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Daily Report #4961



 
 
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Old October 29th 09, 04:14 PM posted to sci.astro.hubble
Cooper, Joe
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Default Daily Report #4961

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4961

PERIOD COVERED: 5am October 28 - 5am October 29, 2009 (DOY 301/09:00z-302/09:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/WFC3 11879

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 1)

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 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August
2009 to 31 January 2010.

ACS/WFC3 11882

CCD Hot Pixel Annealing

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 the Wide
Field Channel (WFC). The High Resolution Channel (HRC) visits have
been removed since it could not be repaired during SM4.

COS/FUV 11524

COS-GTO: WARM AND HOT ISM IN AND NEAR THE MILKY WAY

COS G130M and G160M 20, 000 resolution observations will be obtained
for 10 AGNs situated beyond Milky Way high velocity clouds. For all
objects good O VI line profile observations exist from FUSE and high
velocity O VI is detected. The COS observations will be used to obtain
high quality absorption line profiles (S/N ~ 30 to 40) for C IV, Si IV
and N V in the low and high velocity gas toward each AGN. The high
ionization profiles of O VI (from FUSE), N V, C IV, and Si IV will be
compared to low ionization profiles (O I, S II, Si II, Fe II, etc.) in
order to evaluate the physical conditions and origins of the highly
ionized gas in and near the Milky Way at low and high velocity. The
HVCs include Complex C (four lines of sight), Complex A, WD, WB, and
several negative velocity O VI HVCs. Other studies to be undertaken
with this data set include studies of the physical conditions and
abundances in the cool and warm HVC gas and studies of the physical
conditions in low redshift IGM systems detected along the 10 lines of
sight.

COS/FUV 11526

COS-GTO: Sampling the Local ISM with Hot White Dwarfs

We shall use hot white dwarf stars located within 150pc of the Sun to
probe the absorption properties of the interstellar gas associated
with the local cavity. There is still much debate concerning the
ionization state of the local gas, since previously detected highly
ionized lines (such as CIV and SiIV) could be associated with the
circumstellar environments of hot white dwarfs. By using a priori
knowledge of the velocity structure of the interstellar sight-lines to
these targets (gained from high spectral resolution ground-based
observations) in conjunction with the UV absorption data gained with
HST-COS, we shall be able to better determine both the physical and
chemical state of the numerous diffuse interstellar clouds present
within the local cavity.

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.

NIC2/WFC3/IR 11548

Infrared Imaging of Protostars in the Orion A Cloud: The Role of
Environment in Star Formation

We propose NICMOS and WFC3/IR observations of a sample of 252
protostars identified in the Orion A cloud with the Spitzer Space
Telescope. These observations will image the scattered light escaping
the protostellar envelopes, providing information on the shapes of
outflow cavities, the inclinations of the protostars, and the overall
morphologies of the envelopes. In addition, we ask for Spitzer time to
obtain 55-95 micron spectra of 75 of the protostars. Combining these
new data with existing 3.6 to 70 micron photometry and forthcoming
5-40 micron spectra measured with the Spitzer Space Telescope, we will
determine the physical properties of the protostars such as envelope
density, luminosity, infall rate, and outflow cavity opening angle. By
examining how these properties vary with stellar density (i.e.
clusters vs. groups vs. isolation) and the properties of the
surrounding molecular cloud; we can directly measure how the
surrounding environment influences protostellar evolution, and
consequently, the formation of stars and planetary systems.
Ultimately, this data will guide the development of a theory of
protostellar evolution.

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

STIS/CCD 11846

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to 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.

WFC3/UVIS 11714

Snapshot Survey for Planetary Nebulae in Local Group Globular Clusters

Planetary nebulae (PNe) in globular clusters (GCs) raise a number of
interesting issues related to stellar and galactic evolution. The
number of PNe known in Milky Way GCs, four, is surprisingly low if one
assumes that all stars pass through a PN stage. However, it is likely
that the remnants of stars now evolving in galactic GCs leave the AGB
so slowly that any ejected nebula dissipates long before the star
becomes hot enough to ionize it. Thus there should not be ANY PNe in
Milky Way GCs--but there are four! It has been suggested that these
PNe are the result of mergers of binary stars within GCs, i.e., that
they are descendants of blue stragglers. The frequency of occurrence
of PNe in external galaxies poses more questions, because it shows a
range of almost an order of magnitude.

I propose a SNAPshot survey aimed at discovering PNe in the GC systems
of Local Group galaxies outside the Milky Way. These clusters, some of
which may be much younger than their counterparts in our galaxy, might
contain many more PNe than those of our own galaxy. I will use the
standard technique of emission-line and continuum imaging, which
easily discloses PNe. This proposal continues a WFPC2 program started
in Cycle 16, but with the more powerful WFC3. As a by-product, the
survey will also produce color-magnitude diagrams for numerous
clusters for the first time, reaching down to the horizontal branch.

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

The behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set
of full-frame, four-amp bias and dark frames. A smaller set of 2Kx4K
subarray biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the
cycle to support subarray science observations. The internals from
this proposal, along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal
11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark
reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS).

WFC3/UVIS 11908

Cycle 17: UVIS Bowtie Monitor

Ground testing revealed an intermittent hysteresis type effect in the
UVIS detector (both CCDs) at the level of ~1%, lasting hours to days.
Initially found via an unexpected bowtie-shaped feature in flatfield
ratios, subsequent lab tests on similar e2v devices have since shown
that it is also present as simply an overall offset across the entire
CCD, i.e., a QE offset without any discernable pattern. These lab
tests have further revealed that overexposing the detector to count
levels several times full well fills the traps and effectively
neutralizes the bowtie. Each visit in this proposal acquires a set of
three 3x3 binned internal flatfields: the first unsaturated image will
be used to detect any bowtie, the second, highly exposed image will
neutralize the bowtie if it is present, and the final image will allow
for verification that the bowtie is gone.

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.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

12057 - REAcq(2,1,1) at 301/09:03:25z and 301/10:39:19z failed to RGA
Hold due to a search radius limit exceeded on FGS-2.

Observations affected: COS 46-53, Proposal ID# 11541.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSAcq 9 9
FGS REAcq 7 5
OBAD with Maneuver 7 7

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

 




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