HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science


DAILY REPORT # 4244


PERIOD COVERED: UT November 20, 2006 (DOY 324)


OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED


ACS/HRC 10833


Host Galaxies of Reverberation Mapped AGNs


We propose to obtain unsaturated high-resolution images of 17
reverberation-mapped active galactic nuclei in order to remove the
point-like nuclear light from each image, thus yielding a "nucleus-free"
image of the host galaxy. This will allow investigation of host galaxy
properties: our particular interest is determination of the host-galaxy
starlight contribution to the reverberation-mapping observations. This
is necessary {1} for accurate determination of the relationship between
the AGN nuclear continuum flux and the size of the broad Balmer-line
emitting regions of AGNs, which is important in estimating black hole
masses for large samples of QSOs, and {2} for accurate determination of
the bolometric luminosity of the AGN proper. Through observations in
Cycles 12 and 14, we have obtained or will obtain images of 18 of the 35
objects in the reverberation-mapping compilation of Peterson et al.
{2004}. These observations revealed that the host-galaxy contribution,
even in the higher-luminosity AGNs, is higher than expected and that all
of the reverberation-mapped AGNs will have to be observed, not just the
lower-luminosity sources; each source is different, and each source is
important. Therefore we request time to observe the 17 remaining
reverberation-mapped AGNs.


ACS/HRC/WFC 10758


ACS CCDs daily monitor


This program consists of a set of basic tests to monitor, the read
noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in
ACS CCD detectors. The files, biases and dark will be used to create
reference files for science calibration. This programme will be for the
entire lifetime of ACS. Changes from cycle 13:- The default gain for WFC
is 2 e-/DN. As before bias frames will be collected for both gain 1 and
gain 2. Dark frames are acquired using the default gain {2}. This
program cover the period May, 31 2006- Oct, 1-2006. The first half of
the program has a different proposal number: 10729.


ACS/WFC 10740


Absolute Photometric & Spectrophometric Calibration


This program has several goals: 1.}Verify repeatability of the ACS
instrumentation on a single bright star to +/-0.2%. 2.}Determine any
shift in the filter bandpasses since the preflight lab measurements.
3.}Determine the relative magnitude of the 3 primary WD calibrators to
0.1%. 4.}Refine the sensitivity calibration of the CCD prism and grisms
at field center and determine the repeatability accuracy of this
calibration. 5.}Determine the level of variability of the three HST red
standard stars: VB-8 {M7}, 2M0038+18 {L3.5} and 2M0559-14 {T5}, and also
measure their short wavelength {<7000A} fluxes. 6.}Cross calibrate with
a faint STIS and NICMOS standard WD and solar analog star.


ACS/WFC 10886


The Sloan Lens ACS Survey: Towards 100 New Strong Lenses


As a continuation of the highly successful Sloan Lens ACS {SLACS} Survey
for new strong gravitational lenses, we propose one orbit of ACS-WFC
F814W imaging for each of 50 high- probability strong galaxy-galaxy lens
candidates. These observations will confirm new lens systems and permit
immediate and accurate photometry, shape measurement, and mass modeling
of the lens galaxies. The lenses delivered by the SLACS Survey all show
extended source structure, furnishing more constraints on the projected
lens potential than lensed-quasar image positions. In addition, SLACS
lenses have lens galaxies that are much brighter than their lensed
sources, facilitating detailed photometric and dynamical observation of
the former. When confirmed lenses from this proposal are combined with
lenses discovered by SLACS in Cycles 13 and 14, we expect the final
SLACS lens sample to number 80--100: an approximate doubling of the
number of known galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses and an
order-of-magnitude increase in the number of optical Einstein rings. By
virtue of its homogeneous selection and sheer size, the SLACS sample
will allow an unprecedented exploration of the mass structure of the
early-type galaxy population as a function of all other observable
quantities. This new sample will be a valuable resource to the
astronomical community by enabling qualitatively new strong lensing
science, and as such we will waive all but a short {3-month} proprietary
period on the observations.


ACS/WFC 11045


ACS internal CTE monitor


The charge transfer efficiency {CTE} of the ACS CCD detectors will
decline as damage due to on-orbit radiation exposure accumulates. This
degradation will be closely monitored at regular intervals, because it
is likely to determine the useful lifetime of the CCDs. All the data for
this program is acquired using internal targets {lamps} only, so all of
the exposures should be taken during Earth occultation time {but not
during SAA passages}. This program emulates the ACS pre-flight ground
calibration and post-launch SMOV testing {program 8948}, so that results
from each epoch can be directly compared. Extended Pixel Edge Response
{EPER} and First Pixel Response {FPR} data will be obtained over a range
of signal levels for both the Wide Field Channel {WFC}, and the High
Resolution Channel {HRC}.


NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8793


NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 4


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
images. Each observation will need its own CRMAP, as different SAA
passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS detectors.


NIC2 10906


The Fundamental Plane of Massive Gas-Rich Mergers: II. The QUEST QSOs


We propose deep NICMOS H-band imaging of a carefully selected sample of
23 local QSOs. This program is the last critical element of a
comprehensive investigation of the most luminous mergers in the nearby
universe, the ultraluminous infrared galaxies {ULIRGs} and the quasars.
This effort is called QUEST: Quasar / ULIRG Evolutionary STudy. The
high-resolution HST images of the QUEST QSOs will complement an
identical set of images on the ULIRG sample obtained during Cycle 12, an
extensive set of ground-based data that include long-slit NIR spectra
from a Large VLT Program, and a large set of mid-infrared spectra from a
Cycle 1 medium-size program with Spitzer. This unique dataset will allow
us to derive with unprecedented precision structual, kinematic, and
activity parameters for a large unbiased sample of objects spanning the
entire ULIRG/QSO luminosity function. These data will refine the
fundamental plane of massive gas-rich mergers and enable us to answer
the following quesitons: {1} Do ultraluminous mergers form elliptical
galaxies, and in particular, giant ellipticals? {2} Do ULIRGs evolve
into optical bright QSOs? The results from this detailed study of
massive mergers in the local universe will be relevant to understanding
the basic physical processes involved in creating massive early-type
host on the one hand, and growing/feeding embedded massive black holes
on the other, in major galaxy mergers. This is an important question
since 50% of cosmic star formation at high-z and most of the big BHs
appear to be formed in this process.


NIC2, ACS/WFC 10802


SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark energy


The present uncertainty in the value of the Hubble constant {resulting
in an uncertainty in Omega_M} and the paucity of Type Ia supernovae at
redshifts exceeding 1 are now the leading obstacles to determining the
nature of dark energy. We propose a single, integrated set of
observations for Cycle 15 that will provide a 40% improvement in
constraints on dark energy. This program will observe known Cepheids in
six reliable hosts of Type Ia supernovae with NICMOS, reducing the
uncertainty in H_0 by a factor of two because of the smaller dispersion
along the instability strip, the diminished extinction, and the weaker
metallicity dependence in the infrared. In parallel with ACS, at the
same time the NICMOS observations are underway, we will discover and
follow a sample of Type Ia supernovae at z > 1. Together, these
measurements, along with prior constraints from WMAP, will provide a
great improvement in HST's ability to distinguish between a static,
cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy. The Hubble Space
Telescope is the only instrument in the world that can make these IR
measurements of Cepheids beyond the Local Group, and it is the only
telescope in the world that can be used to find and follow supernovae at
z > 1. Our program exploits both of these unique capabilities of HST to
learn more about one of the greatest mysteries in science.


WFPC2 10481


HST Observations of Astrophysically Important Visual Binaries


This is a continuation of a project begun in Cycle 7 and continued up
through Cycle 11. The program consists of annual or biannual WFPC2 or
FGS observations of three visual binary stars that will ultimately yield
fundamental astrophysical results, once their orbits and masses are
determined. Our targets are the following: {1} Procyon {P = 41 yr}, for
which our first WFPC2 images yielded an extremely accurate angular
separation of the bright F star and its much fainter white-dwarf
companion. Combined with ground-based astrometry of the bright star, our
observation significantly revised downward the derived masses, and
brought Procyon A into excellent agreement with theoretical evolutionary
tracks for the first time. With the continued monitoring proposed here,
we will obtain masses to an accuracy of better than 1%, providing a
testbed for theories of both Sun-like stars and white dwarfs. {2} G
107-70, a close double white dwarf {P = 19 yr} that promises to add two
accurate masses to the tiny handful of white-dwarf masses that are
directly known from dynamical measurements. {3} Mu Cas {P = 21 yr}, a
famous metal-deficient G dwarf for which accurate masses will lead to
the stars' helium contents, with cosmological implications.


WFPC2 10748


WFPC2 CYCLE 14 Standard Darks


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 10915


ACS Nearby Galaxy Survey


Existing HST observations of nearby galaxies comprise a sparse and
highly non-uniform archive, making comprehensive comparative studies
among galaxies essentially impossible. We propose to secure HST's
lasting impact on the study of nearby galaxies by undertaking a
systematic, complete, and carefully crafted imaging survey of ALL
galaxies in the Local Universe outside the Local Group. The resulting
images will allow unprecedented measurements of: {1} the star formation
history {SFH} of a >100 Mpc^3 volume of the Universe with a time
resolution of Delta[log{t}]=0.25; {2} correlations between spatially
resolved SFHs and environment; {3} the structure and properties of thick
disks and stellar halos; and {4} the color distributions, sizes, and
specific frequencies of globular and disk clusters as a function of
galaxy mass and environment. To reach these goals, we will use a
combination of wide-field tiling and pointed deep imaging to obtain
uniform data on all 72 galaxies within a volume-limited sample extending
to ~3.5 Mpc, with an extension to the M81 group. For each galaxy, the
wide-field imaging will cover out to ~1.5 times the optical radius and
will reach photometric depths of at least 2 magnitudes below the tip of
the red giant branch throughout the limits of the survey volume. One
additional deep pointing per galaxy will reach SNR~10 for red clump
stars, sufficient to recover the ancient SFH from the color-magnitude
diagram. This proposal will produce photometric information for ~100
million stars {comparable to the number in the SDSS survey} and uniform
multi-color images of half a square degree of sky. The resulting archive
will establish the fundamental optical database for nearby galaxies, in
preparation for the shift of high-resolution imaging to the
near-infrared.


FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:


Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports
of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.)


HSTARS:


10520 - On Sunday, November 19 just before 2 pm local time, evidence for
a new short circuit on the HST solar array appeared in HST engineering
telemetry. The short is associated with the solar panel assemblies
(SPAs) that charge Battery 4. The short represents a loss of 0.6 A of
system load capability and an increase in structure current of 0.6 A
while the Battery 4 is being charged and 1.4 A of structure current once
the -AA and -C SPAs have been disconnected. In orbit day the HST
structure current is now varying between 3.0 and 3.8 A. Neither the loss
of charge current nor the increase in structure current are impacting
HST operations.



COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)


COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)


SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq 09 09
FGS REacq 06 06
OBAD with Maneuver 30 30


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)