HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #4957
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am October 22 - 5am October 23, 2009 (DOY295/09:00z-296/09:00z)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED
FGS
11788
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.
NIC
11416
NICMOS
Parallel Thermal Background
Characterize
the stability of the HST+NCS+Instrument thermal emission as
seen
by NICMOS on secular scales. The data will be obtained using NIC3
and
the F222M filter and will run throughout the SMOV4 activities as a
pure
parallel program.
NIC
11417
NICMOS
Detector Read noise and Dark Current
The
NICMOS detector characteristics will be monitored during the entire
extent
of the SMOV4 through a set of dark exposures. This will also
allow
a determination of the detector temperature from bias
measurements.
The data should be obtained in SAA-free orbits,
approximately
every 24 hours. In addition, the detector read noise and
the
detector shading profiles will be measured once a week.
NIC1/NIC2/NIC3
11820
NICMOS
Post-SAA Calibration - CR Persistence Part 7
Internals
for CR persistence
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.
WFC/ACS
11888
ACS
Internal Flat Fields
The
stability of the CCD flat fields will be monitored using the
calibration
lamps and a sub-sample of the filter set. High signal
observations
will be used to assess the stability of the pixel-to-pixel
flat
field structure and to monitor the position of the dust motes.
WFC3/ACS/UVIS
11360
Star
Formation in Nearby Galaxies
Star
formation is a fundamental astrophysical process; it controls
phenomena
ranging from the evolution of galaxies and nucleosynthesis to
the
origins of planetary systems and abodes for life. The WFC3,
optimized
at both UV and IR wavelengths and equipped with an extensive
array
of narrow-band filters, brings unique capabilities to this area of
study.
The WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee (SOC) proposes an
integrated
program on star formation in the nearby universe which will
fully
exploit these new abilities. Our targets range from the
well-resolved
R136 in 30 Dor in the LMC (the nearest super star cluster)
and
M82 (the nearest starbursting galaxy) to about half a dozen other
nearby
galaxies that sample a wide range of star-formation rates and
environments.
Our program consists of broad band multiwavelength imaging
over
the entire range from the UV to the near-IR, aimed at studying the
ages
and metallicities of stellar populations, revealing young stars
that
are still hidden by dust at optical wavelengths, and showing the
integrated
properties of star clusters. Narrow-band imaging of the same
environments
will allow us to measure star-formation rates, gas
pressure,
chemical abundances, extinction, and shock morphologies. The
primary
scientific issues to be addressed are: (1) What triggers star
formation?
(2) How do the properties of star-forming regions vary among
different
types of galaxies and environments of different gas densities
and
compositions? (3) How do these different environments affect the
history
of star formation? (4) Is the stellar initial mass function
universal
or determined by local conditions?
WFC3/UV/ACS/WFC
11688
Exploring
the Bottom End of the White Dwarf Cooling Sequence in the Open
Cluster
NGC6819
The
recent discovery by our group of an unexpectedly bright end of the
white-dwarf
(WD) luminosity function (LF) of the metal-rich, old open
cluster
NGC 6791 casts serious doubts on our understanding of the
physical
process which rules the formation and the cooling of WDs. It is
clear
at this point that the theory badly needs more observations. Here
we
propose WFC3/UVIS and ACS/WFC HST observations reaching the bottom
end
of the WD LF, for the first time in a solar-metallicity,
2.5-Gyr-old,
populous open cluster: NGC 6819.
WFC3/UVIS
11630
Monitoring
Active Atmospheres on Uranus and Neptune
We
propose Snapshot observations of Uranus and Neptune to monitor
changes
in their atmospheres on time scales of weeks and months, as we
have
been doing for the past seven years. Previous Hubble Space
Telescope
observations (including previous Snapshot programs 8634,
10170,
10534, and 11156), together with near-IR images obtained using
adaptive
optics on the Keck Telescope, reveal both planets to be dynamic
worlds
which change on time scales ranging from hours to (terrestrial)
years.
Uranus equinox occurred in December 2007, and the northern
hemisphere
is becoming fully visible for the first time since the early
1960s.
HST observations during the past several years (Hammel et al.
2005,
Icarus 175, 284 and references therein) have revealed strongly
wavelength-dependent
latitudinal structure, the presence of numerous
visible-wavelength
cloud features in the northern hemisphere, at least
one
very long- lived discrete cloud in the southern hemisphere, and in
2006
the first clearly defined dark spot seen on Uranus. Long term
ground-based
observations (Lockwood and Jerzekiewicz, 2006, Icarus 180,
442;
Hammel and Lockwood 2007, Icarus 186, 291) reveal seasonal
brightness
changes that seem to demand the appearance of a bright
northern
polar cap within the next few years. Recent HST and Keck
observations
of Neptune (Sromovsky et al. 2003, Icarus 163, 256 and
references
therein) show a general increase in activity at south
temperate
latitudes until 2004, when Neptune returned to a rather
Voyager-like
appearance with discrete bright spots rather than active
latitude
bands. Further Snapshot observations of these two dynamic
planets
will elucidate the nature of long-term changes in their zonal
atmospheric
bands and clarify the processes of formation, evolution, and
dissipation
of discrete albedo features.
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).
WFC3/UVIS
11907
UVIS
Cycle 17 Contamination Monitor
The
UV throughput of WFC3 during Cycle 17 is monitored via weekly
standard
star observations in a subset of key filters covering 200-600nm
and
F606W, F814W as controls on the red end. The data will provide a
measure
of throughput levels as a function of time and wavelength,
allowing
for detection of the presence of possible contaminants.
WFC3/UVIS
11908
Cycle
17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor
Ground
testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the
UVIS
detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days.
Initially
found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield
ratios,
subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown
that
it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire
CCD,
i.e., a QE offset without any discernable pattern. These lab tests
have
further revealed that overexposing the detector to count levels
several
times full well fills the traps and effectively neutralizes the
bowtie.
Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of three 3x3 binned
internal
flatfields: the first unsaturated image will be used to detect
any
bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will neutralize the bowtie
if
it is present, and the final image will allow for verification that
the
bowtie is gone.
WFC3/UVIS/IR
11644
A
Dynamical-Compositional Survey of the Kuiper Belt: A New Window Into
the
Formation of the Outer Solar System
The
eight planets overwhelmingly dominate the solar system by mass, but
their
small numbers, coupled with their stochastic pasts, make it
impossible
to construct a unique formation history from the dynamical or
compositional
characteristics of them alone. In contrast, the huge
numbers
of small bodies scattered throughout and even beyond the
planets,
while insignificant by mass, provide an almost unlimited number
of
probes of the statistical conditions, history, and interactions in
the
solar system. To date, attempts to understand the formation and
evolution
of the Kuiper Belt have largely been dynamical simulations
where
a hypothesized starting condition is evolved under the
gravitational
influence of the early giant planets and an attempt is
made
to reproduce the current observed populations. With little
compositional
information known for the real Kuiper Belt, the test
particles
in the simulation are free to have any formation location and
history
as long as they end at the correct point. Allowing compositional
information
to guide and constrain the formation, thermal, and
collisional
histories of these objects would add an entire new dimension
to
our understanding of the evolution of the outer solar system. While
ground
based compositional studies have hit their flux limits already
with
only a few objects sampled, we propose to exploit the new
capabilities
of WFC3 to perform the first ever large-scale
dynamical-compositional
study of Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) and their
progeny
to study the chemical, dynamical, and collisional history of the
region
of the giant planets. The sensitivity of the WFC3 observations
will
allow us to go up to two magnitudes deeper than our ground based
studies,
allowing us the capability of optimally selecting a target list
for
a large survey rather than simply taking the few objects that can be
measured,
as we have had to do to date. We have carefully constructed a
sample
of 120 objects which provides both overall breadth, for a general
understanding
of these objects, plus a large enough number of objects in
the
individual dynamical subclass to allow detailed comparison between
and
within these groups. These objects will likely define the core
Kuiper
Belt compositional sample for years to come. While we have many
specific
results anticipated to come from this survey, as with any
project
where the field is rich, our current knowledge level is low, and
a
new instrument suddenly appears which can exploit vastly larger
segments
of the population, the potential for discovery -- both
anticipated
and not -- is extraordinary.
FLIGHT
OPERATIONS SUMMARY:
Significant
Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports
of
potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)
HSTARS:
12051
- At 295/12:30:47 the SIC&DH safed. Telemetry indicated that the
SIC&DH Pit toggle test failed.
COMPLETED
OPS REQUEST:
18728-1
- Recycle SIC&DH after lock-up @ 295/1435z
18730-1
- Execute Safemode Recovery Macro @ 295/1755z
18729-2
- Recover NSSC1 back to Normal Mode 295/2001z
18731-1
- Re-enable ACR to Reset MEB of SIs @ 295/2005z
18732-0
- Re-enable NSSC-1 HV Protect Function @ 295/2115z
18733-0
- Recover the ESM, NCS CPL, and PCE @ 295/2141z
COMPLETED
OPS NOTES: (None)
SCHEDULED
SUCCESSFUL
FGS
GSAcq
10
09
FGS
REAcq
04
03
OBAD
with Maneuver
08
08
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS:
Flash
Report: SIC&DH lock-up
The
PIT Toggle test failed at 295/12:30:47 The SIs were then transitioned to
their
respective safe modes.
SIC&DH
was recovered to NORMAL mode at 295/19:21z
Currently,
the SIC&DH is in Fixed mode with all SIs in safe mode.
Flash
Report: HV Protect Enable and ESM / NCS CPL / PCE Recovery
Ops
Request 18732 to re-enable the NSSC-1 HV Protect sequence was
successfully
completed at 295/21:14 UTC.
Ops
Request 18733 followed and was successfully completed at 295/21:40
UTC,
recovering the ESM up to its Operate mode, placing the NCS CPL in
its
Standby state at a reservoir setpoint of -34 degC, and re-enabling
the
PCE to restore visibility into various NCC telemetry.