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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). |
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