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Daily Report #4947



 
 
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Old October 8th 09, 05:11 PM posted to sci.astro.hubble
Cooper, Joe
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Default Daily Report #4947

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE - Continuing to Collect World Class Science

DAILY REPORT #4947

PERIOD COVERED: 5am October 7 - 5am October 8, 2009 (DOY 280/09:00z-281/09:00z)

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS/WFC3 11879

CCD Daily Monitor (Part 1)

This program comprises basic tests for measuring the read noise and
dark current of the ACS WFC and for tracking the growth of hot pixels.
The recorded frames are used to create bias and dark reference images
for science data reduction and calibration. This program will be
executed four days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) for the duration of
Cycle 17. To facilitate scheduling, this program is split into three
proposals. This proposal covers 352 orbits (22 weeks) from 31 August
2009 to 31 January 2010.

COS/FUV/ACS/WFC/WFC3/UV/ 11632 NUV The Gaseous Corona of M31

We propose to obtain ultraviolet spectroscopy of the halo of M31, to
probe for a hot corona on scales of 30-40 pc from the galaxy. We seek
to obtain absorption line spectra of O I, Mg II, Si II, C IV, and Si
IV toward bright QSOs located behind the galaxy. One of the sightlines
falls on the projection of Ibata's giant stream. All background
sources have been vetted with GALEX photometry and are therefore
bright enough for observation. If hot gas is detected with this
initial study, we will endeavor to use a grid of background sources to
map the structure and kinematics of this gas in detail. M31 is the
nearest major spiral galaxy for which such a study can be undertaken,
other than our own Milky Way. Recent studies find a substantial
population of HI high velocity clouds at distances form M31 of up to
50 kpc, and there is well documented evidence of disrupted satellites
and tidal streams. These observations will shed light on the hot
gaseous halo of M31, but also will help in interpreting QSO sightlines
at high redshift.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 11947

Extended Dark Monitoring

This program takes a series of darks to obtain darks (including
amplifier glow, dark current, and shading profiles) for all three
cameras in the read-out sequences used in Cycle 17. A set of 12 orbits
will be observed every two months for a total of 72 orbits for a 12
month Cycle 17. This is a continuation of Cycle 16 program 11330
scaled down by ~80%.

The first orbit (Visit A0) should be scheduled in the NICMOS SMOV
after the DC Transfer Test (11406) and at least 36h before the Filter
Wheel Test (11407). Data download using fast track.

The following 28 orbits (visit A1-N2) should be scheduled AFTER the
SMOV Proposal 11407 (Filter Wheel Test). This is done in order to
monitor the dark current following an adjustment of the NCS set-point.
These visits should be executed until the final temperature is reached
during SMOV.

NIC1/NIC2/NIC3 8795

NICMOS Post-SAA Calibration - CR Persistence Part 6

This is 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
'Use After' 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 darks. 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/WFC3/IR 11548

Infrared Imaging of Protostars in the Orion A Cloud: The Role of
Environment in Star Formation

We propose NICMOS and WFC3/IR observations of a sample of 252
protostars identified in the Orion A cloud with the Spitzer Space
Telescope. These observations will image the scattered light escaping
the protostellar envelopes, providing information on the shapes of
outflow cavities, the inclinations of the protostars, and the overall
morphologies of the envelopes. In addition, we ask for Spitzer time to
obtain 55-95 micron spectra of 75 of the protostars. Combining these
new data with existing 3.6 to 70 micron photometry and forthcoming
5-40 micron spectra measured with the Spitzer Space Telescope, we will
determine the physical properties of the protostars such as envelope
density, luminosity, infall rate, and outflow cavity opening angle. By
examining how these properties vary with stellar density (i.e.
clusters vs. groups vs. isolation) and the properties of the
surrounding molecular cloud; we can directly measure how the
surrounding environment influences protostellar evolution, and
consequently, the formation of stars and planetary systems.
Ultimately, this data will guide the development of a theory of
protostellar evolution.

STIS/CCD 11844

CCD Dark Monitor Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

STIS/CCD 11846

CCD Bias Monitor-Part 1

The purpose of this proposal is to 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.

WFC3/ACS/IR 11359

Panchromatic WFC3 Survey of Galaxies at Intermediate z: Early Release
Science Program for Wide Field Camera 3

The unique panchromatic capabilities of WFC3 will be used to survey
the structure and evolution of galaxies at the peak of the galaxy
assembly epoch. Deep ultraviolet and near-IR imaging and slitless
spectroscopy of existing deep multi-color ACS fields will be used to
gauge star-formation and the growth of stellar mass as a function of
morphology, structure and surrounding density in the critical epoch 1
z 4. Images in the F225W, F275W, and F336W filters will identify
galaxies at z 1.5 from their UV continuum breaks, and provide
star-formation indicators tied directly to both local and z 3
populations. Deep near-IR (F125W and F160W) images will probe the
stellar mass function well below 10^9 Msun for mass-complete samples.
Lastly, the WFC3 slitless UV and near-IR grisms will be used to
measure redshifts and star-formation rates from H-alpha and rest-frame
UV continuum slope. This WFC3 ERS program will survey one 4 x 2 mosaic
for a total area of 50 square arcminutes to 5-sigma depths of m_AB =
27 in most filters from the mid-UV through the near-IR.

This multicolor high spatial resolution data set will allow the user
to gauge the growth of galaxies through star-formation and merging.
High precision photometric and low-resolution spectroscopic redshifts
will allow accurate determinations of the faint-end of the luminosity
and mass functions, and will shed light on merging and tidal
disruption of stellar and gaseous disks. The WFC3 images will also
allow detailed studies of the internal structure of galaxies, and the
distribution of young and old stellar populations. This program will
demonstrate the unique power of WFC3 by applying its many diverse
modes and full panchromatic capability to a forefront problem in
astrophysics.

WFC3/IR 11618

WFC3 Observations of VeLLOs and the Youngest Star Forming Environments

The Cores-to-Disks Spitzer Legacy team has discovered a number of
extremely low luminosity sources embedded deep within nearby ( 300
pc) cores previously thought to be starless. With substellar masses,
these low luminosity sources represent either the youngest low-mass
protostars yet detected or the first embedded brown dwarfs. In either
case, they represent a new observed class of sources referred to as
VeLLOs (Very Low Luminosity Objects). We propose WFC3 F160W
observations of a small sample of these sources, to be combined with
deep ground-based observations at Ks, to address a broad set of issues
concerning VeLLOs and the environments within which they are forming.
First, the morphology of their outflow cavities will be traced,
yielding estimates of the inclinations and opening angles of the
cavities and the evolutionary stages of the VeLLOs. Second, our
observations will reveal background stars seen through the densest
regions of cores harboring these VeLLOs. The color-excesses of the
background stars will yield the highest angular resolution extinction
maps necessary to directly probe the inner density structure of these
cores, found very soon after the onset of collapse, which would
constrain the initial conditions of collapse within these isolated
environments. In addition, we will construct similar maps of the dense
pre-protostellar core L694-2 and the protostellar core B335. These
maps will provide a snapshot of the evolution of the inner density
structure of a core prior to low-mass star formation and soon
thereafter, for comparison with the inner density structure of cores
that have formed VeLLOs. Finally, these extinction maps will enable us
to determine the core "centers", or positions of peak column
densities. Comparison of these centers with the positions of the
VeLLOs may yield insight regarding potential differences between the
formation of low-mass stars and brown dwarfs.

WFC3/IR/S/C 11929

IR Dark Current Monitor

Analyses of ground test data showed that dark current signals are more
reliably removed from science data using darks taken with the same
exposure sequences as the science data, than with a single dark
current image scaled by desired exposure time. Therefore, dark current
images must be collected using all sample sequences that will be used
in science observations. These observations will be used to monitor
changes in the dark current of the WFC3-IR channel on a day-to-day
basis, and to build calibration dark current ramps for each of the
sample sequences to be used by GOs in Cycle 17. For each sample
sequence/array size combination, a median ramp will be created and
delivered to the calibration database system (CDBS).

WFC3/UV/IR 11664

The WFC3 Galactic Bulge Treasury Program: Populations, Formation
History, and Planets

Exploiting the full power of the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3), we
propose deep panchromatic imaging of four fields in the Galactic
bulge. These data will enable a sensitive dissection of its stellar
populations, using a new set of reddening-free photometric indices we
have constructed from broad-band filters across UV, optical, and
near-IR wavelengths. These indices will provide accurate temperatures
and metallicities for hundreds of thousands of individual bulge stars.
Proper motions of these stars derived from multi-epoch observations
will allow separation of pure bulge samples from foreground disk
contamination. Our catalogs of proper motions and panchromatic
photometry will support a wide range of bulge studies.

Using these photometric and astrometric tools, we will reconstruct the
detailed star-formation history as a function of position within the
bulge, and thus differentiate between rapid- and extended-formation
scenarios. We will also measure the dependence of the stellar mass
function on metallicity, revealing how the characteristic mass of star
formation varies with chemistry. Our sample of bulge stars with
accurate metallicities will include 12 candidate hosts of extrasolar
planets. Planet frequency is correlated with metallicity in the solar
neighborhood; our measurements will extend this knowledge to a remote
environment with a very distinct chemistry.

Our proposal also includes observations of six well-studied globular
and open star clusters; these observations will serve to calibrate our
photometric indices, provide empirical population templates, and
transform the theoretical isochrone libraries into the WFC3 filter
system. Besides enabling our own program, these products will provide
powerful new tools for a host of other stellar-population
investigations with HST/WFC3. We will deliver all of the products from
this Treasury Program to the community in a timely fashion.

WFC3/UVIS 11905

WFC3 UVIS CCD Daily Monitor

The behavior of the WFC3 UVIS CCD will be monitored daily with a set
of full-frame, four-amp bias and dark frames. A smaller set of 2Kx4K
subarray biases are acquired at less frequent intervals throughout the
cycle to support subarray science observations. The internals from
this proposal, along with those from the anneal procedure (Proposal
11909), will be used to generate the necessary superbias and superdark
reference files for the calibration pipeline (CDBS).

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTARS:

12038 - GSAcq(2,1,1) scheduled at 280/21:48:22 - 21:56:12 and
REAcq(2,1,1) scheduled at 280/23:25:27, at 281/01:01:57, at
281/02:37:08 and at 281/04:12:59 all resulted in fine lock backup
(2,0,2) using FGS-2 due to Scan Step Limit Exceeded on FGS-1.

Observations possibly affected: WFC3 87-100 Proposal ID# 11664. STIS
23 Proposal ID# 11844.

COMPLETED OPS REQUEST: (None)

COMPLETED OPS NOTES: (None)

SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL
FGS GSAcq 06 06
FGS REAcq 10 10
OBAD with Maneuver 05 05

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: (None)

 




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