HUBBLE
SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science
DAILY
REPORT #5124
PERIOD
COVERED: 5am June 23 - 5am June 24, 2010 (DOY 174/09:00z-175/09:00z)
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
6
6
FGS
REAcq
9
9
OBAD
with Maneuver 6
6
SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS: (None)
OBSERVATIONS
SCHEDULED:
ACS/WFC
11655
Dynamics
of the Galactic Bulge/bar
We
request second-epoch ACS observations of four star fields in the
Galactic
bar. These will allow us to measure proper motions for tens of
thousands
of stars well below the turnoff, to construct a dynamical
model
for the bulge/bar (in combination with data already in hand from
other
HST fields, and from VLT spectroscopy), and hence to take a unique
look
at the internal dynamical structure of the central regions of our
Galaxy.
By relating the kinematics with stellar population we can
elucidate
the formation history of the bulge and bar, and their relation
to
the surrounding Galactic disk. This is a resubmission of an approved
Cycle
15 proposal that was hit by the ACS malfunction.
ACS/WFC
11996
CCD
Daily Monitor (Part 3)
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 308 orbits (19.25 weeks) from 21 June 2010 to 1 November
2010.
COS/FUV
11541
COS-GTO:
Cool, Warm, and Hot Gas in the Cosmic Web and in Galaxy Halos
COS
G130M and G160M 20, 000 resolution observations will be obtained for
17
QSOs to study cool, warm and hot gas in the cosmic web and in galaxy
halos.
5 QSOs with z from 0.177 to 0.574 and sum z = 1.68 will be
observed
with S/N = 40-50 per resolution element. 12 QSOs with z = 0.286
to
0.669 and sum z = 5.57 will be observed with S/N = 30-40. The
observations
will allow a wide range of IGM studies including
determining
the frequency of occurrence of the different types of
absorption
systems detected, along with studies of the physical
conditions
and elemental abundances in the different systems. Special
emphasis
will be given to a study of the properties of highly ionized
IGM
as traced by O VI, O V, O IV, N V, and C IV. The high S/N of the
observations
will allow a search for broad Lyman alpha absorption and
weak
metal line absorption that can be crucial for the evaluation of
physical
conditions and elemental abundances. Supporting ground based
observations
will allow studies of the association of the absorbers with
galaxy
structures along the 17 lines of sight. The overall goal of the
program
will be to obtain the information that will allow an assessment
of
the baryonic content of the IGM as revealed by UV and EUV absorption
lines
seen in the spectra of QSOs.
COS/NUV/FUV
11698
The
Structure and Dynamics of Virgo's Multi-Phase Intracluster Medium
The
dynamical flows of the intracluster medium (ICM) are largely
unknown.
We propose to map the spatial and kinematic distribution of the
warm
ICM of the nearby Virgo cluster using the Cosmic Origins
Spectrograph.
15 sightlines at a range of impact parameters within the
virial
radius of the cluster (0.2 - 1.7 Mpc) will be probed for
Lyman-alpha
absorption and the data compared to blind HI, dust and x-ray
surveys
to create a multi-phase map of the cluster's ICM. Absorption
line
sightlines are commonly 40-100 kpc from a galaxy, allowing the flow
of
baryons between galaxies and the ICM to be assessed. The velocity
distribution
of the absorbers will be directly compared to simulations
and
used to constrain the turbulent motions of the ICM. This proposal
will
result in the first map of a cluster's warm ICM and provide
important
tests for our theoretical understanding of cluster formation
and
the treatment of gas cooling in cosmological simulations.
STIS/CC
11693
Follow-up
Observations of Debris Disks around Two Solar-Type Stars
Circumstellar
debris disks offer direct views into the structure of
extrasolar
planetary systems. Their constituent dust, seen in scattered
light
and thermal emission, is created by the collisions of asteroidal
and
cometary parent bodies. The distribution of this dust provides
information
on the location of the parent bodies, and can be strongly
affected
by planetary perturbations. Dynamical signatures of planets can
include
asymmetries, warps, central clearings, and radial gaps in a
disk,
and thus are key features to search for in resolved images.
Following
up recent Spitzer measurements, we have now detected two new,
nearby
debris disks in scattered light. Our initial ACS F606W
coronagraphic
images show faint ringlike structures around the
solar-type
stars HD 10647 (F9V) and HD 207129 (G0V); both are also
spatially
resolved in Spitzer/MIPS 70 micron images. The HD 10647 disk,
seen
close to edge-on, represents the first disk ever imaged in
scattered
light around a star known to have a radial velocity planet.
The
inclined ring around HD 207129 is the faintest disk ever imaged in
scattered
light, and seems in the MIPS image to be asymmetric like the
eccentric
ring around Fomalhaut. We propose to obtain deep ACS
coronagraphic
images of these two disks. Our goals are to get definitive
measurements
of the dust spatial distributions (including disk
asymmetries
and sharpness of the ring edges), and measure the overall
F606W-F814W
color of each disk in order to constrain the dust
properties.
The results will be a definitive exploration of the Kuiper
belts
of two nearby, Sun-like stars. NOTE: HD 207129 was deleted from
this
program.
STIS/CC
11845
CCD
Dark Monitor Part 2
Monitor
the darks for the STIS CCD.
STIS/CC
11847
CCD
Bias Monitor-Part 2
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.
STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2
11860
MAMA
Spectroscopic Sensitivity and Focus Monitor
The
purpose of this proposal is to monitor the sensitivity of each MAMA
grating
mode to detect any change due to contamination or other causes,
and
to also monitor the STIS focus in a spectroscopic and an imaging
mode.
STIS/MA1/MA2
11857
STIS
Cycle 17 MAMA Dark Monitor
This
proposal monitors the behavior of the dark current in each of the
MAMA
detectors.
The
basic monitor takes two 1380s ACCUM darks each week with each
detector.
However, starting Oct 5, pairs are only included for weeks
that
the LRP has external MAMA observations planned. The weekly pairs of
exposures
for each detector are linked so that they are taken at
opposite
ends of the same SAA free interval. This pairing of exposures
will
make it easier to separate long and short term temporal variability
from
temperature dependent changes.
For
both detectors, additional blocks of exposures are taken once every
six
months. These are groups of five 1314s FUV-MAMA Time-Tag darks or
five
3x315s NUV ACCUM darks distributed over a single SAA-free interval.
This
will give more information on the brightness of the FUV MAMA dark
current
as a function of the amount of time that the HV has been on, and
for
the NUV MAMA will give a better measure of the short term
temperature
dependence.
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/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.
WFC3/UVIS/IR
11909
UVIS
Hot Pixel Anneal
The
on-orbit radiation environment of WFC3 will continually generate new
hot
pixels. This proposal performs the procedure required for repairing
those
hot pixels in the UVIS CCDs. During an anneal, the two-stage
thermo-electric
cooler (TEC) is turned off and the four-stage TEC is
used
as a heater to bring the UVIS CCDs up to ~20 deg. C. As a result of
the
CCD warmup, a majority of the hot pixels will be fixed; previous
instruments
such as WFPC2 and ACS have seen repair rates of about 80%.
Internal
UVIS exposures are taken before and after each anneal, to allow
an
assessment of the procedure's effectiveness in WFC3, provide a check
of
bias, global dark current, and hot pixel levels, as well as support
hysteresis
(bowtie) monitoring and CDBS reference file generation. One
IR
dark is taken after each anneal, to provide a check of the IR
detector.