HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE<br /><br />DAILY REPORT # 3120<br /><br />PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 05/19/02 - 0000Z (UTC) 05/20/02<br /><br />OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:<br /><br />NICMOS 8790<br /><br />A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS.<br />Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and<br />every time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50 minutes of coming out <br />of the<br />SAA. The darks will be obtained in parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras. The<br />POST-SAA darks will be non-standard reference files available to users with a<br />USEAFTER date/time mark.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 8902<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 8904<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the bias in<br />the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4 in order<br />to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 8905<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure the read<br />noise of all the amplifiers {A, B, C, D} on the STIS CCD using pairs of bias<br />frames. Full frame and binned observations are made in both Gain 1 and Gain 4,<br />with binning factors of 1x1, 1x2, 2x1 and 2x2. All exposures are internals.<br /><br />STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8916<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to measure<br />the basic sensitivity for all supported MAMA and CCD first-order spectroscopic<br />modes. Sensitivity measurements are done for all supported tilts of the<br />gratings, at a S/N suitable to any particular setting, in order to get all<br />measurements done in a reasonable number of orbits but still get a very <br />accurate<br />sensitivity measurement.<br /><br />STIS/MA1/MA2 8920<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to perform the<br />routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise, and is the primary means of<br />checking on health of the MAMA detectors systems through frequent monitoring of<br />the background count rate.<br /><br />WF/PC-2 8935<br /><br />The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain dark frames every week in order to provide data<br />for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current rate, and to monitor and<br />characterize the evolution of hot pixels. Over an extended period these data<br />will also provide a monitor of radiation damage to the CCDs.<br /><br />WFPC2 8938<br /><br />This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide data<br />for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels.<br /><br />WF/PC-2 8939<br /><br />The WF/PC-2 was used to calibrate the internal monitor, to be run weekly to<br />monitor the health of the cameras.<br /><br />ACS/WFC/HRC 8947<br /><br />The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to perform basic <br />tests to<br />monitor, the read noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source<br />of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This program will be executed at least once <br />a day<br />for the entire lifetime of ACS.<br /><br />ACS/SBC 9009<br /><br />The Advanced Camera for Science (SBC) was used to perform a MAMA fold analysis<br />for initial turn-on or anomalous recovery of the MAMA detector.<br /><br />WF/PC-2 9043<br /><br />The WF/PC-2 was used to continue observations in the HST Key Project on the<br />Extragalactic Distance Scale and the HST project on the "Calibration of Nearby<br />Type Ia Supernovae'' that have greatly improved our knowledge of the Hubble<br />Constant by providing a solid zero point for the Tully- Fisher {TF} <br />relation and<br />Type Ia Supernovae {SNIa}. However, severe inconsistencies remain for distance<br />estimators to early-type galaxies such as surface brightness fluctuations <br />{SBF},<br />the planetary nebula luminosity function {PNLF}, the fundamental plane <br />{FP}, and<br />the globular cluster luminosity function {GCLF}. As a result, the distance to<br />the Virgo cluster core remains uncertain by as much as 20 determination is<br />directly affected by a lingering 0.1 mag {5 uncertainty in the photometric<br />calibration of the WFPC2. Resolving these issues is essential not only to firm<br />up the extragalactic distance scale, but also to understand the mass and<br />velocity structure of the local universe. SBF in particular is emerging as the<br />method of choice for mapping local velocity fields to 10, 000 kms because it<br />offers an order of magnitude less Malmquist bias than TF, and SNIa are too rare<br />to study large scale flows effectively. This project will tighten the<br />photometric calibration of the WFPC2, and provide a solid Cepheid calibration<br />for SBF and PNLF.<br /><br />ACS/WFC/HRC 9075<br /><br />The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to obtain a Hubble<br />diagram of Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} that will be of long lasting value as a<br />record of the expansion history of the universe.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 9110<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to investigate whether<br />the large number of collisions thought to have taken place in the primordial<br />Kuiper belt suggest that many Kuiper belt objects {KBOs} could have suffered<br />binary-forming collisions similar to that which formed the Pluto -- Charon<br />binary. Detection of such KBO satellites would allow measurement of KBO masses,<br />would help to understand the past collisional environment of the Kuiper belt,<br />and would give a context to the otherwise unique-seeming formation of the Pluto<br />-- Charon binary.<br /><br />NICMOS 9269<br /><br />NICMOS Camera 3 pure parallel exposures in the F222M filter will be <br />obtained for<br />the entire duration of SMOV to establish the stability of the <br />HST+NCS+Instrument<br />thermal emission.<br /><br />STIS/CCD 9317<br /><br />The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform the default<br />archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 10.<br /><br />WF/PC-2 9318<br /><br />The WF/PC-2 was used to perform the generic target version of the WFPC2 <br />Archival<br />Pure Parallel program. The program was used to take parallel images of random<br />areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the Parallels Working <br />Group.<br /><br />ACS/WFC/HRC 9566<br /><br />The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to perform hot pixel<br />annealing that will be performed once per month. The CCD TECs will be <br />turned off<br />and heaters will be activated to bring the WFC detector temperature to about<br />+10C. The HRC temperature will reach about 30C. This state will be held for<br />approximately 24 hours, after which the heaters are turned off, the TECs turned<br />on, and the CCDs returned to normal operating condition.<br /><br />ACS/WFC 9587<br /><br />The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC) was used to observe V838 Mon0cerotis <br />which<br />is a completely unanticipated new kind of object: although it has undergone an<br />outburst somewhat similar to that of an extremely slow nova, its spectrum is<br />unique and totally unlike that of any type of nova. Knowledge of its distance<br />and luminosity is crucial in understanding its nature and origin. Remarkably, a<br />rapidly evolving light echo around V838 Monocerotis has been detected from the<br />ground in recent weeks. HST polarimetric imaging over the next few months, as<br />the light echo expands and fades, will provide a direct geometrical distance to<br />this object. Since the only previous Galactic nova light echoes occurred in <br />1901<br />and 1936, this extraordinary combination of circumstances is unlikely to recur<br />during the HST mission.<br /><br />ACS/WFC 9588<br /><br />V838 Mon is a completely unanticipated new kind of object: although it has<br />undergone an outburst somewhat similar to that of an extremely slow nova, its<br />spectrum is unique and totally unlike that of any type of nova. Knowledge <br />of its<br />distance and luminosity is crucial in understanding its nature and origin.<br />Remarkably, a rapidly evolving light echo around V838 Mon has been detected <br />from<br />the ground in recent weeks. HST polarimetric imaging over the next few months,<br />as the light echo expands and fades, will provide a direct geometrical distance<br />to this object {because polarization allows us to selectively identify material<br />with a scattering angle of 90 deg, lying in the plane of the sky at the same<br />distance as the star}. The outburst of V838 Mon thus provides a magnificent,<br />unique, and unexpected testbed for the method proposed by Sparks for measuring<br />extragalactic distances using supernova light echoes, which was the primary<br />justification for adding polarimetric capabilities to the Advanced Camera for<br />Surveys. Since the only previous Galactic nova light echoes occurred in <br />1901 and<br />1936, this extraordinary combination of circumstances is unlikely to recur<br />during the HST mission<br /><br />FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:<br /><br />HSTARs:<br />8654 - GSACQ(2,3,2) failed to RGA Mode @ 140/1803z<br />8655 - GCSS3T out of limit one sample @ 140/2329z<br /><br />COMPLETED OPS REQs:<br />None<br /><br />OPS NOTES EXECUTED:<br />None<br /> SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES<br />FGS GSacq 6 5 140/1803z (see HSTAR 8654)<br />FGS REacq 10 9 140/1910z<br />FHST Update 9 9<br />LOSS of LOCK None<br /><br />Operations Notes:<br />Ephemeris U/L postponed due to 'Accuracy Check Failure'<br /><br />SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:<br /><br />Continuation of Servicing Mission Orbital Verification and the gradual<br />resumption of normal science observations and calibrations