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Daily Report # 4146
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT # 4146 PERIOD COVERED: UT June 29, 2006 (DOY 180) OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED 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. NIC1 10143 Ultracool companions to the nearest L dwarfs We propose to conduct the most sensitive survey to date for low mass companions to nearby L dwarfs. We will use NICMOS to image targets drawn from a volume-complete sample of 70 L dwarfs within 20 parsecs. The combination of infrared imaging and proximity will allow us to search for T dwarf companions at separations as small as 1.6 AU. This is crucial, since no ultracool binaries are currently known with separations exceeding 15 AU. Only 10 dwarfs in this sample have previous HST observations primarily at optical wavelengths. With the increased sensitivity of our survey, we will provide the most stringent test to date of brown dwarf models which envisage formation as ejected stellar embryos. In addition, our observations will be capable of detecting binaries with mass ratios as low as 0.3, and will therefore also test the apparent preference for equal- mass ultracool binaries. Finally, our observations offer the best prospect to date of detecting companions significantly cooler than the coolest t dwarf currently known. 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 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. NIC2 10527 Imaging Scattered Light from Debris Disks Discovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope Around 20 Sun-like Stars We propose to use the high contrast capability of the NICMOS coronagraph to image a sample of newly discovered circumstellar disks associated with sun-like stars. These systems were identified by their strong thermal infrared emission with the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the Spitzer Legacy Science program titled, "The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems {FEPS}." Modelling of the thermal excess emission in the form of spectral energy distributions alone cannot distinguish between narrowly confined high opacity disks and broadly distributed, low opacity disks. However, our proposed NICMOS observations can, by imaging the light scattered from this material. Even non- detections will place severe constraints on the disk geometry, ruling out models with high optical depth. Unlike previous disk imaging programs, our program contains a well defined sample of solar mass stars covering a range of ages from ~10Myrs to a few Gyrs, allowing us to study the evolution of disks from primordial to debris for the first time. These results will greatly improve our understanding of debris disks around Sun-like stars at stellar ages nearly 10x older than any previous investigation. Thus we will have fit a crucial piece into the puzzle concerning the formation and evolution of our own solar system. NIC2 10808 Morphologies of spectroscopically-confirmed "red and dead" galaxies at z~2.5 Using a combination of wide-field near-infrared imaging and very deep follow-up near- infrared spectroscopy we have identified a population of massive "red and dead" galaxies at z~2.5. The galaxies lack emission lines and have strong Balmer/4000 Angstrom breaks, demonstrating directly that they have evolved stellar populations. These objects are very likely progenitors of massive ellipticals today and may be descendants of the first generation of galaxies. We propose to image 10 of these objects with the NIC2 camera to determine their morphologies. The goals are to 1} determine whether they have the sizes of present-day early-types or are more compact, as predicted by models, 2} determine the morphology, using visual classification and quantitative methods, and 3} constrain the evolution of the Kormendy relation from z~2.5 to the present. These observations will show whether the oldest and most massive galaxies at z~2.5 were already fully formed or still in the process of assembly. 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. WFPC2 10744 WFPC2 Cycle 14 Decontaminations and Associated Observations This proposal is for the WFPC2 decons. Also included are instrument monitors tied to decons: photometric stability check, focus monitor, pre- and post-decon internals {bias, intflats, kspots, & darks}, UV throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and internal UV flat check. FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.) HSTARS: 10326 REAcq(2,1,2) failed to RGA Control @ 181/03:21:36z REAcq(2,1,2) at 181/03:18:40 failed to RGA control due to stop flag (QF2STOPF) on FGS-2 at 03:21:36. Previous GSAcq(2,1,2) at 01:42:38 was successful. Pre-acquisition OBAD's were successful with RSS error corrections of 1540.27 and 14.68. COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: 17804-0 MAGN Test @ 180/1309z 17803-0 Set SSR 1 & 3 Overwrite Flags to Prevent Overwrite for Science Data @ 180/1731z 17805-1 Recover ACS to Side 2 Operations (thru step 3.12) COMPLETED OPS NOTES: 1496-0 Update SSR-1/SSR-3 Overwrite Flag SA1 Limits @ 180/1813z 1497-0 Switch ACS ground system command mode to RIU-B @ 180/2105z (CCS-F/D/H), 181/0343z (CCS-A) SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq 10 10 FGS REacq 04 03 181/03:21:36z (HSTAR # 10326) OBAD with Maneuver 28 28 LOSS of LOCK SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: MA/GN Mode recorder Dump Test (Bteasdel, Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:40:09, Summary Extract) - Ops Request 17804-0 was executed on DOY 2006/180 between 12:18:54 and 12:44:32, to test the process of dumping Science data via the MAT, through TDRSS and to the ground. The test performance was successful. Flash Report: SSR Overwrite Ops Briefing (Ntull, Thu, 29 Jun 2006 11:13:37, Summary Extract) - Flash Report: SSR Overwrite Change Operations Briefing - The Ops Briefing on the SSR Overwrite Change was held on Thursday, 06/29/06. Approval was granted to reconfigure SSR-1 "Overwrite" flags to prohibit overwriting of science data upon safemode entry. Commanding is scheduled to occur at 1:30 pm EST on 06/29/06. Flash Report: Change to SSR Overwrite Flags (Ssands, Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:24:20, Summary Extract) - Ops Request 17803-0 to set the SSR-1 and SSR-3 Overwrite Flags for Storage Area 1 (science data) to prevent overwrite was completed at 180/17:31:17. Ops Note 1496-0 to adjust the limits for the Overwrite Flags was completed at 180/18:12:57. Flash Report: ACS Side-2 Switch status - MEB-2 in Boot (Rstevens, Thu, 29 Jun 2006 19:45:56, Summary Extract) - At 180/21:01, the transition to ACS Side-2 operations was started via OPS Request 17805. The ACS MEB-2 was successfully to transitioned to Boot Mode at 180/22:39 (operate relay closed) and a memory dump collected of the Side-2 EEPROM. Payload FSW has verified the contents of the Side-2 EEPROM matches the expected version (JV0008). Commanding to update the ACS Side 2 EEPROM to JV0019 is in progress and no anomalous telemetry has been observed. Flash Report: ACS Side-2 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. The WFC and HRC TEC 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). |
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