Daily Report #4147

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 4147

PERIOD COVERED: UT June 30, July 1,2 2006 (DOY 181,182,183)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

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.

NIC2 10906

The Fundamental Plane of Massive Gas-Rich Mergers: II. The QUEST QSOs

We propose deep NICMOS H-band imaging of a carefully selected sample
of 23 local QSOs. This program is the last critical element of a
comprehensive investigation of the most luminous mergers in the nearby
universe, the ultraluminous infrared galaxies {ULIRGs} and the
quasars. This effort is called QUEST: Quasar / ULIRG Evolutionary
STudy. The high-resolution HST images of the QUEST QSOs will
complement an identical set of images on the ULIRG sample obtained
during Cycle 12, an extensive set of ground-based data that include
long-slit NIR spectra from a Large VLT Program, and a large set of
mid-infrared spectra from a Cycle 1 medium-size program with Spitzer.
This unique dataset will allow us to derive with unprecedented
precision structual, kinematic, and activity parameters for a large
unbiased sample of objects spanning the entire ULIRG/QSO luminosity
function. These data will refine the fundamental plane of massive
gas-rich mergers and enable us to answer the following quesitons: {1}
Do ultraluminous mergers form elliptical galaxies, and in particular,
giant ellipticals? {2} Do ULIRGs evolve into optical bright QSOs? The
results from this detailed study of massive mergers in the local
universe will be relevant to understanding the basic physical
processes involved in creating massive early-type host on the one
hand, and growing/feeding embedded massive black holes on the other,
in major galaxy mergers. This is an important question since 50% of
cosmic star formation at high-z and most of the big BHs appear to be
formed in this process.

NIC3 10899

Identifying z7 galaxies from J-dropouts

NICMOS Parallel Imaging campaigns covered enough sky {250 pointings}
with enough sensitivity in the 110W and 160W filters to identify 6
extremely red resolved sources which are prime candidates for J-band
dropouts. Their complete absence of detectable J band flux can be
caused by an opaque Lyman cut-off at z=8-10. We propose to followup
these candidates with NICMOS imaging and jointly propose Spitzer IRAC
photometry. Deep F110W and Spitzer/IRAC 3.5/4.8 micron imaging will
confirm if any of these candidates are indeed Lyman Break galaxies
observed less than 500 Myrs after the Big Bang. Genuine LBGs will
remain undetected in F110W, while being detected with flat spectra in
the IRAC bands. The combined SED will provide information about the
stellar mass of these galaxies, and the possible presence of evolved
stars or dust reddening. The proposed observations will be sensitive
enough to detect the F110W flux from galaxies as red as {J-H}=2.8 {AB
mags, 5 sigma}. If any of the candidates are detected with bluer
colors, they will most likely be exceptional "Distant Red Galaxies" at
z of 4 to 6. The proposed data will constrain the stellar populations
of these extraordinarily red galaxies, which would be candidates for
the earliest, most massive galaxies which formed.

NIC3 10839

The NICMOS Polarimetric Calibration

Recently, it has been shown that NICMOS possesses an instrumental
polarization at a level of 1.2%. This completely inhibits the data
reduction in a number of previous GO programs, and hampers the ability
of the instrument to perform high accuracy polarimetry. In all, 90
orbits of HST data are affected, with potentially many more in Cycle
15. We propose to obtain high signal to noise observations of three
polarimetric standards at the cardinal roll angles of the NICMOS
polarizers for both NIC1 and NIC2. These observations are designed to
fully characterize the instrumental polarization in order for NICMOS
to reach its full potential by enabling high accuracy polarimetry of
sources with polarizations around 1%. The residual polarization will
also be determined as a function of position and spectral energy
distribution. Our group will rapidly turn around the required data
products and produce reports and software for the accurate
representation of the instrumental polarization. These items will be
presented to STScI and for dissemination among the wider astronomical
community.

WFPC2 10751

WFPC2 CYCLE 14 Intflat Linearity Check and Filter Rotation Anomaly
Monitor

Intflat observations will be taken to provide a linearity check: the
linearity test consists of a series of intflats in F555W, in each gain
and each shutter. A combination of intflats, visflats, and earthflats
will be used to check the repeatability of filter wheel motions.
{Intflat sequences tied to decons, visits 1-18 in prop 10363, have
been moved to the cycle 14 decon proposal 10744 for easier
scheduling.} Note: long-exposure WFPC2 intflats must be scheduled
during ACS anneals to prevent stray light from the WFPC2 lamps from
contaminating long ACS external exposures.

FGS 10612

Binary Stars in Cyg OB2: Relics of Massive Star Formation in a
Super-Star Cluster

We propose to make a high angular resolution SNAP survey of the
massive stars in the nearby, super-star cluster Cyg OB2. We will use
FGS1r TRANS mode observations to search for astrometric companions in
the separation range of 0.01 to 1.00 arcsec and in the magnitude
difference range smaller than 4 magnitudes. The observations will test
the idea that the formation of very massive stars involves mergers and
the presence of nearby companions. Discovery of companions to massive
stars in this relatively nearby complex will provide guidance in the
interpretation of apparently supermassive stars in distant locations.
The search for companions will also be important for verification of
fundamental parameters derived from spectroscopy, adjustments to main
sequence fitting and distance estimations, determining third light
contributions of eclipsing binaries, identifying wide colliding wind
binaries, studying the relationship between orbital and spin angular
momentum, and discovering binaries amenable to future mass
determinations. The massive star environment in Cyg OB2 may be similar
to the kinds found in the earliest epoch of star formation, so that a
study of the role of binaries in Cyg OB2 will help us understand the
formation processes of the first stars in the Universe.

FGS 10611

Precise Distances to Nearby Planetary Nebulae

We propose to carry out astrometry with the FGS to obtain accurate and
precise distances to four nearby planetary nebulae. In 1992, Cahn et
al. noted that ``The distances to Galactic planetary nebulae remain a
serious, if not THE most serious, problem in the field, despite
decades of study.'' Twelve years later, the same statement still
applies. Because the distances to planetary nebulae are so uncertain,
our understanding of their masses, luminosities, scale height, birth
rate, and evolutionary state is severely limited. To help remedy this
problem, HST astrometry can guarantee parallaxes with half the error
of any other available approach. These data, when combined with
parallax measurements from the USNO, will improve distance
measurements by more than a factor of two, producing more accurate
distances with uncertainties that are of the order of ~6%. Lastly,
most planetary nebula distance scales in the literature are
statistical. They require several anchor points of known distance in
order to calibrate their zero point. Our program will provide "gold
standard" anchor points by the end of 2006, a decade before any
anticipated results from future space astrometry missions.

WFPC2 10534

Active Atmospheres on Uranus and Neptune

We propose Snapshot observations of Uranus and Neptune to monitor
changes in their atmospheres on time scales of weeks, months, and
years. Uranus is rapidly approaching equinox in 2007, with another 4
degrees of latitude becoming visible every year. Recent HST
observations during this epoch {including 6818: Hammel, Lockwood, and
Rages; 8680: Hammel, Rages, Lockwood, and Marley; 8634: Rages, Hammel,
Lockwood, Marley, and McKay; and 10170: Rages, Hammel, Lockwood, and
Marley} have revealed strongly wavelength-dependent latitudinal
structure and the presence of numerous visible- wavelength cloud
features in the northern hemisphere. Long-term ground-based
observations {Lockwood and Thompson 1999} show seasonal brightness
changes whose origins are not well understood. Recent near-IR images
of Neptune obtained using adaptive optics on the Keck Telesccope
together with images from our Cycle 9 Snapshot program {8634} show a
general increase in activity at south temperate latitudes as well as
the possible development of another Great Dark Spot. Further Snapshot
observations of these two dynamic planets will elucidate the nature of
long-term changes in their zonal atmospheric bands and clarify the
processes of formation, evolution, and dissipation of discrete albedo
features.

NIC2 10519

Testing the Stellar Coalescence and Accretion Disk Theories of Massive
Star Formation with NICMOS

The importance of massive stars cannot be underestimated - they
produce most of the heavy elements in the universe and dominate the
evolution of the interstellar medium in their vicinity. In spite of
their significance, our understanding of their formation is meager.
Both accretion through disks, analogous to the process of low-mass
star formation, and coalescence of low-mass stars through collisions
in the dense cores of stellar clusters have been suggested. Possibly
both mechanisms occur. High spatial resolution polarization
measurements of the closest massive young stellar objects {YSOs} will
enable us to search for evidence of disk accretion or coalescence in
the form of patterns indicative of light scattered off a coherent disk
or off a disk disrupted by an infalling star, respectively. Here we
propose to use 2 micron polarimetry with NICMOS to identify the
presence of accretion disks around massive YSOs or to characterize
their environments as possibly disrupted from a close stellar
encounter. There are only a few sources that meet the stringent
selection criteria for this investigation {even with HST}, which we
will examine here. High spatial resolution is required, but even more
important, the point spread function {PSF} must be stable with time.
Furthermore, the PSF must put minimal flux into large spatial scales,
something that cannot be achieved with adaptive optics. This
combination of high Strehl ratio and stable PSF can only be achieved
from space.

NIC2 10173

Infrared Snapshots of 3CR Radio Galaxies

Radio galaxies are an important class of extragalactic objects: they
are one of the most energetic astrophysical phenomena and they provide
an exceptional probe of the evolving Universe, lying typically in high
density regions but well-represented across a wide redshift range. In
earlier Cycles we carried out extensive HST observations of the 3CR
sources in order to acquire a complete and quantitative inventory of
the structure, contents and evolution of these important objects.
Amongst the results, we discovered new optical jets, dust lanes,
face-on disks with optical jets, and revealed point-like nuclei whose
properties support FR-I/BL Lac unified schemes. Here, we propose to
obtain NICMOS infrared images of 3CR sources with z0.3 as a major
enhancement to an already superb dataset. We aim to deshroud dusty
galaxies, study the underlying host galaxy free from the distorting
effects of dust, locate hidden regions of star formation and establish
the physical characteristics of the dust itself. We will measure
frequency and spectral energy distributions of point-like nuclei,
expected to be stronger and more prevalent in the IR, seek spectral
turnovers in known synchrotron jets and find new jets. We will
strongly test unified AGN schemes and merge these data with existing
X-ray to radio observations. The resulting database will be an
incredibly valuable resource to the astronomical community for years
to come.

WFPC2 10132

UV Confirmation of New Quasar Sightlines Suitable for the Study of
Intergalactic Helium

The reionization of intergalactic helium is thought to have occurred
between redshifts of about 3 and 4. The study of HeII Lyman-alpha
absorption towards a half-dozen quasars at 2.7z3.5 demonstrates the
great potential of such probes of the IGM, but the current
critically-small sample limits confidence in resulting cosmological
inferences. The requisite unobscured quasar sightlines to
high-redshift are extremely rare, especially due to severe absorption
in random intervening Lyman-limit systems, but SDSS provides hundreds
of bright, new quasars at such redshifts potentially suitable for HeII
studies. Our cycle 13 SNAP program proposes to verify the UV
detectability of 40 new, bright, z2.9 SDSS quasars, but with special
emphasis on extending helium studies to the highest redshift
sightlines. Our proposed approach has already proven successful, and
additional sightlines will enable follow-up spectal observations to
measure the spectrum and evolution of the ionizing background
radiation, the density of intergalactic baryons, and the epoch of
reionization of the IGM.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

10327 FHST OBAD Map Failure @ 181/14:16:32z

FHST OBAD Map scheduled at 181/14:13:45 failed. At 181/14:16:32
received ESB 1902 (OBAD Failed ID). Previous OBAD's were successful
with RSS values of 4363.23 & 3.70 respectively. GSAcq 2,1,1 at
14:06:14 - 14:13:46 was successful. Per Ops Request 17543-2 OBAD
Tables 369 & 370 were dumped at 181/14:42:14 & 14:43:41 to support
failure analysis.

10328 FHST OBAD Failure @ 181/17:23:26z

At AOS OBAD #2 scheduled @ 181/17:14:00 had failed. One 486 ESB 1902
(OBAD Failed ID) was received and displayed at AOS (17:23:26). The
REAcq 2,1,1 @ 181/17:18:53-17:26:25 was successful.

10329 GSACQ(2,3,3) failed to RGA control @ 182/04:45:00z

GSACQ(2,3,3) at 182/04:41:03 failed to RGA control at 04:45:00.
F3SSCEB (FGS3 Star Selector Comp Error B) broke limit at 04:44:59
(extract attached). 486 ESB message 'A0A' (FGS Fine Lock failed -
Timed out waiting for fine lock) was received.

10330 GSACQ(2,3,2) fine lock backup @ 183/22:01:52z

At acquisition of signal at 22:32:30, vehicle was in fine lock backup
of FGS 2 only. GSACQ(2,3,2) at 183/22:01:52 ended in fine lock backup
with QF3STOPF set on FGS 3.

10333 GMT1CDER Magnetic Torque Command Error out of limit for two
samples @ 183/21:43:55z

GMT1CDER (Magnetic Torque Command Error) was observed flagging out of
limit for two samples beginning at 183/21:43:55 with raw count values
of 2871 for the first sample and 2813 for the second. Limit is 2000.

10334 GSACQ(1,2,2) fails to RGA control @ 184/06:08:30z

At acquisition of signal at 06:17:01, vehicle was in gyro control with
QF1STOPF and QSTOP flags set. GSACQ(1,2,2) at 184/06:08:30 failed to
acquire lock. No Scan Step Limit or Search Radius Limit flags were
seen. Observation affected: NICMOS 2. REACQ(1,2,2) at 07:37:46 was
successful. REACQ(1,2,2) at 09:13:41 failed to RGA control with
QF1STOPF flag set at 09:16:38. FGS 1 briefly acquired lock from
09:16:22 to 09:16:40.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:
17805-1 Recover ACS to Side 2 Operations @ 181/1419z
17806-0 SSR1 Eng Record @ 181/1420z
17543-2 Dump OBAD tables after failed OBAD (Generic OR) @ 181/1443z,
181/1745z


COMPLETED OPS NOTES:
1498-1 486/NSSC1 SOI configuration for OPS PRD6.9 @ 181/1226z
1422-2 Documentation of Config. Monitors used by the FOT @ 181/1326z
1499-0 Temporary ACS Page @ 181/1432z
1500-1 FGS Dome Temperature Limit Change @ 181/2220z
1501-0 "cleaned off" SSR1 pior to initial ACS side2 SMS activities @
184/0101z
1503-0 ACS Side 2 input voltage @ 184/0237z

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES
FGS
GSacq 24 22 182/04:45:00z
(HSTAR # 10329)
184/06:08:30z
(HSTAR # 10334)
FGS REacq 16 16

OBAD with Maneuver 80 79 181/17:23:26z
(HSTAR # 10328)


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

ACS Side-2 Switch status - Successful (Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:22:59,
Summary Extract)

At 181/12:20 the loading of ACS Side 2 EEPROM (JV0019) was completed
and verified by the Payload FSW team. ACS was transitioned
successfully to Operate mode at 181/13:12 on Side 2. All mechanisms
except correctors were initialized and placed in their home positions.
(By design, the correctors were not commanded.) The WFC and HRC TECs
have also been enabled and successfully cooled their respective CCD s
to -66.7 dgC. The WFC and HRC CCD detectors have both been powered on
and initialized. No anomalous telemetry has been observed for any ACS
sub-system on Side 2. ACS remained in this configuration until
~181/14:00, when it was reconfigured for science intercept on Sunday
evening (184/00:00).

Flash Report: ACS Side 2 stored command recovery (Sun, 02 Jul 2006
22:39:48, Summary Extract)

ACS was successfully recovered to Operate Mode on Side 2 via stored
commanding starting at 184/00:20 and completed ~40 minutes later. All
temperatures and voltages are within their normal ranges. The WFC and
HRC TEC cooled their respective detectors to the commanded setpoints
of -77dgC and -80dgC. The WFC TEC will remain at this setpoint until
185/12:38, at which time it will be commanded (via stored commanding)
to -81dgC. The first activity for ACS will be a set of memory dumps
and tests (see proposal 11007) which will be starting at ~184/04:00.
The first CCD activity will start at ~185/10:35 with a WFC Full Frame
BIAS image. The first HRC CCD activity will be a Full Frame DARK at
~185/11:06. The first external image (astronomical light) will be
starting at ~186/01:40 (Tuesday 9:40pm) with the WFC CCD (proposal
10496).