Daily Report #4685

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4685

PERIOD COVERED: 5am August 28 - 5am August 29, 2008 (DOY
241/0900z-242/0900z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11210

The Architecture of Exoplanetary Systems

Are all planetary systems coplanar? Concordance cosmogony makes that
prediction. It is, however, a prediction of extrasolar planetary system
architecture as yet untested by direct observation for main sequence stars
other than the Sun. To provide such a test, we propose to carry out FGS
astrometric studies on four stars hosting seven companions. Our
understanding of the planet formation process will grow as we match not only
system architecture, but formed planet mass and true distance from the
primary with host star characteristics for a wide variety of host stars and
exoplanet masses. We propose that a series of FGS astrometric observations
with demonstrated 1 millisecond of arc per-observation precision can
establish the degree of coplanarity and component true masses for four
extrasolar systems: HD 202206 {brown dwarf+planet}; HD 128311
{planet+planet}, HD 160691 = mu Arae {planet+planet}, and HD 222404AB =
gamma Cephei {planet+star}. In each case the companion is identified as such
by assuming that the minimum mass is the actual mass. For the last target, a
known stellar binary system, the companion orbit is stable only if coplanar
with the AB binary orbit.

NIC1 11205

The Effects of Multiplicity on the Evolution of Young Stellar Objects: A
NICMOS Imaging Study

We propose to use NICMOS to investigate the multiplicity of young stellar
objects (YSOs) in the Orion B molecular cloud. Previous observations with
the Spitzer Space Telescope have revealed a remarkable star forming filament
near the NGC 2068 reflection nebula. The population of YSOs associated with
the filament exhibit a surprisingly wide range of circumstellar evolutionary
states, from deeply embedded protostars to T Tauri accretion disks. Many of
the circumstellar disks themselves show evidence for significant dust
evolution, including grain growth and settling and cleared inner holes,
apparently in spite of the very young age of these stars. We will estimate
the binary fraction of a representative sample of objects in these various
stages of evolution in order to test whether companions may play a
significant role in that evolution.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 11820

NICMOS Post-SAA Calibration - CR Persistence Part 7

Internals for CR persistence

NIC2 11237

The Origin of the Break in the AGN Luminosity Function

We propose to use NICMOS imaging to measure rest-frame optical luminosities
and morphological properties of a complete sample of faint AGN host galaxies
at redshifts z ~ 1.4. The targets are drawn from the VLT-VIMOS Deep Survey,
and they constitute a sample of the lowest luminosity type 1 AGN known at z
1. The spectroscopically estimated black hole masses are up to an order of
magnitude higher than expected given their nuclear luminosities, implying
highly sub-Eddington accretion rates. This exactly matches the prediction
made by recent theoretical models of AGN evolution, according to which the
faint end of the AGN luminosity function is populated mainly by big black
holes that have already exhausted a good part of their fuel. In this
proposal we want to test further predictions of that hypothesis, by focusing
on the host galaxy properties of our low-luminosity, low- accretion AGN. If
the local ratio between black hole and bulge masses holds at least
approximately at these redshifts, one expects most of these low-luminosity
AGN to reside in fairly big ellipticals with stellar masses around and above
10^11 solar masses (in contrast to the Seyfert phenomenon in the local
universe). With NICMOS imaging we will find out whether that is true,
implying also a sensitive test for the validity of the M_BH/M_bulge relation
at z ~ 1.4.

NIC2 11548

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

We propose NICMOS 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.

WFPC2 11113

Binaries in the Kuiper Belt: Probes of Solar System Formation and
Evolution

The discovery of binaries in the Kuiper Belt and related small body
populations is powering a revolutionary step forward in the study of this
remote region. Three quarters of the known binaries in the Kuiper Belt have
been discovered with HST, most by our snapshot surveys. The statistics
derived from this work are beginning to yield surprising and unexpected
results. We have found a strong concentration of binaries among
low-inclination Classicals, a possible size cutoff to binaries among the
Centaurs, an apparent preference for nearly equal mass binaries, and a
strong increase in the number of binaries at small separations. We propose
to continue this successful program in Cycle 16; we expect to discover at
least 13 new binary systems, targeted to subgroups where these discoveries
can have the greatest impact.

WFPC2 11544

The Dynamical Legacy of Star Formation

We propose to use WFPC2 to conduct a wide-field imaging survey of the young
cluster IC348. This program, in combination with archival HST observations,
will allow us to measure precise proper motions for individual cluster
members, characterizing the intra-cluster velocity dispersion and directly
studying the dynamical signatures of star formation and early cluster
evolution. Our projected astrometric precision (~1 mas in each epoch) will
allow us to calculate individual stellar velocities to unprecedented
precision (0.5 mas/yr; 1 km/s) and directly relate these velocities to
observed spatial substructure within the cluster. This survey will also
allow us to probe small-scale star formation physics by searching for
high-velocity stars ejected from decaying multiple systems, expanding our
knowledge of multiplicity in dense environments, and identifying new
substellar and planetary-mass cluster members based on kinematic membership
tests.

WFPC2 11795

WFPC2 Cycle 16 UV Earth Flats

Monitor flat field stability. This proposal obtains sequences of earth
streak flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the WFPC2 UV
filter set. These Earth flats will complement the UV earth flat data
obtained during cycles 8-15.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS: (None)

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq 08 08
FGS REacq 07 07
OBAD with Maneuver 30 30

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)