HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #4947
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am October 7 - 5am October 8, 2009 (DOY 280/09:00z-281/09:00z)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
ACS/WFC3
11879
CCD
Daily Monitor (Part 1)
This
program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and dark
current
of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels. The
recorded
frames are used to create bias and dark reference images for
science
data reduction and calibration. This program will be executed
four
days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of Cycle 17. To
facilitate
scheduling, this program is split into three proposals. This
proposal
covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August 2009 to 31 January
2010.
COS/FUV/ACS/WFC/WFC3/UV/
11632 NUV The Gaseous Corona of M31
We
propose to obtain ultraviolet spectroscopy of the halo of M31, to
probe
for a hot corona on scales of 30-40 pc from the galaxy. We seek to
obtain
absorption line spectra of O I, Mg II, Si II, C IV, and Si IV
toward
bright QSOs located behind the galaxy. One of the sightlines
falls
on the projection of Ibata's giant stream. All background sources
have
been vetted with GALEX photometry and are therefore bright enough
for
observation. If hot gas is detected with this initial study, we will
endeavor
to use a grid of background sources to map the structure and
kinematics
of this gas in detail. M31 is the nearest major spiral galaxy
for
which such a study can be undertaken, other than our own Milky Way.
Recent
studies find a substantial population of HI high velocity clouds
at
distances form M31 of up to 50 kpc, and there is well documented
evidence
of disrupted satellites and tidal streams. These observations
will
shed light on the hot gaseous halo of M31, but also will help in
interpreting
QSO sightlines at high redshift.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
11947
Extended
Dark Monitoring
This
program takes a series of darks to obtain darks (including
amplifier
glow, dark current, and shading profiles) for all three
cameras
in the read-out sequences used in Cycle 17. A set of 12 orbits
will
be observed every two months for a total of 72 orbits for a 12
month
Cycle 17. This is a continuation of Cycle 16 program 11330 scaled
down
by ~80%.
The
first orbit (Visit A0) should be scheduled in the NICMOS SMOV after
the
DC Transfer Test (11406) and at least 36h before the Filter Wheel
Test
(11407). Data download using fast track.
The
following 28 orbits (visit A1-N2) should be scheduled AFTER the SMOV
Proposal
11407 (Filter Wheel Test). This is done in order to monitor the
dark
current following an adjustment of the NCS set-point. These visits
should
be executed until the final temperature is reached during SMOV.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
8795
NICMOS
Post-SAA Calibration - CR Persistence Part 6
This
is 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 'Use After' 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/WFC3/IR
11548
Infrared
Imaging of Protostars in the Orion A Cloud: The Role of
Environment
in Star Formation
We
propose NICMOS and WFC3/IR observations of a sample of 252 protostars
identified
in the Orion A cloud with the Spitzer Space Telescope. These
observations
will image the scattered light escaping the protostellar
envelopes,
providing information on the shapes of outflow cavities, the
inclinations
of the protostars, and the overall morphologies of the
envelopes.
In addition, we ask for Spitzer time to obtain 55-95 micron
spectra
of 75 of the protostars. Combining these new data with existing
3.6
to 70 micron photometry and forthcoming 5-40 micron spectra measured
with
the Spitzer Space Telescope, we will determine the physical
properties
of the protostars such as envelope density, luminosity,
infall
rate, and outflow cavity opening angle. By examining how these
properties
vary with stellar density (i.e. clusters vs. groups vs.
isolation)
and the properties of the surrounding molecular cloud; we can
directly
measure how the surrounding environment influences protostellar
evolution,
and consequently, the formation of stars and planetary
systems.
Ultimately, this data will guide the development of a theory of
protostellar
evolution.
STIS/CCD
11844
CCD
Dark Monitor Part 1
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.
STIS/CCD
11846
CCD
Bias Monitor-Part 1
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the bias in the 1x1, 1x2,
2x1,
and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4, to build up
high-S/N
superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns.
WFC3/ACS/IR
11359
Panchromatic
WFC3 Survey of Galaxies at Intermediate z: Early Release
Science
Program for Wide Field Camera 3
The
unique panchromatic capabilities of WFC3 will be used to survey the
structure
and evolution of galaxies at the peak of the galaxy assembly
epoch.
Deep ultraviolet and near-IR imaging and slitless spectroscopy of
existing
deep multi-color ACS fields will be used to gauge
star-formation
and the growth of stellar mass as a function of
morphology,
structure and surrounding density in the critical epoch 1 <
z
< 4. Images in the F225W, F275W, and F336W filters will identify
galaxies
at z < 1.5 from their UV continuum breaks, and provide
star-formation
indicators tied directly to both local and z > 3
populations.
Deep near-IR (F125W and F160W) images will probe the
stellar
mass function well below 10^9 Msun for mass-complete samples.
Lastly,
the WFC3 slitless UV and near-IR grisms will be used to measure
redshifts
and star-formation rates from H-alpha and rest-frame UV
continuum
slope. This WFC3 ERS program will survey one 4 x 2 mosaic for
a
total area of 50 square arcminutes to 5-sigma depths of m_AB = 27 in
most
filters from the mid-UV through the near-IR.
This
multicolor high spatial resolution data set will allow the user to
gauge
the growth of galaxies through star-formation and merging. High
precision
photometric and low-resolution spectroscopic redshifts will
allow
accurate determinations of the faint-end of the luminosity and
mass
functions, and will shed light on merging and tidal disruption of
stellar
and gaseous disks. The WFC3 images will also allow detailed
studies
of the internal structure of galaxies, and the distribution of
young
and old stellar populations. This program will demonstrate the
unique
power of WFC3 by applying its many diverse modes and full
panchromatic
capability to a forefront problem in astrophysics.
WFC3/IR
11618
WFC3
Observations of VeLLOs and the Youngest Star Forming Environments
The
Cores-to-Disks Spitzer Legacy team has discovered a number of
extremely
low luminosity sources embedded deep within nearby (< 300 pc)
cores
previously thought to be starless. With substellar masses, these
low
luminosity sources represent either the youngest low-mass protostars
yet
detected or the first embedded brown dwarfs. In either case, they
represent
a new observed class of sources referred to as VeLLOs (Very
Low
Luminosity Objects). We propose WFC3 F160W observations of a small
sample
of these sources, to be combined with deep ground-based
observations
at Ks, to address a broad set of issues concerning VeLLOs
and
the environments within which they are forming. First, the
morphology
of their outflow cavities will be traced, yielding estimates
of
the inclinations and opening angles of the cavities and the
evolutionary
stages of the VeLLOs. Second, our observations will reveal
background
stars seen through the densest regions of cores harboring
these
VeLLOs. The color-excesses of the background stars will yield the
highest
angular resolution extinction maps necessary to directly probe
the
inner density structure of these cores, found very soon after the
onset
of collapse, which would constrain the initial conditions of
collapse
within these isolated environments. In addition, we will
construct
similar maps of the dense pre-protostellar core L694-2 and the
protostellar
core B335. These maps will provide a snapshot of the
evolution
of the inner density structure of a core prior to low-mass
star
formation and soon thereafter, for comparison with the inner
density
structure of cores that have formed VeLLOs. Finally, these
extinction
maps will enable us to determine the core "centers", or
positions
of peak column densities. Comparison of these centers with the
positions
of the VeLLOs may yield insight regarding potential
differences
between the formation of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs.
WFC3/IR/S/C
11929
IR
Dark Current Monitor
Analyses
of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more
reliably
removed from science data using darks taken with the same
exposure
sequences as the science data, than with a single dark current
image
scaled by desired exposure time. Therefore, dark current images
must
be collected using all sample sequences that will be used in
science
observations. These observations will be used to monitor changes
in
the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day basis, and to
build
calibration dark current ramps for each of the sample sequences to
be
used by GOs in Cycle 17. For each sample sequence/array size
combination,
a median ramp will be created and delivered to the
calibration
database system (CDBS).
WFC3/UV/IR
11664
The
WFC3 Galactic Bulge Treasury Program: Populations, Formation
History,
and Planets
Exploiting
the full power of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), we propose
deep
panchromatic imaging of four fields in the Galactic bulge. These
data
will enable a sensitive dissection of its stellar populations,
using
a new set of reddening-free photometric indices we have
constructed
from broad-band filters across UV, optical, and near-IR
wavelengths.
These indices will provide accurate temperatures and
metallicities
for hundreds of thousands of individual bulge stars.
Proper
motions of these stars derived from multi-epoch observations will
allow
separation of pure bulge samples from foreground disk
contamination.
Our catalogs of proper motions and panchromatic
photometry
will support a wide range of bulge studies.
Using
these photometric and astrometric tools, we will reconstruct the
detailed
star-formation history as a function of position within the
bulge,
and thus differentiate between rapid- and extended-formation
scenarios.
We will also measure the dependence of the stellar mass
function
on metallicity, revealing how the characteristic mass of star
formation
varies with chemistry. Our sample of bulge stars with accurate
metallicities
will include 12 candidate hosts of extrasolar planets.
Planet
frequency is correlated with metallicity in the solar
neighborhood;
our measurements will extend this knowledge to a remote
environment
with a very distinct chemistry.
Our
proposal also includes observations of six well-studied globular and
open
star clusters; these observations will serve to calibrate our
photometric
indices, provide empirical population templates, and
transform
the theoretical isochrone libraries into the WFC3 filter
system.
Besides enabling our own program, these products will provide
powerful
new tools for a host of other stellar-population investigations
with
HST/WFC3. We will deliver all of the products from this Treasury
Program
to the community in a timely fashion.
WFC3/UVIS
11905
WFC3
UVIS CCD Daily Monitor
The
behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set of
full-frame,
four-amp bias and dark frames. A smaller set of 2Kx4K
subarray
biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the
cycle
to support subarray science observations. The internals from this
proposal,
along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal 11909),
will
be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark reference
files
for the calibration pipeline (CDBS).
FLIGHT
OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant
Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports
of
potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
12038
- GSAcq(2,1,1) scheduled at 280/21:48:22 - 21:56:12 and
REAcq(2,1,1) scheduled at 280/23:25:27, at 281/01:01:57, at
281/02:37:08
and at 281/04:12:59 all resulted in fine lock backup (2,0,2) using
FGS-2
due to Scan Step Limit Exceeded on FGS-1.
Observations possibly affected: WFC3 87-100 Proposal ID# 11664.
STIS 23 Proposal ID# 11844.
COMPLETED
OPS REQUEST: (None)
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSAcq
06
06
FGS
REAcq
10
10
OBAD
with Maneuver
05
05
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)