DAILY REPORT # 3968

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 3968

PERIOD COVERED: UT October 17, 2005 (DOY 290)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/HRC 10557

Probing Asteroid Families for Evidence of Ultraviolet Space Weathering
Effects

We propose six HST orbits to obtain UV reflectance spectra covering
200-460 nm of two Vesta asteroid family members, asteroid 832 Karin,
and two Karin family members. These observations extend work done
under a Cycle 13 AR grant, where we analyzed all of the existing IUE
and HST S-class asteroids in the MAST database to investigate the
effects of space weathering at UV wavelengths. Our hypothesis is that
the manifestation of space weathering at UV wavelengths is a spectral
bluing, in contrast with a spectral reddening at visible-NIR
wavelengths, and that UV wavelengths can be more sensitive to
relatively small amounts of weathering than longer wavelengths. The
proposed observations will address two objectives: {1} Measure the
UV-visible spectra of 832 Karin and two members of the young Karin
family {absolute age of 5.8 My}, in order to determine whether
intermediate space weathering is observable in objects likely pristine
when they originated from the interior of Karin's pa rent body. {2}
Measure the UV-visible spectra of two members of the Vesta family to
compare with our analysis of IUE Vesta spectra. These observations
will probe Vesta's interior, and test our hypothesis by contrasting
the apparent amount of alteration on the surfaces of Vestoids with
excavated material on Vesta.

ACS/HRC/WFC 10729

ACS CCDs daily monitor

This program consists of a set of basic tests to monitor, the read
noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise
in ACS CCD detectors. The files, biases and dark will be used to
create reference files for science calibration. This programme will be
for the entire lifetime of ACS. Changes from cycle 13:- The default
gain for WFC is 2 e-/DN. As before bias frames will be collected for
both gain 1 and gain 2. Dark frames are acquired using the default
gain {2}. This program cover the period Oct, 2 2005- May, 29-2006. The
second half of the program has a different proposal number: 10758.

ACS/WFC 10496

Decelerating and Dustfree: Efficient Dark Energy Studies with
Supernovae and Clusters

We propose a novel HST approach to obtain a dramatically more useful
"dust free" Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} dataset than available with
the previous GOODS searches. Moreover, this approach provides a
strikingly more efficient search-and-follow-up that is primarily pre-
scheduled. The resulting dark energy measurements do not share the
major systematic uncertainty at these redshifts, that of the
extinction correction with a prior. By targeting massive galaxy
clusters at z 1 we obtain a five-times higher efficiency in
detection of Type Ia supernovae in ellipticals, providing a
well-understood host galaxy environment. These same deep cluster
images then also yield fundamental calibrations required for future
weak lensing and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements of dark energy, as
well as an entire program of cluster studies. The data will make
possible a factor of two improvement on supernova constraints on dark
energy time variation, and much larger improvement in systematic
uncertainty. They will provide both a cluster dataset and a SN Ia
dataset that will be a longstanding scientific resource.

ACS/WFC 10576

An ACS Imaging Survey of the Galaxies Hosting Strong Mg II Absorption

Strong MgII absorbers {with rest-frame absorption equivalent width
W_MgII 0.3 A} at redshift z 1 are known to arise in extended
gaseous halos around luminous galaxies. Detailed absorption line
studies based on high-solution spectra of background quasars yield
tight constraints on the metallicity, ionization state, and kinematics
of the gaseous clouds. But whether they originate in gas accreted from
surrounding satellite galaxies or outflows associated with active
starburst in the host galaxies remains unclear. We have recently
completed a search of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey data archive for
strong MgII absorbers and identified over 1000 new systems that are
previously unknown. A subset of these MgII absorbers with W_MgII 1.8
A exhibit extreme kinematics with velocity widths {exceeding 200 km/s}
in our follow-up echelle spectra. Their dynamics are consistent with
various scenarios that include gas accretion {with speeds exceeding
the virial velocity} and starburst outflows {possibly driven by recent
merger events}. Independent of their exact nature, it is clear that
strong MgII systems serve as signposts to galactic halos with extreme
gas dynamics. Here we propose to conduct a snapshot survey of galaxies
in the fields toward high-redshift quasars with known, strong MgII
absorbers at 0.5 z 2. We plan to obtain high spatial-resolution
ACS/WFC images of 60 fields to uncover galaxies fainter than L* at the
redshifts of these absorbers and study their morphology. We will
complement the HST observations with follow-up spectroscopic
observations and IR images acquired at the Keck and Magellan
Observatories to for redshift identifications and for measuring
broad-band colors. We will investigate the correlation between
absorption line kinematics and galaxy morphology. In particular, we
will address whether on-going mergers is responsible for the extreme
dynamics observed in MgII absorption based on their rest-frame
ultraviolet morphology.

ACS/WFC 10579

ULX counterparts: the key to finding intermediate-mass black holes

The origin and formation mechanism for supermassive black holes
{SMBHs} found in the centres of most, if not all, galaxies remains one
of the outstanding questions in astrophysics. Most scenarios involve
the presence of massive black holes in the early universe, formed by
the collapse of primordial Population III stars. It is predicted that
a relic of this population could still be present in galactic halos in
the current epoch, possessing masses from a few hundred times solar
mass upwards. However, to date no CONCLUSIVE evidence for such a class
of "intermediate-mass" black holes has been found. The most likely
current candidates are the ultraluminous X-ray sources {ULXs}, which
show tantalising evidence for IMBHs {e.g. the extreme X-ray
luminosities and low disk temperatures expected from accreting IMBHs}.
We propose to address this issue by identifying optical counterparts
for six of the nearest ULXs. We will use this programme as a
pathfinder for future radial velocity measurements, which will allow
the orbital parameters and hence the first undisputed mass constraints
for these systems to be determined.

ACS/WFC/NIC3 10632

Searching for galaxies at z6.5 in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field

We propose to obtain deep ACS {F606W, F775W, F850LP} imaging in the
area of the original Hubble Ultra Deep Field NICMOS parallel fields
and - through simultaneous parallel observations - deep NICMOS {F110W,
F160W} imaging of the ACS UDF area. Matching the extreme imaging depth
in the optical and near-IR bands will result in seven fields with
sufficiently sensitive multiband data to detect the expected typical
galaxies at z=7 and 8. Presently no such a field exist. Our combined
optical and near-IR ultradeep fields will be in three areas separated
by about 20 comoving Mpc at z=7. This will allow us to give a first
assessment of the degree of cosmic variance. If reionization is a
process extending over a large redshift interval and the luminosity
function doesn't evolve strongly beyond z=6, these data will allow us
to identify of the order of a dozen galaxies at 6.5z8.5 - using the
Lyman break technique - and to place a first constrain on the
luminosity function at z6.5. Conversely, finding fewer objects would
be an indication that the bulk of reionization is done by galaxies at
z=6. By spending 204 orbits of prime HST time we will capitalize on
the investment of 544 prime orbits already made on the Hubble Ultra
Deep Field {UDF}. We have verified that the program as proposed is
schedulable and that it will remain so even if forced to execute in
the 2-gyro mode. The data will be non-proprietary and the reduced
images will be made public within 2 months from the completion of the
observations.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8793

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 4

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.

WFPC2 10359

WFPC2 CYCLE 13 Standard Darks

This dark calibration program obtains dark frames every week in order
to provide data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current
rate, and to monitor and characterize the evolution of hot pixels.
Over an extended period these data will also provide a monitor of
radiation damage to the CCDs.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

9980 - ACS 889, MIEUTIL_GETTIME_CMD_FAILED @ 291/04:53:54z At
291/04:53:54, ACS Status Buffer messages 889, parameter 2000, was
received while ACS was in operate followed by multiples of ACS 889.
ACS has continued to remain in operate mode and maintain its normal
observation schedule while this is under investigation.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS Gsacq 11 11
FGS Reacq 04 04
OBAD with Maneuver 30 30

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)