Daily 3439

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

DAILY REPORT        # 3439

PERIOD COVERED: DOY 245

OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED

ACS 9657

ACS Internal Flat Field Stability

The flat field stability and characterization obtained during the
ground calibration and SMOV phases will be tested and verified through
a sub-sample of the filter set. Only internal exposures with the
calibration lamps will be required.

ACS 9675

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 9984

Cosmic Shear With ACS Pure Parallels

Small distortions in the shapes of background galaxies by foreground
mass provide a powerful method of directly measuring the amount and
distribution of dark matter. Several groups have recently detected
this weak lensing by large-scale structure, also called cosmic shear.
The high resolution and sensitivity of HST/ACS provide a unique
opportunity to measure cosmic shear accurately on small scales. Using
260 parallel orbits in Sloan textiti {F775W} we will measure for the
first time: beginlistosetlength sep0cm setlengthemsep0cm setlength
opsep0cm em the cosmic shear variance on scales <0.7 arcmin, em the
skewness of the shear distribution, and em the magnification effect.
endlist Our measurements will determine the amplitude of the mass
power spectrum sigma_8Omega_m^0.5, with signal-to-noise {s/n} ~ 20,
and the mass density Omega_m with s/n=4. They will be done at small
angular scales where non-linear effects dominate the power spectrum,
providing a test of the gravitational instability paradigm for
structure formation. Measurements on these scales are not possible
from the ground, because of the systematic effects induced by PSF
smearing from seeing. Having many independent lines of sight reduces
the uncertainty due to cosmic variance, making parallel observations
ideal.

ACS/HRC 9823

Rings of Uranus: Dynamics, Particle Properties and Shepherding Moons

We propose to image the rings and small inner satellites of Uranus
using the High Resolution Channel of the ACS. The revolutionary
capabilities of the ACS will allow us to address a variety of
important questions relating to ring properties and ring-moon
interactions. Observations at a range of wavelengths and phase angles
will reveal the opposition surges of these rings and moons, providing
information on color and surface structure. Measurements of the ring
in front of the planet will provide complementary information on
optical depth; any variations of optical depth with wavelength will
reveal the rings' poorly-constrained population of embedded dust. The
rings of Uranus are closing rapidly as the planet approaches equinox
in 2007, an event that takes place only every 42 years. Using this
opportunity, our observations will be repeated at different solar and
terrestrial tilt angles; this sequence of images will be particularly
valuable for constraining the physical thickness and packing density
of the rings. We will place particular emphasis on the rotational
variations of the Epsilon Ring, whose radial width {and therefore its
packing density} varies by a factor of five. In addition, a set of
deep exposures targeted just off the planet will enable us to detect
any 4-5 km moons embedded within the ring system. Dynamicists invoke
numerous such moons to "shepherd" the many sharp ring boundaries, so
this will serve as a definitive test of the theory.

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. HST has demonstrated that it is the only telescope that can in
each case precisely locate the lens galaxy, measure its luminosity,
color and structure, and search for lensed images of the source host
galaxy given the typical image separations of ~1''. 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/WFPC2 9481

Pure Parallel Near-UV Observations with WFPC2 within High-Latitude ACS
Survey Fields

In anticipation of the allocation of ACS high-latitude imaging
survey{s}, we request a modification of the default pure parallel
program for those WFPC2 parallels that fall within the ACS survey
field. Rather than duplicate the red bands which will be done much
better with ACS, we propose to observe in the near-ultraviolet F300W
filter. These data will enable study of the rest-frame ultraviolet
morphology of galaxies at 0<z<1. We will determine the morphological
k-correction, and the location of star formation within galaxies,
using a sample that is likely to be nearly complete with
multi-wavelength photometry and spectroscopic redshifts. The results
can be used to interpret observations of higher redshift galaxies by
ACS.

ACS/WFPC2 9488

Cosmic Shear - with ACS Pure Parallel Observations

The ACS, with greater sensitivity and sky coverage, will extend our
ability to measure the weak gravitational lensing of galaxy images
caused by the large scale distribution of dark matter. We propose to
use the ACS in pure parallel {non- proprietary} mode, following the
guidelines of the ACS Default Pure Parallel Program. Using the HST
Medium Deep Survey WFPC2 database we have measured cosmic shear at
arc-min angular scales. The MDS image parameters, in particular the
galaxy orientations and axis ratios, are such that any residual
corrections due to errors in the PSF or jitter are much smaller than
the measured signal. This situation is in stark contrast with
ground-based observations. We have also developed a statistical
analysis procedure to derive unbiased estimates of cosmic shear from a
large number of fields, each of which has a very small number of
galaxies. We have therefore set the stage for measurements with the
ACS at fainter apparent magnitudes and smaller, 10 arc-second scales
corresponding to larger cosmological distances. We will adapt existing
MDS WFPC2 maximum likelihood galaxy image analysis algorithms to work
with the ACS. The analysis would also yield an online database similar
to that in archive.stsci.edu/mds/

NIC2 9726

A NICMOS search for obscured supernovae in starburst galaxies

Recent near-IR monitoring campaigns were successful in detecting
obscured supernovae {SNe} in starburst galaxies. The inferred SN rate
is much higher than that obtained in previous optical campaigns, but
it is still significantly lower than expected by the high level star
formation of these systems. One possible explanation for the shortage
of SNe is that most of them occur in the nuclear region, where the
limited angular resolution of groundbased observations prevents their
detection. We propose NICMOS SNAP observations of a sample of
starburst galaxies already observed once by NICMOS, with the goal of
exploiting its sensitivity and angular resolution to detect nuclear
obscured SNe which might have been missed by groundbased surveys.
These observation will allow to assess the real SN rate in starbust
galaxies and deliver a sample of SN occurring in the extreme
environment of galactic nuclei. We expect to detect more than 55 SNe
{if the whole sample is observed}. If the number of SNe detected in
the program is much lower than expected it would prompt for a revision
of our understanding of the relation between the star formation rate
and the SN rate.

NIC3/ACS/HRC/WFC 9803

Deep NICMOS Images of the UDF

The ACS Ultra Deep Field {UDF} images will greatly enhance the rich
suite of deep multi-wavelength images in the Chandra Deep Field South
{CDF--S}. We propose to complete the image set with deep near-IR
NICMOS images at 1.1 and 1.6 microns over a significant fraction of
the UDF, providing a critical link between the HST ACS and SIRTF
observations. The timely addition of the near-IR images ensures that
investigators will have images that span the spectrum from X-ray to
far IR. In recognition of the value of the near IR images this
proposal is submitted as a Treasury proposal with no proprietary
period. The proposal team will deliver science quality images,
mosaiced images covering 4.9 sq arc min, and a photometric catalog
complete to an AB mag of 28.2 in both the F110W and F160W filters. The
program also delivers a parallel extremely deep ACS field, 8' away,
that reaches to within 0.6 mag of the UDF in the same filters as the
UDF. The scientific program of the proposal team focuses on the star
formation history of the universe, evolved galaxies at high redshift,
galaxies at the epoch of reionization, and the redshift evolution of
AGNs and ULIRGs. The HDF-N is currently the only field with
spatially-coincident deep HST imaging in both the optical and near-IR.
The small size of the HDF-N means that large scale structure is the
dominant error in the results from the HDF-N. Providing observations
in a field that is spatially uncorrelated is critically important. The
UDF/CDF-S fulfills that goal. The depth of the UDF ACS imaging, and
the wealth of Great Observatory and ground based observations in the
CDF-S, make these NICMOS observations uniquely valuable. An
extraordinarily rich array of science opportunities await the
community from the NICMOS UDF data.

NICMOS 8791

NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 2

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.

STIS 9606

CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2

Monitor the darks for the STIS CCD.

STIS 9608

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 9612

STIS CCD Hot Pixel Annealing Cycle 11

The effectiveness of the CCD hot pixel annealing process is assessed
by measuring the dark current behavior before and after annealing and
by searching for any window contamination effects. In addition CTE
performance is examined by looking for traps in a low signal level
flat. Follows on from proposal 8906.

STIS 9615

Cycle 11 MAMA Dark Monitor

This test performs the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark
noise. This proposal will provide the primary means of checking on
health of the MAMA detectors systems through frequent monitoring of
the background count rate. The purpose is to look for evidence of
change in dark indicative of detector problem developing.

STIS 9621

CCD Sparse-Field CTE External C11

This program will allow the derivation of accurate coefficients which
can be used to correct low count level data {both imaging and
spectroscopy} for nonlinearity/CTE effects. Dependences on x-position,
background sky level, and time dependence will be quantified in
addition to accurate determination of intensity and y-position effects
in a third epoch and to higher accuracy than previously determined.
With these corrections the effect of CTE can be calibrated in order
that no science data should have additional induced photometry errors
in excess of 1%.

STIS 9633

STIS parallel archive proposal - Nearby Galaxies - Imaging and
Spectroscopy

Using parallel opportunities with STIS which were not allocated by the
TAC, we propose to obtain deep STIS imagery with both the Clear
{50CCD} and Long-Pass {F28X50LP} filters in order to make
color-magnitude diagrams and luminosity functions for nearby galaxies.
For local group galaxies, we also include G750L slitless spectroscopy
to search for e.g., Carbon stars, late M giants and S-type stars. This
survey will be useful to study the star formation histories, chemical
evolution, and distances to these galaxies. These data will be placed
immediately into the Hubble Data Archive.

STIS/CCD 10000

STIS Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 12

This is the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle
12.

STIS/CCD 9838

The Upper End of the Supermassive Black Hole Mass Function: Pushing
the 10 Billion Solar Mass Limit.

In 1994, HST provided the first secure detection of a supermassive
black hole {SBH} in a galactic nucleus. The galaxy was M87, the black
hole almost 4 billion solar masses. Since then, two dozen additional
SBH detections have been the outcome of the several hundred orbits of
HST time devoted to this cause. Yet, M87's black hole is still the
most massive known, and in only two other galaxies have SBHs in excess
of a billion solar masses been detected. The aim of this proposal is
to characterize the high mass end of the local SBH mass function. Four
brightest cluster galaxies have been carefully selected. Their large
masses, luminosites and stellar velocity dispersions, as well as their
having a merging history which is unmatched by galaxies in less
crowded environments, make these galaxies the most promising hosts of
the most massive SBHs in the local Universe. It is in the high mass
regime that the unavoidable link between the evolution of supermassive
black holes and the hierarchical build-up of galaxies leaves its
clearest signature. It is these galaxies that are expected to be the
relicts of the most luminous high redshift quasars, those so
spectacularly targeted by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Expanding {and
extending} the high mass end of the local SBH mass function is the
next obligatory step we need to take to improve our understanding of
how SBHs, and their hosts, formed and evolved.

WFPC2 9595

WFPC2 CYCLE 11 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt3/3

This dark calibration program obtains 3 dark frames every day to
provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot
pixels.

WFPC2 9709

POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal

This is the generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel
program. The program will be used to take parallel images of random
areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels
Working Group.

WFPC2 9710

POMS Test Proposal: WFII backup parallel archive proposal

This is a POMS test proposal designed to simulate scientific plans.

WFPC2 9712

Pure Parallel Near-UV Observations with WFPC2 within High-Latitude ACS
Survey Fields

In anticipation of the allocation of ACS high-latitude imaging
survey{s}, we request a modification of the default pure parallel
program for those WFPC2 parallels that fall within the ACS survey
field. Rather than duplicate the red bands which will be done much
better with ACS, we propose to observe in the near-ultraviolet F300W
filter. These data will enable study of the rest-frame ultraviolet
morphology of galaxies at 0<z<1. We will determine the morphological
k-correction, and the location of star formation within galaxies,
using a sample that is likely to be nearly complete with
multi-wavelength photometry and spectroscopic redshifts. The results
can be used to interpret observations of higher redshift galaxies by
ACS.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

HSTAR 9133:  GS Acquisition (2,3,2) @ 245/11:13:56Z resulted in FL
backup on FGS 2 due to SSLE on FGS 3. Under investigation.

COMPLETED OPS REQs: None

OPS NOTES EXECUTED:
1150-0  Change Limits MAMA2 Threshold Voltage  245/ 2101z
1151-0  Change Limit for OM2RDETQ for additional MCE 2 reset. 245/2104z

                           SCHEDULED     SUCCESSFUL    FAILURE TIMES
FGS GSacq               07                        07
FGS REacq               05                        05
FHST Update             17                        17
LOSS of LOCK


SIGNIFICANT EVENTS:

Completed a CCS "C" String system load test over the weekend (Day
241-  244) consisting of 100 Core, 638 Backbone, and 636 HSTnet
clients.