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Daily 3644
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to collect World Class Science
DAILY REPORT # 3644 PERIOD COVERED: DOY 181 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED ACS/HRC 10050 ACS Earth Flats High signal sky flats will be obtained by observing the bright Earth with the HRC and WFC. These observations will be used to verify the accuracy of the flats currently used by the pipeline and will provide a comparison with flats derived via other techniques: L-flats from stellar observations, sky flats from stacked GO observations, and internal flats using the calibration lamps. Weekly coronagraphic monitoring is required to assess the changing position of the spots. ACS/HRC 9974 Mid-Ultraviolet Spectral Templates for Old Stellar Systems We propose a three-year program to provide both observational and theoretical mid-ultraviolet {2300A -- 3100A} spectral templates for interpreting the age and metallicity of globular clusters and elliptical galaxies from spectra of their integrated light. The mid-UV is the region most directly influenced by stellar age, and is observed directly in optical and infrared studies of high-redshift quiescent systems. The reliability of age and metallicity determinations remains questionable until non-solar metallicities and abundance ratios are considered, and stars spanning the color-magnitude diagram are included, as we propose here. With archival HST STIS spectra we have improved the list of mid-UV atomic line parameters, then calculated spectra from first principles which match observed spectra of standard stars up to one- fourth solar metallicity. We will extend both observations and calculations to stars of solar metallicity and beyond, and to those in short-lived stages hotter than the main-sequence turnoff, stars not currently well-represented in empirical libraries. The necessary line-list improvements will come from new high-resolution mid-UV spectra of nine field stars. A key application of the results of this program will be to the old systems now being discovered as `Extremely Red Objects' at high redshifts. Reliable age-dating of these places constraints on the epoch when large structures first formed in the universe. ACS/HRC/WFC 10060 CCD Daily Monitor This program consists of basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This programme will be executed once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS. ACS/WFC 10188 In-Depth Study of The Antennae with NICMOS and ACS We propose new observations of "The Antennae" {NGC 4038/39}, the nearest and youngest example of a major disk-disk merger, with NICMOS and ACS. The long overdue NICMOS observations will allow us to penetrate the dust in the Overlap Region, measure the P_alpha emission and CO band strengths of young clusters, and study supernova remnants in heavily obscured regions using [FeII] images. The high resolution {0.05" pixel} ACS observations will allow us for the first time to reliably distinguish clusters from stars based on their apparent sizes, and to potentially identify hundreds of supernova remnants that may control the energy balance and feedback mechanisms within the ISM {based on [SII] images}. In conjunction with our previous WFPC2, GHRS, and STIS observations, the new data will provide answers to fundamental questions such as: How do these clusters form and evolve? How quickly are they destroyed and what fraction of the field stars were formed in clusters. How many clusters are hidden by dust? How do the clusters and associated supernovae affect the local and global ISM? What are the dynamical masses of the clusters, and are the stellar IMF's truncated? Simultaneous parallel observations will also determine whether clusters can form in the more quiescent environment of the inner tails. A better understanding of how mergers form tremendous numbers of clusters and stars in the local universe will help shed light on processes that are crucial during galaxy assembly throughout the observable universe. ACS/WFC 9744 HST Imaging of Gravitational Lenses Gravitational lenses offer unique opportunities to study cosmology, dark matter, galactic structure, galaxy evolution and quasar host galaxies. They are also the only sample of galaxies selected based on their mass rather than their luminosity or surface brightness. While gravitational lenses can be discovered with ground-based optical and radio observations, converting them into astrophysical tools requires HST. We will obtain ACS/WFC V and I images and NICMOS H images of 21 new lenses never observed by HST and NICMOS H images of 16 lenses never observed by HST in the IR. As in previous cycles, we request that the data be made public immediately. ACS/WFC 9788 A Narrow-band Snapshot Survey of Nearby Galaxies We propose to use ACS/WFC to conduct the first comprehensive HST narrow-band {H-alpha + [N II]} imaging survey of the central regions of nearby bulge-dominated disk {S0 to Sbc} galaxies. This survey will cover, at high angular resolution extending over a large field, an unprecedented number of galaxies representing many different environments. It will have important applications for many astrophysical problems of current interest, and it will be an invaluable addition to the HST legacy. The observations will be conducted in snapshot mode, drawing targets from a complete sample of 145 galaxies selected from the Palomar spectroscopic survey of nearby galaxies. Our group will use the data for two primary applications. First, we will search for nuclear emission-line disks suitable for future kinematic measurements with STIS, in order to better constrain the recently discovered relations between black hole mass and bulge properties. Preliminary imaging of the type proposed here must be done, sooner or later, if we are to make progress in this exciting new field. Second, we will investigate a number of issues related to extragalactic star formation. Specifically, we will systematically characterize the properties of H II regions and super star clusters on all galactic scales, from circumnuclear regions to the large-scale disk. ACS/WFC/NIC3/WFPC2 10134 The Evolution and Assembly of Galactic Disks: Integrated studies of mass, stars and gas in the Extended Groth Strip This project is a 126-orbit imaging survey in F606W/F814W ACS to measure the evolution of galaxy disks from redshift z = 1.4 to the present. By combining HST imaging with existing observations in the Extended Groth Strip, we can for the first time simultaneously determine the mass in dark matter that underlies disks, the mass in stars within those disks, and the rate of formation of new stars from gas in the disks, for samples of 1, 000 objects. ACS observations are critical for this work, both for reliable identifications of disks and for determining their sizes and inclinations. Combining these data with the kinematics measured from high-resolution Keck DEIMOS spectra will give dynamical masses that include dark matter. Stellar masses can be measured separately using ground-based BRIK and Spitzer IRAC GTO data, while cross-calibrated star formation rates will come from DEEP2 spectra, GALEX, and Spitzer/MIPS. The field chosen is the only one where all multiwavelength data needed will be available in the near term. These data will show how the fundamental properties of disks {luminosity, rotation speed, scale length} and their scaling relations have evolved since z~1, and also will measure the build-up of stellar disks directly, providing fundamental tests of disk formation and evolution. In addition to the above study of disk galaxies, the data will also be used to measure the evolution of red-sequence galaxies and their associated stellar populations. ACS images will yield the number of red-sequence galaxies versus time, together with their total associated stellar mass. ACS images are crucial to classify red-sequence galaxies into normal E/S0s versus peculiar types and to measure radii, which will complete the suite of fundamental structural parameters needed to study evolution. We will measure the zeropoints of major scaling laws {Fundamental Plane, radius versus sigma}, as well as evolution in characteristic quantities such as L*, v*, and r*. Stellar population ages will be estimated from high-resolution Keck DEIMOS spectra and compared to SED evolution measured from GALEX, HST, Spitzer, and ground-based colors. Important for both disk and red-galaxy programs are parallel exposures to be taken with both NIC3 {J and H} and WFPC2 {B}. These are arranged so that ACS, WFPC2, and NIC3 all overlap where possible , providing a rich data set of galaxies imaged with all three HST cameras from B to H. These data will be used to measure restframe visible morphologies and UV star-formation rates for galaxies near the edge of the survey, to discover and count EROs below the Keck spectroscopic limit of R = 24, and to provide an improved database of photometric redshifts for galaxies in the overlap regions. NIC/NIC3 9865 The NICMOS Parallel Observing Program We propose to continue managing the NICMOS pure parallel program. Based on our experience, we are well prepared to make optimal use of the parallel opportunities. The improved sensitivity and efficiency of our observations will substantially increase the number of line-emitting galaxies detected. As our previous work has demonstrated, the most frequently detected line is Halpha at 0.7z1.9, which provides an excellent measure of current star formation rate. We will also detect star-forming and active galaxies in other redshift ranges using other emission lines. The grism observations will produce by far the best available Halpha luminosity functions over the crucial--but poorly observed--redshift range where galaxies appear to have assembled most of their stellar mass. This key process of galaxy evolution needs to be studied with IR data; we found that observations at shorter wavelengths appear to have missed a large fraction of the star-formation in galaxies, due to dust reddening. We will also obtain deep F110W and F160W images, to examine the space densities and morphologies of faint red galaxies. In addition to carrying out the public parallels, we will make the fully reduced and calibrated images and spectra available on-line, with some ground-based data for the deepest parallel fields included. 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. NICMOS 9485 Completing A Near-Infrared Search for Very Low Mass Companions to Stars within 10 pc of the Sun Most stars are fainter and less massive than the Sun. Nevertheless, our knowledge of very low mass {VLM} red dwarfs and their brown dwarf cousins is quite limited. Unknown are the true luminosity function {LF}, multiplicity fraction, mass function, and mass-luminosity relation for red and brown dwarfs, though they dominate the Galaxy in both numbers and total mass. The best way to constrain these relations is a search for faint companions to nearby stars. Such a search has several advantages over field surveys, including greater sensitivity to VLM objects and the availability of precise parallaxes from which luminosities and masses can be derived. We propose to complete our four-filter NICMOS snapshot search for companions to stars within 10 pc. With a 10 sigma detection limit of M_J ~ 20 at 10 pc, we can detect companions between 10 and 100 AU that are at least 9 mag fainter than the empirical end of the main sequence and at least 6.5 mag fainter than the brown dwarf Gl 229B. When completed, our search will be the largest, most sensitive, volume-limited search for VLM companions ever undertaken. Our four-filter search will permit unambiguous identification of VLM-companion candidates for follow-up observation. Together with IR speckle and deep imaging surveys, our program will firmly establish the LF for VLM companions at separations of 1-1000 AU and the multiplicity fraction of all stars within 10 pc. STIS/CCD 10018 CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2 Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD. STIS/CCD 10020 CCD Bias Monitor - Part 2 Monitor the bias in the 1x1, 1x2, 2x1, and 2x2 bin settings at gain=1, and 1x1 at gain = 4, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns. STIS/CCD 9885 Probing the High Redshift Universe with Quasar Emission Lines The quasar epoch is believed to be associated with the birth of the most massive galaxies, a time marked by rapid star formation and evolution. Quasar emission lines can reveal the chemical evolution and physical state of gas in the very center of these galaxies. Analysis of the observed line strengths, using tools that have recently become available, implies that the chemical composition of the emitting gas correlates with quasar luminosity in a way that is suggestive of the known galactic mass/luminosity/metallicity correlations. The emission lines can also reveal the form of the ionizing radiation field emitted by the central object. Understanding the evolution of the central powerhouse is important for black hole accretion physics and because its spectrum is likely to dominate the ionization of the IGM. There are many high-ionization permitted emission lines in the region below 1000A rest wavelength that can provide important new constraints on these measurements. Thus, there is a critical need for spectra over the full rest-wavelength range ~ 600A through the UV. Through a pilot Cycle 10 archival study, we have identified the QSO HE 1122-1648 as an optimal object for such a study. This QSO has a sufficiently high redshift {z = 2.4} so that we can see down to very short rest wavelengths {463A} in observed-wavelength regions where STIS has high sensitivity, and lies on a line of sight with an unusually low density of intervening Ly-alpha absorber clouds. A high-quality spectrum of this object will have implications for the ionization of the IGM and will leverage the unique UV capabilities of HST to complement the galaxy formation studies that NGST will do at higher redshift. WFPC2 10071 WFPC2 CYCLE 12 Supplemental Darks Part 3/3 This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: Significant Spacecraft Anomalies: (The following are preliminary reports of potential non-nominal performance that will be investigated.) None COMPLETED OPS REQs: NONE OPS NOTES EXECUTED: NONE SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq 05 05 FGS REacq 09 09 FHST Update 08 08 LOSS of LOCK SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: Battery 5 Capacity Test continues, high rate discharge terminated and low rate discharge began @ 181/20:17:43Z. Successfully started Battery Capacity Test (BCT) Continuous Engineering Record (CER) using ESTR (OR 17205-1 with attached script and ROP RD-08A). CER of critical EPS data is required during the Battery 5 Capacity Test, however, due to the length of the test, it is not possible to have uninterrupted CER as well as science/engineering SSR playbacks. These required playbacks cause gaps in the CER that are filled with the ESTR. The ESTR data will be played back only in event of real-time engineering data loss during SSR playback. |
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