HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT       #4790

PERIOD COVERED: 5am February 11 - 5am February 12, 2009 (DOY

                           042/1000z-043/1000z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11706

The Parallax of the Planet Host Star XO-3

We will use HST+FGS to measure the parallax of the transiting planet

host star XO-3. The resulting accurate distance measurement will provide

the most accurate radius determination to date for this massive

extrasolar planet (XO-3b), allowing us to critically test current giant

extrasolar planet structure models. These observations will also

constrain the amount of heating that may be produced inside XO-3b by

tides raised on the planet as it moves through its 3.2 d eccentric (e ~

0.22) orbit.

WFPC2 11967

WFPC2 Imaging of the Lockman Hole

In order to understand galaxy evolution and constrain theoretical

models, we require both multiwavelength photometry (to robustly

determine physical parameters such as star formation rates and stellar

masses) and detailed morphological information. Galaxy morphology

encodes crucial information about galaxy formation history and the

physical processes that trigger star formation and AGN activity, and

high-resolution imaging for large samples of galaxies is currently only

obtainable with HST. The Lockman Hole has been the target of extensive

multi-wavelength observations from the X-ray to the radio, and will be

the target of the deepest wide-area blankfield thermal IR observations

with Herschel, but currently lacks comprehensive HST imaging. We propose

to obtain WFPC2 imaging of ~500 arcmin2 of the central region of the

Lockman Hole in F606W and F814W, to a depth of V606~26.8 and I814~26.

This imaging is crucial in order to characterize the sources detected at

other wavelengths.

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)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

                       SCHEDULED      SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq               06                 06                    

FGS REacq               08                 08                    

OBAD with Maneuver 28                 28               

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:  (None)