stars on a
common K-band Period-Luminosity
relation. Using these parallaxes to
inform that relationship, we
anticipate a zero-point error of 0.04
magnitude. This result should greatly
strengthen confidence in the
Population II distance scale and increase our
understanding of RR Lyrae
star and Pop II Cepheid
astrophysics.
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.
NIC2 11135
Extreme makeovers: Tracing the transformation of massive
galaxies at
z~2.5
To obtain a full spectroscopic census of the universe at
z~2.5 we have
conducted a near-infrared spectroscopic
survey for K-selected galaxies.
We found that, in contrast to the local universe, massive
high-redshift
galaxies span a wide range of
properties, varying from (dusty) star
burst to "red and dead"
galaxies. This may imply that massive galaxies
transform from star-forming to quiescent
galaxies in the targeted
redshift range. To understand whether
the 9 quiescent galaxies in our
sample are the progenitors of local
elliptical, we are observing them in
the current cycle with NIC2. For
cycle 16 we propose to complete our
sample of massive z~2.5 galaxies and
image the remaining 10 galaxies,
which all have emission lines. Based
on emission-line diagnostics, 6 of
these galaxies are identified as
star-forming objects and 4 harbor an
active galactic nucleus. The goals are
to 1) determine whether star
formation in massive z~2.5 galaxies takes
place in disks or is triggered
by merger activity, 2) derive the
contribution of AGNs to the rest-frame
optical emission, and 3) test whether
the morphologies are consistent
with the idea that the star-forming
galaxies, AGNs, and quiescent
galaxies represent subsequent phases of
an evolutionary sequence. The
combination of both programs will provide
the first morphological study
of a spectroscopically
confirmed massive galaxy sample at z~2.5.
NIC2 11142
Revealing the Physical Nature of Infrared Luminous
Galaxies at 0.3
We aim to determine physical properties of IR luminous
galaxies at
0.3<z<2.7 by requesting coordinated HST/NIC2 and
MIPS 70um observations
of a unique, 24um flux-limited
sample with complete Spitzer mid-IR
spectroscopy. The 150 sources investigated
in this program have S{24um}
> 0.8mJy and their mid-IR spectra have already provided
the majority
targets with spectroscopic redshifts {0.3<z<2.7}. The proposed
150~orbits of NIC2 and 66~hours of MIPS 70um will provide
the physical
measurements of the light distribution at
the rest-frame ~8000A and
better estimates of the bolometric
luminosity. Combining these
parameters together with the rich suite of
spectral diagnostics from the
mid-IR spectra, we will {1} measure
how common mergers are among LIRGs
and ULIRGs
at 0.3<z<2.7, and establish if major mergers are the drivers
of z>1 ULIRGs,
as in the local Universe. {2} study the co-evolution of
star formation and blackhole accretion by investigating the relations
between the fraction of starburst/AGN
measured from mid-IR spectra vs.
HST morphologies, L{bol} and z. {3} obtain the current best estimates of
the far-IR emission, thus L{bol} for this sample, and establish if the
relative contribution of mid-to-far IR
dust emission is correlated with
morphology {resolved vs. unresolved}.
NIC2 11143
NICMOS imaging of submillimeter
galaxies with CO and PAH redshifts
We propose to obtain F110W and F160W imaging of 10 z~2.4 submillimeter
galaxies {SMGs}
whose optical redshifts have been confirmed by the
detection of millimeter CO and/or mid-
infrared PAH emission. With the
4000A break falling within/between the two imaging
filters, we will be
able to study these sources'
spatially resolved stellar populations
{modulo extinction} in the
rest-frame optical. SMGs' large luminosities
appear to be due largely to
merger-triggered starbursts; high-resolution
NICMOS imaging will help us understand the stellar masses,
mass ratios,
and other properties of the merger
progenitors, valuable information in
the effort to model the mass
assembly history of the universe.
NIC3 11120
A Paschen-Alpha Study of Massive
Stars and the ISM in the Galactic
Center
The Galactic center (GC) is a unique site for a detailed
study of a
multitude of complex astrophysical
phenomena, which may be common to
nuclear regions of many galaxies.
Observable at resolutions
unapproachable in other galaxies, the GC
provides an unparalleled
opportunity to improve our understanding of
the interrelationships of
massive stars, young stellar clusters,
warm and hot ionized gases,
molecular clouds, large scale magnetic
fields, and black holes. We
propose the first large-scale hydrogen Paschen alpha line survey of the
GC using NICMOS on the Hubble
Space Telescope. This survey will lead to
a high resolution and high
sensitivity map of the Paschen alpha line
emission in addition to a map of
foreground extinction, made by
comparing Paschen
alpha to radio emission. This survey of the inner 75
pc of the Galaxy will provide an
unprecedented and complete search for
sites of massive star formation. In
particular, we will be able to (1)
uncover the distribution of young
massive stars in this region, (2)
locate the surfaces of adjacent
molecular clouds, (3) determine
important physical parameters of the
ionized gas, (4) identify compact
and ultra-compact HII regions
throughout the GC. When combined with
existing Chandra and Spitzer surveys as
well as a wealth of other
multi-wavelength observations, the results will
allow us to address such
questions as where and how massive stars
form, how stellar clusters are
disrupted, how massive stars shape and
heat the surrounding medium, and
how various phases of this medium
are interspersed.
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 11113
Binaries in the Kuiper Belt:
Probes of Solar System Formation and
Evolution
The discovery of binaries in the Kuiper
Belt and related small body
populations is powering a revolutionary
step forward in the study of
this remote region. Three quarters
of the known binaries in the Kuiper
Belt have been discovered with HST, most
by our snapshot surveys. The
statistics derived from this work are
beginning to yield surprising and
unexpected results. We have found a strong
concentration of binaries
among low-inclination Classicals, a possible size cutoff to binaries
among the Centaurs, an apparent
preference for nearly equal mass
binaries, and a strong increase in the
number of binaries at small
separations. We propose to continue this
successful program in Cycle 16;
we expect to discover at least 13
new binary systems, targeted to
subgroups where these discoveries can
have the greatest impact.
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:
18209-0 Patch WF2 UIDLE replacement htr
set point, adjustment #5 @057/1219z
18210-1
17659-0 ESTR Reconditioning @057/2113z
COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq 10 10
FGS REacq 04 04
OBAD with Maneuver
28 28
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:
Ops Request
18210,
at 057/20:58 - 22:39z. This
Wallops' new Enertec Receiver System
compatibility with HST.
WF/PC-II CCD4 replacement heater in-flight temperature
adjustment #5:
The 5th
in-flight adjustment of the WF/PC-II replacement heater
temperature control was successfully completed with the
execution of Ops
Request
18209-0 at 057/12:20z. All activities proceeded nominally.
The UIDLE
dead band control range was shifted from 7.83 – 9.05 to 7.22 -
8.44 degC. The behavior of the
replacement heaters under the control of
UIDLE and the
optical bench temperatures will continue to be monitored
in real-time until such time as the new settings are
functionally
verified.
-
____________________________________________________________
Lynn F. Bassford
Hubble Space Telescope
CHAMP
CHAMP Flight Operations Team Manager
Lockheed Martin
NASA GSFC PH#: 301-286-2876
"The
Hubble Space Telescope is the astronomical observatory and key to unlocking the
most cosmic mysteries of the past, present and future." -
7/26/6