Daily Rpt #4701

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT*** #4701

PERIOD COVERED: 5am September 22 - 5am September 23, 2008 (DOY
266/0900z-267/0900z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

FGS 11212

Filling the Period Gap for Massive Binaries

The current census of binaries among the massive O-type stars is
seriously incomplete for systems in the period range from years to
millennia because the radial velocity variations are too small and the
angular separations too close for easy detection. Here we propose to
discover binaries in this observational gap through a Faint Guidance
Sensor SNAP survey of relatively bright targets listed in the Galactic
O Star Catalog. Our primary goal is to determine the binary frequency
among those in the cluster/association, field, and runaway groups. The
results will help us assess the role of binaries in massive star
formation and in the processes that lead to the ejection of massive
stars from their natal clusters. The program will also lead to the
identification of new, close binaries that will be targets of long
term spectroscopic and high angular resolution observations to
determine their masses and distances. The results will also be
important for the interpretation of the spectra of suspected and newly
identified binary and multiple systems.

WFPC2 11113

Binaries in the Kuiper Belt: Probes of Solar System Formation and
Evolution

The discovery of binaries in the Kuiper Belt and related small body
populations is powering a revolutionary step forward in the study of
this remote region. Three quarters of the known binaries in the Kuiper
Belt have been discovered with HST, most by our snapshot surveys. The
statistics derived from this work are beginning to yield surprising
and unexpected results. We have found a strong concentration of
binaries among low-inclination Classicals, a possible size cutoff to
binaries among the Centaurs, an apparent preference for nearly equal
mass binaries, and a strong increase in the number of binaries at
small separations. We propose to continue this successful program in
Cycle 16; we expect to discover at least 13 new binary systems,
targeted to subgroups where these discoveries can have the greatest
impact.

WFPC2 11130

AGNs with Intermediate-mass Black Holes: Testing the Black Hole-Bulge
Paradigm, Part II

The recent progress in the study of central black holes in galactic
nuclei has led to a general consensus that supermassive {10^6-10^9
solar mass} black holes are closely connected with the formation and
evolutionary history of large galaxies, especially their bulge
component. Two outstanding issues, however, remain unresolved. Can
central black holes form in the absence of a bulge? And does the mass
function of central black holes extend below 10^6 solar masses?
Intermediate-mass black holes {10^6 solar masses}, if they exist, may
offer important clues to the nature of the seeds of supermassive black
holes. Using the SDSS, our group has successfully uncovered a new
population of AGNs with intermediate-mass black holes that reside in
low-luminosity galaxies. However, very little is known about the
detailed morphologies or structural parameters of the host galaxies
themselves, including the crucial question of whether they have bulges
or not. Surprisingly, the majority of the targets of our Cycle 14
pilot program have structural properties similar to dwarf elliptical
galaxies. The statistics from this initial study, however, are really
too sparse to reach definitive conclusions on this important new class
of black holes. We wish to extend this study to a larger sample, by
using the Snapshot mode to obtain WFPC2 F814W images from a parent
sample of 175 AGNs with intermediate- mass black holes selected from
our final SDSS search. We are particularly keen to determine whether
the hosts contain bulges, and if so, how the fundamental plane
properties of the host depend on the mass of their central black
holes. We will also investigate the environment of this unique class
of AGNs.

WFPC2 11167

A Unique High Resolution Window to Two Strongly Lensed Lyman Break
Galaxies

On rare occasions, the otherwise very faint Lyman Break Galaxies
{LBGs} are magnified by gravitational lensing to provide exceptional
targets for detailed spectroscopic and imaging studies. We propose HST
WFPC2 and NICMOS imaging of two strongly lensed Lyman Break Galaxies
{LBGs} that were recently discovered by members of our team. These two
LBGs -- the "8 O'Clock Arc" and the "SDSS J1206+5142 Arc" -- are
currently the brightest known LBGs, roughly 3 times brighter than the
former record-holder, MS1512-cB58 {a.k.a. "cB58"}. The z=2.73 "8
O'Clock Arc" extends ~10 arcsec in length and is magnified by a factor
of 12. The z=2.00 "SDSS J1206+5142 Arc" also extends ~10 arcsec in
length and is magnified by a factor of 30. Due to their brightness and
magnification, these two strongly lensed LBGs offer an unprecedented
opportunity for the very detailed investigation of two individual
galaxies at high redshift. We are currently pursuing a vigorous
ground-based campaign to obtain multi- wavelength {UV, optical, NIR,
radio} observations of these two LBGs, but our campaign currently
lacks a means of obtaining high-resolution optical/NIR imaging -- a
lack that currently only HST can address. Our prime objective for this
proposal is to obtain high resolution HST images of these two systems
with two-orbit WFPC2 images in the BVI bands and two-orbit NICMOS/NIC2
images in the J and H bands. These data will allow us to construct
detailed lensing models, probe the mass and light profiles of the
lenses and their environments, and constrain the star formation
histories and rest-frame UV/optical spectral energy distributions of
the LBGs.

WFPC2 11796

WFPC2 Cycle 16 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: (None)

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST:

#18292-0 Disable NICMOS Filter Wheel Commanding @ 266/1605z

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

************************ SCHEDULED***** SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSacq******************** 09************ 09
FGS REacq******************** 03************ 03
OBAD with Maneuver*********** 24************ 24

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

NICMOS Filter Wheel Commanding Inhibit Patches Successful Executed

At 12:47pm on 9/22/8, OR #18292-0 was successfully executed. To
prevent possible mechanical interference due to thermal stresses as
the NICMOS dewar warms, filter wheel commanding was inhibited to
ensure the wheels are not inadvertently moved once NICMOS is fully
recovered. This was accomplished by setting a flag in the NICMOS CS
FSW.