Daily # 4302

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT # 4302

PERIOD COVERED: UT February 16,17,18,19, 2007 (DOY 047,048,049,050)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8794

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 5

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 11096

Hubble Heritage imaging of Jupiter during the New Horizons encounter
HST Proposal 11096

WFPC2 images of Jupiter in Feb 2007 in support of New Horizons flyby
of Jupiter. This Hubble Heritage DD program is working in concert with
the existing GO programs by John Clarke {10862} and John Spencer
{10871}.

S/C 11094

SBC Filter Wheel Checkout

Following the side 2 electronics failure it is proposed to return to
side 1 and operate the SBC. Several tests will be performed before
resuming normal operations. The following proposal is one of these and
should be held until the return to side 1 is approved. This proposal's
purpose is to command the SBC Filter Wheel to each of its positions in
both directions of motion and verify {via the mechanism's positional
encoding readout} proper execution of the commands.

WFPC2 11093

Hubble Heritage Observations of PNe with WFPC2

This is a proposal for observation of a set of PNe using a common
WFPC2 observation sequence.

WFPC2 11089

WFPC2 UV Throughput Check after 27-Jan-2007 Safemode

Check UV throughput of standard star GRW+70D5824 in all four chips
following safemode caused by ACS Side 2 failure.

NIC3 11082

NICMOS Imaging of GOODS: Probing the Evolution of the Earliest Massive
Galaxies, Galaxies Beyond

Deep near-infrared imaging provides the only avenue towards
understanding a host of astrophysical problems, including: finding
galaxies and AGN at z 7, the evolution of the most massive galaxies,
the triggering of star formation in dusty galaxies, and revealing
properties of obscured AGN. As such, we propose to observe 60 selected
areas of the GOODS North and South fields with NICMOS Camera 3 in the
F160W band pointed at known massive M 10^11 M_0 galaxies at z 2
discovered through deep Spitzer imaging. The depth we will reach {26.5
AB at 5 sigma} in H_160 allows us to study the internal properties of
these galaxies, including their sizes and morphologies, and to
understand how scaling relations such as the Kormendy relationship
evolved. Although NIC3 is out of focus and undersampled, it is
currently our best opportunity to study these galaxies, while also
sampling enough area to perform a general NIR survey 1/3 the size of
an ACS GOODS field. These data will be a significant resource,
invaluable for many other science goals, including discovering high
redshift galaxies at z 7, the evolution of galaxies onto the Hubble
sequence, as well as examining obscured AGN and dusty star formation
at z 1.5. The GOODS fields are the natural location for HST to
perform a deep NICMOS imaging program, as extensive data from space
and ground based observatories such as Chandra, GALEX, Spitzer, NOAO,
Keck, Subaru, VLT, JCMT, and the VLA are currently available for these
regions. Deep high-resolution near-infrared observations are the one
missing ingredient to this survey, filling in an important gap to
create the deepest, largest, and most uniform data set for studying
the faint and distant universe. The importance of these images will
increase with time as new facilities come on line, most notably WFC3
and ALMA, and for the planning of future JWST observations.

NIC3 11080

Exploring the Scaling Laws of Star Formation

As a variety of surveys of the local and distant Universe are
approaching a full census of galaxy populations, our attention needs
to turn towards understanding and quantifying the physical mechanisms
that trigger and regulate the large-scale star formation rates {SFRs}
in galaxies.

NIC3 11064

CYCLE 15 NICMOS SPECTROPHOTOMETRY CALIBRATION PROGRAM

Now that the spectrophotometric capabilities of the NICMOS grism have
been established, cycle 15 observations are needed to refine the
sensitivity estimates, to check for sensitivity loss with time, to
improve the accuracy of the linearity correction, to improve the
secondary flux standards by re-observation, and to expand the G206
data set now that the sky subtraction technique has been shown to
produce useful fluxes for some of the fainter secondary standards.
These faint secondary IR standards will be a significant step towards
establishing flux standards for JWST, as well as for SNAP, Spitzer,
and SOFIA. 1.Re- observe the 3 primary WDs GD71, G191B2b, & GD153
twice each, once at the beginning and once near the end of the 18
month cycle. To date, we have only 2 observation of each star, while
the corresponding STIS data set for these primary standards ranges
from 6 to 23 obs. No observations exist for GD71 or GD153 with G206,
so that the current G206 sensitivity is defined solely by G191B2B.
Purposes: Refine sensitivities, measure sens losses. Orbits: 2 for
each of 6 visits = 12 2. Re-observe WD1057 & WD1657 plus another P041C
lamp-on visit to improve the scatter in the non-lin measurements per
Fig. 8 of NIC ISR 2006-02. The WD stars require 2 orbits each, while
the lamp-on test is done in one. The very faintest and most crucial
standard WD1657 has 2 good visits already, so to substantially improve
the S/N, two visits of two orbits are needed. Include G206 for P041C
in the lamp-off baseline part of that orbit. Orbits: WD1057-2,
WD1657-4, P041C-1 -- 7 3. Re-observe 9 secondary standards to improve
S/N of the faint ones and to include G206 for all 9. BD+17 {3 obs} is
not repeated in this cycle. Four are bright enough to do in one orbit:
VB8, 2M0036+18, P330E, and P177D. Orbits:2*5+4=14 Grand Total orbits
over 18 month cycle 15 is 12+6+14=32 {Roelof will submit the P041C
lamp-on visit in a separate program.}

NIC1 11061

NICMOS Imaging of Grism Spectrophotometric Standards

In this program we will take imaging observations with all 3 cameras
with a range of filters of a significant number of stars that are part
of the spectroscopic standard star project. These stars will form the
fainter reference star backbone for programs as JWST, Sophia, and
SNAP. With this program we will: 1. Accurately calibrate relative
brightness of standard stars, which can be done more accurately with
photometry than with spectroscopy. This has been proven to be vary
valuable to straighten out the problems in the spectroscopic data
reduction and calibrations so far. 2. Increase the number of stars
over a large magnitude range to provide a more accurate cross check of
our count rate dependent non-linearity correction 3. Include stars
with radically different {very red} spectra to investigate whether the
filter curves as measured before flight are still valid by comparing
the throughput estimates from these stars to those used for the
standard calibration. 4. Repeat a few standard star observations from
cycle 7 and post-NCS installation SMOV, to increase the accuracy in
the change in sensitivity measurement with just a few observations
thanks to the long baseline.

ACS/WFC 11052

Internal Flat Fields

The stability of the CCD P-flat fields will be monitored using the
calibration lamps and a sub-sample of the filter set. High signal
observations will be used to assess the stability of the
pixel-to-pixel flat field structure and to monitor the position of the
dust motes.

ACS/SBC 11048

SBC MAMA Recovery

Procedure to be used when ACS MAMA anomalously shuts down. Recovery
procedure is designed to carefully bring the MAMA back to operating
condition while watching for possible problems. The final step is to
do a fold analysis which gives detailed information about how well the
instrument is performing. Only the first four visits are to be
executed. Visits 5 to 7 whih are a repaeat of 1 to 4 are to be kept on
hold.

WFPC2 11029

WFPC2 CYCLE 15 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 15 decon proposal xxxx 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.

ACS/WFC 11024

WFPC2 CYCLE 15 INTERNAL MONITOR

This calibration proposal is the Cycle 15 routine internal monitor for
WFPC2, to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. A
variety of internal exposures are obtained in order to provide a
monitor of the integrity of the CCD camera electronics in both bays
{both gain 7 and gain 15 -- to test stability of gains and bias
levels}, a test for quantum efficiency in the CCDs, and a monitor for
possible buildup of contaminants on the CCD windows. These also
provide raw data for generating annual super-bias reference files for
the calibration pipeline.

WFPC2 11023

WFPC2 CYCLE 15 Standard Darks - part 1

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.

FGS 10989

Astrometric Masses of Extrasolar Planets and Brown Dwarfs

We propose observations with HST/FGS to estimate the astrometric
elements {perturbation orbit semi-major axis and inclination} of
extra-solar planets orbiting six stars. These companions were
originally detected by radial velocity techniques. We have
demonstrated that FGS astrometry of even a short segment of reflex
motion, when combined with extensive radial velocity information, can
yield useful inclination information {McArthur et al. 2004}, allowing
us to determine companion masses. Extrasolar planet masses assist in
two ongoing research frontiers. First, they provide useful boundary
conditions for models of planetary formation and evolution of
planetary systems. Second, knowing that a star in fact has a plantary
mass companion, increases the value of that system to future
extrasolar planet observation missions such as SIM PlanetQuest, TPF,
and GAIA.

ACS/WFC 10918

Reducing Systematic Errors on the Hubble Constant: Metallicity
Calibration of the Cepheid PL Relation

Reducing the systematic errors on the Hubble constant is still of
significance and of immediate importance to modern cosmology. One of
the largest remaining uncertainties in the Cepheid-based distance
scale {which itself is at the foundation of the HST Key Project
determination of H_o} which can now be addressed directly by HST, is
the effect of metallicity on the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation.
Three chemically distinct regions in M101 will be used to directly
measure and thereby calibrate the change in zero point of the Cepheid
PL relation over range of metallicities that run from SMC-like,
through Solar, to metallicities as high as the most metal-enriched
galaxies in the pure Hubble flow. ACS for the first time offers the
opportunity to make a precise calibration of this effect which
currently accounts for at least a third of the total systematic
uncertainty on Ho. The calibration will be made in the V and I
bandpasses so as to be immediately and directly applicable to the
entire HST Cepheid-based distance scale sample, and most especially to
the highest-metallicity galaxies that were hosts to the Type Ia
supernovae, which were then used to extend the the distance scale
calibration out to cosmologically significant distances.

WFPC2 10890

Morphologies of the Most Extreme High-Redshift Mid-IR-Luminous
Galaxies

The formative phase of the most massive galaxies may be extremely
luminous, characterized by intense star- and AGN-formation. Till now,
few such galaxies have been unambiguously identified at high redshift,
restricting us to the study of low-redshift ultraluminous infrared
galaxies as possible analogs. We have recently discovered a sample of
objects which may indeed represent this early phase in galaxy
formation, and are undertaking an extensive multiwavelength study of
this population. These objects are bright at mid-IR wavelengths
{F[24um]0.8mJy}, but deep ground based imaging suggests extremely
faint {and in some cases extended} optical counterparts {R~24-27}.
Deep K-band images show barely resolved galaxies. Mid-infrared
spectroscopy with Spitzer/IRS reveals that they have redshifts z ~
2-2.5, suggesting bolometric luminosities ~10^{13-14}Lsun! We propose
to obtain deep ACS F814W and NIC2 F160W images of these sources and
their environs in order to determine kpc-scale morphologies and
surface photometry for these galaxies. The proposed observations will
help us determine whether these extreme objects are merging systems,
massive obscured starbursts {with obscuration on kpc scales!} or very
reddened {locally obscured} AGN hosted by intrinsically low-luminosity
galaxies.

NIC1 10879

A search for planetary-mass companions to the nearest L dwarfs -
completing the survey

We propose to extend the most sensitive survey yet undertaken for very
low-mass companions to ultracool dwarfs. We will use NICMOS to
complete imaging of an all-sky sample of 87 L dwarfs in 80 systems
within 20 parsecs of the Sun. The combination of infrared imaging and
proximity allows us to search for companions with mass ratios q0.25
at separations exceeding ~3 AU, while probing companions with q0.5 at
~1.5 AU separation. This resolution is crucial, since no ultracool
binaries are known in the field with separations exceeding 15 AU.
Fifty L dwarfs from the 20-parsec sample have high- resolution
imaging, primarily through our Cycle 13 HST proposal which identified
six new binaries, including an L/T system. Here, we propose to target
the remaining 30 dwarfs

WFPC2 10871

Observations of the Galilean Satellites in Support of the New Horizons
Flyby

On February 28 2007 the New Horizons {NH} spacecraft will fly by
Jupiter on its way to Pluto, and will conduct an extensive series of
observations of the Jupiter system, including the Galilean satellites.
We propose HST observations to support and complement the New Horizons
observations in four ways: 1} Determine the distribution and
variability of Io's plumes in the two weeks before NH closest
approach, to look for correlations with Io- derived dust streams that
may be detected by New Horizons, to understand the origin of the dust
streams; 2} Imaging of SO2 and S2 gas absorption in Io's plumes in
Jupiter transit, which cannot be done by NH; 3} Color imaging of Io's
surface to determine the effects of the plumes and volcanos seen by
New Horizons on the surface- New Horizons cannot image the sunlit
surface in color due to saturation; 4} Imaging of far-UV auroral
emissions from the atmospheres of Io, Europa, and Ganymede in Jupiter
eclipse, near- simultaneously with disk-integrated NH UV spectra, to
locate the source of the UV emissions seen by NH and use the response
of the satellite atmospheres to the eclipse to constrain production
mechanisms.

NIC2, ACS/WFC 10802

SHOES-Supernovae, HO, for the Equation of State of Dark energy

The present uncertainty in the value of the Hubble constant {resulting
in an uncertainty in Omega_M} and the paucity of Type Ia supernovae at
redshifts exceeding 1 are now the leading obstacles to determining the
nature of dark energy. We propose a single, integrated set of
observations for Cycle 15 that will provide a 40% improvement in
constraints on dark energy. This program will observe known Cepheids
in six reliable hosts of Type Ia supernovae with NICMOS, reducing the
uncertainty in H_0 by a factor of two because of the smaller
dispersion along the instability strip, the diminished extinction, and
the weaker metallicity dependence in the infrared. In parallel with
ACS, at the same time the NICMOS observations are underway, we will
discover and follow a sample of Type Ia supernovae at z 1. Together,
these measurements, along with prior constraints from WMAP, will
provide a great improvement in HST's ability to distinguish between a
static, cosmological constant and dynamical dark energy. The Hubble
Space Telescope is the only instrument in the world that can make
these IR measurements of Cepheids beyond the Local Group, and it is
the only telescope in the world that can be used to find and follow
supernovae at z 1. Our program exploits both of these unique
capabilities of HST to learn more about one of the greatest mysteries
in science.

ACS/WFC 10798

Dark Halos and Substructure from Arcs & Einstein Rings

The surface brightness distribution of extended gravitationally lensed
arcs and Einstein rings contains super-resolved information about the
lensed object, and, more excitingly, about the smooth and clumpy mass
distribution of the lens galaxies. The source and lens information can
non-parametrically be separated, resulting in a direct "gravitational
image" of the inner mass-distribution of cosmologically-distant
galaxies {Koopmans 2005; Koopmans et al. 2006 [astro-ph/0601628]}.
With this goal in mind, we propose deep HST ACS-F555W/F814W and
NICMOS-F160W WFC imaging of 20 new gravitational-lens systems with
spatially resolved lensed sources, of the 35 new lens systems
discovered by the Sloan Lens ACS Survey {Bolton et al. 2005} so far,
15 of which are being imaged in Cycle-14. Each system has been
selected from the SDSS and confirmed in two time- efficient HST-ACS
snapshot programs {cycle 13&14}. High-fidelity multi-color HST images
are required {not delivered by the 420s snapshots} to isolate these
lensed images {properly cleaned, dithered and extinction-corrected}
from the lens galaxy surface brightness distribution, and apply our
"gravitational maging" technique. Our sample of 35 early-type lens
galaxies to date is by far the largest, still growing, and most
uniformly selected. This minimizes selection biases and small-number
statistics, compared to smaller, often serendipitously discovered,
samples. Moreover, using the WFC provides information on the field
around the lens, higher S/N and a better understood PSF, compared with
the HRC, and one retains high spatial resolution through drizzling.
The sample of galaxy mass distributions - determined through this
method from the arcs and Einstein ring HST images - will be studied
to: {i} measure the smooth mass distribution of the lens galaxies
{dark and luminous mass are separated using the HST images and the
stellar M/L values derived from a joint stellar-dynamical analysis of
each system}; {ii} quantify statistically and individually the
incidence of mass-substructure {with or without obvious luminous
counter- parts such as dwarf galaxies}. Since dark-matter substructure
could be more prevalent at higher redshift, both results provide a
direct test of this prediction of the CDM hierarchical
structure-formation model.

NIC3 10792

Quasars at Redshift z=6 and Early Star Formation History

We propose to observe four high-redshift quasars {z=6} in the NIR in
order to estimate relative Fe/Mg abundances and the central black hole
mass. The results of this study will critically constrain models of
joint quasar and galaxy formation, early star formation, and the
growth of supermassive black holes. Different time scales and yields
for alpha-elements {like O or Mg} and for iron result into an iron
enrichment delay of ~0.3 to 0.6 Gyr. Hence, despite the well-known
complexity of the FeII emission line spectrum, the ratio iron/alpha -
element is a potentially useful cosmological clock. The central black
hole mass will be estimated based on a recently revised back hole mass
- luminosity relationship. The time delay of the iron enrichment and
the time required to form a supermassive black hole {logM8 Msol, tau
~0.5Gyr} as evidenced by quasar activity will be used to date the
beginning of the first intense star formation, marking the formation
of the first massive galaxies that host luminous quasars, and to
constrain the epoch when supermassive black holes start to grow by
accretion.

FGS 10610

Astrometric Masses of Extrasolar Planets and Brown Dwarfs

We propose observations with HST/FGS to estimate the astrometric
elements {perturbation orbit semi-major axis and inclination} of
extra-solar planets orbiting six stars. These companions were
originally detected by radial velocity techniques. We have
demonstrated that FGS astrometry of even a short segment of reflex
motion, when combined with extensive radial velocity information, can
yield useful inclination information {McArthur et al. 2004}, allowing
us to determine companion masses. Extrasolar planet masses assist in
two ongoing research frontiers. First, they provide useful boundary
conditions for models of planetary formation and evolution of
planetary systems. Second, knowing that a star in fact has a plantary
mass companion, increases the value of that system to future
extrasolar planet observation missions such as SIM PlanetQuest, TPF,
and GAIA.

ACS/WFC 10520

Resolving the Complex Star Formation History of the Leo I Dwarf
Spheroidal Galaxy

Determining the star formation histories {SFHs} and chemical evolution
of nearby galaxies gives us powerful constrains on the physical
processes that regulate galaxy evolution. The SFHs can be measured
most accurately by comparing the observed densities of stars in
color-magnitude diagrams {CMDs} to predictions from stellar
evolutionary models. WFPC2 imaging of the Leo I dSph shows it is
unique because its stellar population is relatively young.
Approximately 68% of its stars formed between 1 and 7 Gyr ago and only
12% of its stars formed ~ 10 Gyr ago. We propose to vastly improve
the derived SFH of Leo I by exploiting ACS/WFC's higher quantum
efficiency at bluer wavelengths, higher spatial resolution, and larger
field-of-view. The figure of merit for our proposed observations,
defined as the age resolution times the number of stars detected, will
be a factor of 12 higher than existing WFPC2 observations. To surmount
the degeneracy of age and metallicity in the CMD, we have
independently measured the metallicity distribution of its stars using
spectroscopy. Simultaneously modeling the metallicity distribution and
CMD, we will firmly constrain the evolution of the Leo I dSph, a
unique example of an isolated dwarf galaxy that has not been
influenced by interactions with the Milky Way or M31.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

10694 - GSAcq (2,3,3) results in fine lock backup (2,0,2)

REAcq (2,3,3) scheduled at 047/10:38:25-10:45:34 resulted in fine lock
backup (2,0,2) using FGS 2, due to (QF3STOPF) stop flag indication on
secondary FGS 3.

10696 - GSacq(2,1,1) failed to RGA control

GSacq(2,1,1) scheduled at 047/14:02:15 failed to RGA control due to
receiving stop flag QF2STOPF on FGS 2 at 14:05:41.

10697 - Multiple REacq(1,3,3) failures to RGA control

REacq failed at 13:46:57 with a STOP flag for FGS 1. F3SSCEB (F3 Star
Select Compensation Error B) flagged out at 13:47:56.

REacq scheduled at 15:18:26 also failed with a STOP flag for FGS1.

REacq scheduled at 16:55:24 also failed with a STOP flag for FGS1.

Monitoring all three failures the following was noted: The failure
occurred after fine lock for both FGS's and during the vehicle offset
maneuver. The star used for FGS 1 tracks outside the FGS FOV during
this maneuver.

Upon AOS @ 19:17, the REacq scheduled at 18:30:14 failed with a STOP
flag for FGS1.

Upon AOS @ 20:29, the REacq scheduled at 20:06:07 failed with a STOP
flag for FGS1.

10699 - GSAcq(2,1,2) failed to RGA Hold (Gyro Control)

Upon acquisition of signal at 050/11:51:21, the GSAcq(2,1,2) scheduled
at 050/11:43:25 - 11:51:30 had failed to RGA Hold due to (QF2STOPF)
stop flag indication on FGS2.

10702 - GSAcq (2,1,2) failed due to Search Radius Limit Exceeded on
FGS 2

At AOS (051/09:12:16) GSAcq (2,1,2) scheduled 051/08:29:56-08:37:10
had failed due to search radius limit exceeded on FGS 2.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

18018-4 - Configure ACS to Side 1 Safe Mode
18017-0 - SMAC20 Version 'M' Install
18019-4 - Configure ACS for Side 1 Operations

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL

FGS GSacq 26 23
FGS REacq 29 24
OBAD with Maneuver 107 107

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Flash Report:

As of 047/16:22:43 ACS is configured to its Safe mode on Side 1, and
the on-board SMAC20 has been updated to the new version M to support
ACS Side 1 SBC-only operations.

Flash Report:

As of 048/00:28:33. ACS CS FSW 4.02A has been successfully loaded,
validated, and activated in the transition to the Operate state. ACS
is configured to intercept the 050 SMS and resume SBC science
activities.

Flash Report:

Results of the ACS SBC Filter Wheel Test ACS completed the SBC filter
wheel test.

Flash Report:

The SI SEs at GSFC have been notified that ACS Flag 2 can be cleared
for normal SBC operations.