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Daily 3601
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT # 3601 PERIOD COVERED: DOY 119 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED ACS/HRC/WFC 10060 CCD Daily Monitor This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS. ACS/WFC 9744 HST Imaging of Gravitational Lenses Gravitational lenses offer unique opportunities to study cosmology, dark matter, galactic structure, galaxy evolution and quasar host galaxies. They are also the only sample of galaxies selected based on their mass rather than their luminosity or surface brightness. We will obtain ACS/WFC V and I images and NICMOS H images of 21 new lenses never observed by HST and NICMOS H images of 16 lenses never observed by HST in the IR. As in previous cycles, we request that the data be made public immediately. ACS/WFC 9788 A Narrow-band Snapshot Survey of Nearby Galaxies We propose to use ACS/WFC to conduct the first comprehensive HST narrow-band {H-alpha + [N II]} imaging survey of the central regions of nearby bulge-dominated disk {S0 to Sbc} galaxies. This survey will cover, at high angular resolution extending over a large field, an unprecedented number of galaxies representing many different environments. It will have important applications for many astrophysical problems of current interest, and it will be an invaluable addition to the HST legacy. The observations will be conducted in snapshot mode, drawing targets from a complete sample of 145 galaxies selected from the Palomar spectroscopic survey of nearby galaxies. Our group will use the data for two primary applications. First, we will search for nuclear emission-line disks suitable for future kinematic measurements with STIS, in order to better constrain the recently discovered relations between black hole mass and bulge properties. Preliminary imaging of the type proposed here must be done, sooner or later, if we are to make progress in this exciting new field. Second, we will investigate a number of issues related to extragalactic star formation. Specifically, we will systematically characterize the properties of H II regions and super star clusters on all galactic scales, from circumnuclear regions to the large-scale disk. ACS/WFC 9842 A Snapshot Search for Halo Very-Low-Mass Binaries We propose a snapshot search for binary M subdwarf stars. These nearby stars have high velocities and low metallicies that identify them as members of the old Galactic halo {Population II}. ACS imaging is requested to search for secondary companions. This supplements a previous snapshot program that only obtained 10 observations. The observed binary fraction will be compared to the disk M dwarf fraction to look for differences in star formation. It is likely that a system suitable for orbital mass determinations will be found. In this case, future HST observations could determine the first masses for very-low-mass, low-metallicity stars. GO 9367 Unique Opportunities to Search for the Optical Counterparts to High-Z Damped LyAlpha Systems The galaxies responsible for damped LyAlpha absorption in QSO spectra are difficult to observe against the strong background QSO emission. We propose to detect even low luminosity galaxies associated with QSO absorption line systems out to redshifts as high as z = 1.8 by observing them in the shadow cast by an even higher redshift damped LyAlpha absorber. As a result the galaxy will be observed free of contamination by the background AGN and of the uncertainties which arise when image processing techniques are required to remove the AGN emission. We propose two approaches. In the first we will attempt to detect a z = 1.8634 system seen in the optical spectrum of a high-z BL Lac object in the shadow of two higher-redshift systems seen in the same optical spectrum. In the second only the higher redshift shadowing LyAlpha system is seen in the optical spectrum and the presence of the lower- redshift systems at z = 0.713 and z = 1.0466 are inferred from the presence of strong MgII, SiII and FeII absorption lines. NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8792 NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 3 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 9856 A near-IR imaging survey of submm galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts Submillimeter {submm} surveys with SCUBA have identified a population of obscured star-forming and active galaxies at high redshift. Our recent spectroscopic campaigns with the Keck-10m telescope have uncovered redshifts for 37 SCUBA galaxies. The wide redshift range of the radio identified submm population {z=1-4} implies that many varieties of sources driven by different physical processes may be selected in a submm survey. We propose to use HST-NICMOS, ACS to obtain 2-filter images of a sample of 15 SCUBA galaxies with redshifts spanning z=0.8-3.5. Our goal is to understand what physical process {major mergers?} drive their strong evolution and great luminosities, and what the implications are for galaxy evolution models. STIS 9786 The Next Generation Spectral Library We propose to continue the Cycle 10 snapshot program to produce a Next Generation Spectral Library of 600 stars for use in modeling the integrated light of galaxies and clusters. This program is using the low dispersion UV and optical gratings of STIS. The library will be roughly equally divided among four metallicities, very low {[Fe/H] lt -1.5}, low {[Fe/H] -1.5 to -0.5}, near-solar {[Fe/H] -0.3 to 0.1}, and super-solar {[Fe/H] gt 0.2}, well-sampling the entire HR-diagram in each bin. Such a library will surpass all extant compilations and have lasting archival value, well into the Next Generation Space Telescope era. Because of the universal utility and community-broad nature of this venture, we waive the entire proprietary period. STIS/CCD 10018 CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2 Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD. STIS/CCD 10020 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 9906 Volatile Abundances and the D/H Ratio in Long-Period Comets Comet NEAT {C/2001 Q4} is predicted to reach naked-eye visibility in the spring of 2004, under excellent conditions for observations with HST. Although predicting cometary magnitudes more than 1 year in advance is notoriously risky, C/NEAT seems likely to be exceptionally active, allowing us for the first time to perform sensitive measurements of the D/H and OD/OH ratios. Accurate measurements of the deuterium abundance in comets, which can vary in different species, are crucial for determining if comets retain a signature of their possible interstellar origin and if they supplied a significant fraction of the water on Earth. HST observations of C/NEAT will additionally provide accurate abundances for highly volatile ices in the nucleus, such as CO, CO2 {via Cameron band emission}, and S2, which also provide important insights on the comet's origin and evolution. This opportunity in cycle 12 is unique in the history of HST and is unlikely to be repeated during its remaining lifetime. STIS/CCD/MA1 9759 Confirmation of New Candidates for the Study of Intergalactic Helium The reionization of intergalactic helium is believed to take place between redshift 3 and 4. The study of HeII Lyman-alpha absorption in four quasars at 2.7z3.3 demonstrates the great potential of such an intergalactic-medium {IGM} probe and suggests that the reionization epoch is at higher redshifts. Clean quasar sightlines may be found only from massive pre-selection processes in the optical and UV, because of random, severe absorption by intervening Lyman-limit systems. The SDSS has discovered approximately 36000 quasars, and we propose to verify the UV detectability in 70 top candidates for helium studies extending to even higher redshift. Our proposed approach has already proven successful, and additional positive confirmations will allow follow-up observations, with STIS or COS, to pinpoint the epoch of reionization of the IGM, and the evolution of its properties near that period. STIS/CCD/MA1 9876 Where is the Local Hot Gas? We wish to sample the absorption characteristics of 3 lines-of-sight in the local interstellar medium to establish the physical location of the production sites of the highly ionized absorption lines of CIV, SiIV and NV. Such lines are formed at gas temperatures of ~ 100, 000K and all have been widely observed throughout the Galaxy. However, evidence for the formation of any of these high ions within the hot gas of the Local Bubble {LB} remains inconclusive, supporting the similar lack of detections of the OVI ion {T ~ 300, 000K} within 100pc recently reported by the FUSE satellite. Using our recently gained information on the contours of the neutral boundary to the LB, we have selected 3 pairs of stars located just within, and just beyond the LB boundary. We shall test whether high ionization ions are formed either {a} beyond the LB boundary in more distant interstellar bubbles of hot gas, {b} at the conductive interface of the LB neutral boundary, or {c} at possible conductive interfaces between hot gas within the LB and the diffuse clouds embedded within it. Hopefully, these observations will enable theorists to better model the {anomalous} ionization state, pressure and chemical abundance of the local interstellar gas and will assist in the interpretation of data soon to be gained from the NASA CHIPS mission. WFPC2 10070 WFPC2 CYCLE 12 Supplemental Darks Part 2/3 This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.) None COMPLETED OPS REQs: None OPS NOTES EXECUTED: Adjust Recharge Ratio Limits for High Sun DOY 2004/110-119 @ 119/10:00z SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq 13 13 FGS REacq 05 05 FHST Update 17 17 LOSS of LOCK SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: Successfully completed Battery Capacity Test Steps 32 - 35, Battery ROC Safemode test disabled, patched FULROC value back to 21.3 Amperes, enabled Battery ROC Safemode test, and enabled OCA @ 119/12:48:40Z (OR17146-4 with attached script). |
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