HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE<br /><br />DAILY REPORT # 3205<br /><br />PERIOD COVERED: DOYs 263-265<br /><br />OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED [see HSTARS below for possible observation problems]<br /><br />ACS 9480<br /><br />Cosmic Shear With ACS Pure Parallels<br /><br />Small distortions in the shapes of background galaxies by foreground mass<br />provide a powerful method of directly measuring the amount and distribution of<br />dark matter. Several groups have recently detected this weak lensing by<br />large-scale structure, also called cosmic shear. The high resolution and<br />sensitivity of HST/ACS provide a unique opportunity to measure cosmic shear<br />accurately on small scales. Using 260 parallel orbits in Sloan textiti {F775W}<br />we will measure for the first time: beginlistosetlength sep0cm setlengthemsep0cm<br />setlength opsep0cm em the cosmic shear variance on scales <0.7 arcmin, em the<br />skewness of the shear distribution, and em the magnification effect. endlist Our<br />measurements will determine the amplitude of the mass power spectrum<br />sigma_8Omega_m^0.5, with signal-to-noise {s/n} ~ 20, and the mass density<br />Omega_m with s/n=4. They will be done at small angular scales where non-linear<br />effects dominate the power spectrum, providing a test of the gravitational<br />instability paradigm for structure formation. Measurements on these scales are<br />not possible from the ground, because of the systematic effects induced by PSF<br />smearing from seeing. Having many independent lines of sight reduces the<br />uncertainty due to cosmic variance, making parallel observations ideal.<br /><br />ACS 9462<br /><br />Systemic and Internal Proper Motions of the Magellanic Clouds from Astrometry<br />with ACS<br /><br />We request first epoch observations with ACS of Magellanic Cloud fields centered<br />on background quasars. Second epoch observations will be requested ~ 5 years<br />later to allow the measurement of the systemic and internal proper motions of<br />the Clouds with error <~0.05 mas/year. These motions are of fundamental<br />importance. The systemic motions of the LMC and SMC probe the gravitational<br />potential of the dark halo. The internal proper motion due to rotation can be<br />exploited to yield a rotational parallax distance to the LMC; the first time<br />that this will be done for any galaxy. This is particularly important for the<br />LMC because of its crucial role in the extragalctic distance ladder. Previous<br />measurements of the proper motion of the LMC yield a systemic component ranging<br />from 1.4 mas/year to 3.4 mas/year {differing by several times the quoted<br />errors}, with no useful determination of the internal motions. The main problem<br />with measurements of the proper motion of the LMC has been the lack of a sample<br />of background quasars to use as reference frame. We have recently been able to<br />identify a sample of 54 quasars behind the Magellanic Clouds from their<br />variability characteristics in the MACHO database. With this sample and the<br />advent of ACS an accurate proper motion measurement has become possible for the<br />very first time.<br /><br />ACS 9425<br /><br />The Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey: Imaging with ACS<br /><br />We propose a Treasury program of ACS imaging as part of the Great Observatories<br />Origins Deep Survey {GOODS}, covering 320{square}', or 32* the area of the two<br />original WFPC2 HDFs, to within 0.5--0.8 mag of their depth in four ACS bands,<br />BViz. The two GOODS fields, the Hubble Deep Field North and Chandra Deep Field<br />South, are the premier deep survey areas from X-- ray to radio wavelengths. ACS<br />data will provide unique angular resolution, sensitivity, and wavelength<br />coverage to close the gap between the deepest Chandra and SIRTF observations.<br />Supported by extensive imaging and spectroscopy from the VLT, Keck, Subaru,<br />NOAO, Gemini, VLA, JCMT, and other facilities, the combined GOODS data set will<br />make it possible to map the evolution of the Hubble sequence with redshift,<br />reconstruct the history of galaxy mass assembly, star formation and nuclear<br />activity from the epoch of reionization to the present, trace the growth of<br />density perturbations via cosmic shear, and, with properly phased z--band<br />observations, detect ~ 12 Type Ia supernovae at 1.2<z<1.8 to test the cosmic<br />acceleration and the presence of dark energy. All HST, SIRTF, Chandra, and<br />supporting GOODS data are non-- proprietary, with science--quality images and<br />catalogs released on a timescale of months. This will constitute the deepest,<br />largest, and most uniform panchromatic data set ever assembled to study the<br />distant universe.<br /><br />ACS/CAL 9558<br /><br />ACS weekly Test<br /><br />This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the development<br />of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This<br />programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS.<br /><br />ACS/WFPC2 9488<br /><br />Cosmic Shear - with ACS Pure Parallel Observations<br /><br />The ACS, with greater sensitivity and sky coverage, will extend our ability to<br />measure the weak gravitational lensing of galaxy images caused by the large<br />scale distribution of dark matter. We propose to use the ACS in pure parallel<br />{non- proprietary} mode, following the guidelines of the ACS Default Pure<br />Parallel Program. Using the HST Medium Deep Survey WFPC2 database we have<br />measured cosmic shear at arc-min angular scales. The MDS image parameters, in<br />particular the galaxy orientations and axis ratios, are such that any residual<br />corrections due to errors in the PSF or jitter are much smaller than the<br />measured signal. This situation is in stark contrast with ground-based<br />observations. We have also developed a statistical analysis procedure to derive<br />unbiased estimates of cosmic shear from a large number of fields, each of which<br />has a very small number of galaxies. We have therefore set the stage for<br />measurements with the ACS at fainter apparent magnitudes and smaller, 10<br />arc-second scales corresponding to larger cosmological distances. We will adapt<br />existing MDS WFPC2 maximum likelihood galaxy image analysis algorithms to work<br />with the ACS. The analysis would also yield an online database similar to that<br />in archive.stsci.edu/mds/<br /><br />ACS/WFPC2 9481<br /><br />Pure Parallel Near-UV Observations with WFPC2 within High-Latitude ACS Survey<br />Fields<br /><br />In anticipation of the allocation of ACS high-latitude imaging survey{s}, we<br />request a modification of the default pure parallel program for those WFPC2<br />parallels that fall within the ACS survey field. Rather than duplicate the red<br />bands which will be done much better with ACS, we propose to observe in the<br />near-ultraviolet F300W filter. These data will enable study of the rest-frame<br />ultraviolet morphology of galaxies at 0<z<1. We will determine the morphological<br />k-correction, and the location of star formation within galaxies, using a sample<br />that is likely to be nearly complete with multi-wavelength photometry and<br />spectroscopic redshifts. The results can be used to interpret observations of<br />higher redshift galaxies by ACS.<br /><br />FGS 9347<br /><br />FGS Astrometry of the Extrasolar Planet of Epsilon Eridani<br /><br />We propose observations with HST/FGS in Position Mode to determine the<br />astrometric elements {perturbation orbit semimajor axis and inclination} of the<br />candidate extra-solar planet around the K2 V star Epsilon Eridani that has been<br />detected by Doppler spectroscopy. These observations will also permit us to<br />determine the actual mass of the planet by providing the sin{i} factor which can<br />not be determined with the radial velocity method. High precision radial<br />velocity {RV} measurements spanning the years 1980.8--2000.0 for the nearby<br />{3.22 pc} star Epsilon Eri show convincing variations with a period of ~ 7 yrs.<br />These data represent a combination of six independent data sets taken with four<br />different telescopes. A least squares orbital solution using robust estimation<br />yields orbital parameters of period, P = 6.9 yrs, velocity K- amplitude = 19<br />m/s, eccentricity e = 0.6, projected companion mass M_B sin{i} = 0.83 M_Jupiter.<br />An estimate of the inclination yields a perturbation semi-major axis, Alpha =<br />0arcs0022, easily within the reach of HST/FGS astrometry.<br /><br />FGS 9603<br /><br />Monitoring FGS1r's Interferometric Response as a Function of Spectral Color<br /><br />This proposal obtains reference point source Transfer Functions {S-Curves} for<br />FGS1r through the F583W filter and the F5ND attenuator at the center position of<br />the FGS1r FOV for a variety of stars with different stellar spectral colors. The<br />data will be added to the library of point source interferograms that was<br />assembled from the Cycles 8 and 9 calibration programs. These Transfer Functions<br />are needed to support the analysis of GO science data for the study of close and<br />wide binary star systems and for determining the angular size and shape of<br />extended sources. This proposal observes stars that have been observed in<br />previous cycles to check for long term temporal stability of the FGS1r S-curves.<br />This proposal monitors the cycle 10 calibration the FGS1r Lateral Color response<br />{using stars Latcol-A and Latcol-B}, as well as calibrates the "Pos/Trans" bias<br />of a star's position as determined from Transfer mode and Position mode<br />observations, and finally the shift of a star's centroid when observed with F5ND<br />relative to that when observed with F583W {the cross filter shift} is calibrated<br />for the fainter stars in this proposal {stars brighter than V=8 can not be<br />observed with F583W.}<br /><br />FGS 9348<br /><br />The Distances to AM CVn stars<br /><br />We propose to determine the parallaxes and proper motions of the five brightest<br />of the seven known AM CVn systems using the HST Fine Guidance Sensors. AM CVn<br />systems are binaries where mass is transferred from a completely<br />hydrogen-deficient, degenerate mass donor to a white dwarf primary through a<br />helium accretion disk. A better understanding of these systems is crucial for a<br />number of reasons:, to study the late stages of binary evolution, to study the<br />effect of chemical composition on the physics of accretion discs; , o to<br />estimate their contribution to the Supernovae Ia rate and , to estimate their<br />contribution to the gravitational radiation background. All these studies rely<br />critically on a determination of the distances to the currently known systems.<br />With brightnesses in the range 13<V<17 and estimated distances <400pc they are<br />ideal targets for the HST-FGS.<br /><br />NICMOS 9485<br /><br />Completing A Near-Infrared Search for Very Low Mass Companions to Stars within<br />10 pc of the Sun<br /><br />Most stars are fainter and less massive than the Sun. Nevertheless, our<br />knowledge of very low mass {VLM} red dwarfs and their brown dwarf cousins is<br />quite limited. Unknown are the true luminosity function {LF}, multiplicity<br />fraction, mass function, and mass-luminosity relation for red and brown dwarfs,<br />though they dominate the Galaxy in both numbers and total mass. The best way to<br />constrain these relations is a search for faint companions to nearby stars. Such<br />a search has several advantages over field surveys, including greater<br />sensitivity to VLM objects and the availability of precise parallaxes from which<br />luminosities and masses can be derived. We propose to complete our four-filter<br />NICMOS snapshot search for companions to stars within 10 pc. With a 10 sigma<br />detection limit of M_J ~ 20 at 10 pc, we can detect companions between 10 and<br />100 AU that are at least 9 mag fainter than the empirical end of the main<br />sequence and at least 6.5 mag fainter than the brown dwarf Gl 229B. When<br />completed, our search will be the largest, most sensitive, volume-limited search<br />for VLM companions ever undertaken. Our four-filter search will permit<br />unambiguous identification of VLM-companion candidates for follow-up<br />observation. Together with IR speckle and deep imaging surveys, our program will<br />firmly establish the LF for VLM companions at separations of 1-1000 AU and the<br />multiplicity fraction of all stars within 10 pc.<br /><br />NICMOS 9321<br /><br />Dark current, shading profile, and read noise monitoring program<br /><br />The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the detector dark current, read<br />noise, and shading profile for all three NICMOS cameras from the onset of normal<br />NCS operations throughout the start of Cycle 11.<br /><br />NICMOS 8791<br /><br />NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 2<br /><br />A new procedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS. Dark<br />frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and every<br />time a NICMOS exposure is scheduled within 50 minutes of coming out of the SAA.<br />The darks will be obtained in parallel in all three NICMOS Cameras. The POST-SAA<br />darks will be non-standard reference files available to users with a USEAFTER<br />date/time mark. The keyword 'USEAFTER=date/time' will also be added to the<br />header of each POST-SAA DARK frame. The keyword must be populated with the time,<br />in addition to the date, because HST crosses the SAA ~8 times per day so each<br />POST-SAA DARK will need to have the appropriate time specified, for users to<br />identify the ones they need. Both the raw and processed images will be archived<br />as POST-SAA DARKSs. Generally we expect that all NICMOS science/calibration<br />observations started within 50 minutes of leaving an SAA will need such maps to<br />remove the CR persistence from the science images. Each observation will need<br />its own CRMAP, as different SAA passages leave different imprints on the NICMOS<br />detectors.<br /><br />NICMOS 9484<br /><br />The NICMOS Parallel Observing Program<br /><br />We propose to manage the default set of pure parallels with NICMOS. Our<br />experience with both our GO NICMOS parallel program and the public parallel<br />NICMOS programs in cycle 7 prepared us to make optimal use of the parallel<br />opportunities. The NICMOS G141 grism remains the most powerful survey tool for<br />HAlpha emission-line galaxies at cosmologically interesting redshifts. It is<br />particularly well suited to addressing two key uncertainties regarding the<br />global history of star formation: the peak rate of star formation in the<br />relatively unexplored but critical 1<= z <= 2 epoch, and the amount of star<br />formation missing from UV continuum-based estimates due to high extinction. Our<br />proposed deep G141 exposures will increase the sample of known HAlpha emission-<br />line objects at z ~ 1.3 by roughly an order of magnitude. We will also obtain a<br />mix of F110W and F160W images along random sight-lines to examine the space<br />density and morphologies of the reddest galaxies. The nature of the extremely<br />red galaxies remains unclear and our program of imaging and grism spectroscopy<br />provides unique information<br /><br />regarding both the incidence of obscured star bursts and the build up of stellar<br />mass at intermediate redshifts. In addition to carrying out the parallel program<br />we will populate a public database with calibrated spectra and images, and<br />provide limited ground- based optical and near-IR data for the deepest parallel<br />fields.<br /><br />POMS 9677<br /><br />POMS Test Proposal: WFII backup parallel archive proposal<br /><br />This is a POMS test proposal designed to simulate scientific plans.<br /><br />STIS 9607<br /><br />CCD Bias Monitor - Part 1<br /><br />Monitor the bias in the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1<br />at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot<br />columns.<br /><br />STIS 9605<br /><br />CCD Dark Monitor-Part 1<br /><br />Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD<br /><br />STIS 9621<br /><br />CCD Sparse-Field CTE External C11<br /><br />This program will allow the derivation of accurate coefficients which can be<br />used to correct low count level data {both imaging and spectroscopy} for<br />nonlinearity/CTE effects. Dependences on x-position, background sky level, and<br />time dependence will be quantified in addition to accurate determination of<br />intensity and y-position effects in a third epoch and to higher accuracy than<br />previously determined. With these corrections the effect of CTE can be<br />calibrated in order that no science data should have additional induced<br />photometry errors in excess of 1%.<br /><br />STIS 9383<br /><br />Probing the Grains Responsible for Extinction Using Small Magellanic Cloud<br />Sightlines<br /><br />Small Magellanic Cloud sightlines have the greatest potential to relate specific<br />interstellar extinction features to distinct grain properties. The reasons for<br />this are 1} prominent extinction features such as the 2175 Angstrom bump and the<br />far-ultraviolet rise vary among SMC targets and 2} grain types may be very<br />different from those in the Galaxy. Specifically, Welty et al. {2001} recently<br />identified an SMC sightline that contains dust, but no silicate grains.<br />Silicates are a dominant source of extinction in all dust models; the SMC may be<br />the only location where the importance of silicates can be verified or<br />disproved. We propose to explore the relationship between grain types and<br />extinction toward 2 SMC stars with very different extinction curves; AzV 18<br />lacks a 2175 Angstrom bump and has a strong far-UV rise while the extinction<br />curve towards the SMC star AzV 456 has a prominent 2175 Angstrom bump and a much<br />weaker far-UV rise. We will compare the interstellar abundances of atoms that<br />are prevalent in silicates {Si, Mg, Fe} toward these 2 stars and use the results<br />to constrain dust extinction models. These SMC observations, which can only be<br />obtained with STIS, are the only direct way to probe the connection between<br />grain types/environments and extinction. The results from this study will be<br />useful for modeling and understanding all regions that contain dust {AGN,<br />circumstellar disks, star formation regions, etc.}.<br /><br />STIS 9692<br /><br />STIS Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10<br /><br />This is the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 10.<br /><br />STIS/MA1/MA2 8920<br /><br />Cycle 10 MAMA Dark Measurements.<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 />WFPC2 9676<br /><br />POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal<br /><br />This is the generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel program.<br />The program will be used to take parallel images of random areas of the sky,<br />following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels Working Group.<br /><br />WFPC2 9634<br /><br />POMS Test Proposal: WFII targeted parallel archive proposal<br /><br />The parallel opportunities available with WFPC2 in the neighborhood of bright<br />galaxies are treated in a slightly different way from the normal pure parallels.<br />Local Group galaxies offer the opportunity for a closer look at young stellar<br />populations. Narrow-band images in F656N can be used both to identify young<br />stars via their emission lines, and to map the gas distribution in star-forming<br />regions. Thus, the filter F656N is added to the four standard filters. Near more<br />distant galaxies, up to about 10 Mpc, we can map the population of globular<br />clusters; for this purpose, F300W is less useful, and only F450W, F606W, and<br />F814W will be used.<br /><br />WFPC2 9341<br /><br />Saturn's Rings and Small Moons<br /><br />We propose to continue our long-term survey of Saturn's rings, using the unique<br />capabilities of the WFPC2, to obtain a coherent set of high resolution,<br />multi-color images of the Saturnian ring system over the full range of ring tilt<br />and phase angles accessible from the Earth over the course of 1/4 Saturn year {7<br />Earth years}. Our Cycle 6 {program 6806} and long-term Cycle 7 {7427} and Cycle<br />8 {8398} observations explored the rings from their nearly edge-on aspect, just<br />after the most recent ring plane crossings, to their current moderate<br />inclination. Here, we propose to complete our survey during the next three<br />Saturn oppositions {Cycles 9--11}, as the rings gradually approach their most<br />open configuration, shortly before the arrival of the Cassini spacecraft at<br />Saturn. Our key goals are to investigate the composition, structure, and<br />particle properties of the rings from variations of ring brightness and color<br />with radius, tilt and phase angle, to measure the azimuthal asymmetry of the A<br />ring and the temporal variability of the clumpy F ring, to follow the enigmatic<br />behavior of the renegade satellites Prometheus and Pandora, and to observe the<br />south polar region of Saturn.<br /><br />WFPC2 9593<br /><br />WFPC2 CYCLE 11 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt1/3<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 />FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:<br /><br />HSTARS [For details see ]http://hst-sers.hst.nasa.gov/SERS/HST/HSTAR.nsf]<br /><br />HSTAR 8794: GS Acquisition [2,1,2] @ 264/20:32:40Z failed to gyros only<br /> due to SRLE. FHST FM update on FHST 2 and 3 @ 264/20:29:22Z<br /> showed errors of - 2.889, 0.344, and - 3.338 a-s. Following<br /> GS Acquisition [2,3,2] @ 264/21:35:09Z was successful. Under<br /> investigation.<br /><br />HSTAR 8795: CCS "B" String Backbone Data Server grayed out, not able to make<br /> a connection @ 265/04:00Z. Received message 'connection in progress<br /> try later', tried later with the same result. Backbone Data Server<br /> was rebooted and the string was re-cycled, problem cleared. Under<br /> investigation.<br /><br />COMPLETED OPS REQs: NONE<br /><br />OPS NOTES EXECUTED:<br />1028-0 Battery 1 Capacity Test Ground Limits @ 264/1045z<br /><br /> SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES<br />FGS GSacq 24 23 See Hstar # 8794<br />FGS REacq 21 21<br />FHST Update 34 33 265/20:28:04z<br />LOSS of LOCK<br /><br />Operations Notes: None<br /><br />SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:<br /><br />Successfully completed Command Timing Test with CCS Release 4.0.1 263/10:30Z - 22:00Z.<br />Test consisted of using new parameters from the last Command Timing test. Parameters were<br />not changed for TDRSS or GSTND modes, new parameters were used for JSC single and two-stage<br />commanding. While improvements were seen, further analysis and testing is recommended.<br /><br />Successfully completed CCS Release 4.0.1 C-String Exception Test 263/15:45Z - 17:40Z.<br />CCS responded to erroneous logins as expected. Command attempts without privileges failed.<br />FTP of a file from Backbone to Core was successful. CCS handled command typos correctly.<br />SM/PART Command Queue, as well as, CCSLite and countdown clock functionality were all<br />verified. CCS handled format changes, CRC errors, minor frame gaps, and FEP mode changes<br />correctly.

Proposal 9462 maybe degraded because the Fine Guidance Sensors could not acquire the guide stars at September 21, 2002 20:32.