HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT #3039 PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 01/21/02 - 0000Z (UTC) 01/22/02 Daily Status Report as of 022/0000Z 1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED: 1.1 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8901 (Dark Monitor-Part 1) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks. There was no anomalous activity. 1.2 Completed Five Sets of WF/PC-2 8937 (Cycle 9 Supplemental Darks pt2/3) The WF/PC-2 was used obtain three dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. No problems were encountered. 1.3 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9153 (The Black Hole {?} in BG Gem) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to acquire low resolution ultraviolet spectra of the long period black hole binary candidate BG Geminorum. These spectra allow an unambiguous test of the nature of the 4.5 M{sun} primary star, which makes no measurable contribution to the optical spectrum. Detection of a strong ultraviolet continuum or ultraviolet absorption lines from Si II and Si III {among others} would indicate a B-type primary; failure to detect these features or detection of high ionization emission lines would favor a black hole primary. If it contains a black hole, BG Gem would be the longest period black hole binary known {by a factor of ten}, challenging current theories of black hole formation. It would also be the only eclipsing binary known to contain a black hole, which would provide a unique laboratory for testing accretion disk models for black hole binary systems. The proposal completed as planned. 1.4 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8939 (Cycle 10 Internal Monitor) The WF/PC-2 was used to calibrate the internal monitor, to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. No problems were encountered. 1.5 Completed WF/PC-2 8941 (Cycle 10 UV Earthflats) The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flat field stability by obtaining sequences of earth streak flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set. The proposal had no problems. 1.6 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 9318 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII Parallel Archive Proposal Continuation) The WF/PC-2 was used to perform the generic target version of the WFPC2 Archival Pure Parallel program. The program was used to take parallel images of random areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the Parallels Working Group. There were no reported problems. 1.7 Completed STIS/MA2 9573 (NUV-MAMA Daily Dark Monitor) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to perform daily monitoring of the NUV MAMA detector dark noise in order to monitor the effects of thermal changes on the NUV dark rate. No problems occurred. 1.8 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 9137 (Quasar Absorbers and Large Scale Structure) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to perform spectroscopy of 15 bright quasars in a 22 square degree region that has well-sampled galaxy redshifts. No problems were encountered. 1.9 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 9066 (Closing in on the Hydrogen Reionization Edge of the Universe) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in parallel constrain the Hydrogen reionization edge in emission that marks the transition from a neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted redshifts. The proposal completed uneventfully. 1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 9141 (Fine Scale Temperature Fluctuations in Gaseous Nebulae) The WF/PC-2 was used to image the Orion and Eskimo nebulae in filter sets that will allow determination of O III 5007 and 4363 Angstrom flux ratios, which is a well calibrated electron temperature determinant. All observations were completed without incident. 1.11 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 9317 (Pure Parallel Imaging Program: Cycle 10) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform the default archival pure parallel program for STIS during cycle 10. There were no reported problems. 1.12 Completed STIS/CCD 8903 (Bias Monitor - Part 1) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used 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. There were no problems. 1.13 Completed FOC/96 7923 (FOC F/96 Turn-on) The Faint Object Camera (f/96) was used to take an internal flat and a dark to ensure that the 30-day limit for the FOC is not exceeded. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted. 1.14 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8905 (Read Noise Monitor) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure the read noise of all the amplifiers {A, B, C, D} on the STIS CCD using pairs of bias frames. Full frame and binned observations are made in both Gain 1 and Gain 4, with binning factors of 1x1, 1x2, 2x1 and 2x2. All exposures are internals. The proposal completed with no reported anomalies. 1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 9157 (Fundamental Properties Of L-Type Dwarfs In Binaries) The WF/PC-2 was used to characterize the physical properties of eight L-dwarfs in four binary systems. The goal is to obtain astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic measurements of each component that will yield basic information on atmospheric and dynamical properties. The proposal completed nominally. 1.16 Completed STIS/CCD 8907 (Spectroscopic Flats C10) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain CCD flats in the spectrographic mode. There were no reported problems. 1.17 Completed S/C 5582 (FOC/48 Monthly Activation (Camera Section Only): Cycle 4) This proposal was executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted. 1.18 Completed STIS/CCD 9070 (A Census of Nuclear Star Clusters in Late-Type Spiral Galaxies: II. Spectroscopy and Stellar Populations) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to investigate spiral galaxies that have a prominent star cluster in their dynamical center. Statistics for cluster frequency, size, and luminosity remain incomplete. The proposal completed as planned. 1.19 Completed STIS/CCD 9110 (A Search for Kuiper Belt Object Satellites) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to investigate whether the large number of collisions thought to have taken place in the primordial Kuiper belt suggest that many Kuiper belt objects {KBOs} could have suffered binary-forming collisions similar to that which formed the Pluto -- Charon binary. Detection of such KBO satellites would allow measurement of KBO masses, would help to understand the past collisional environment of the Kuiper belt, and would give a context to the otherwise unique-seeming formation of the Pluto -- Charon binary. The proposal completed with no reported problems. 1.20 Completed STIS/MA1 8920 (Cycle 10 MAMA Dark Measurements) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise, and is the primary means of checking on health of the MAMA detectors systems through frequent monitoring of the background count rate. The proposal completed with no reported anomalous activity. 2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: 2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions: Scheduled Acquisitions: 6 Successful: 6 Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 8 Successful: 8 Per HSTAR 8478, the re-acquisition at 022/013417Z had the scan step limit exceeded on FGS-3. The second attempt to re-acquire was successful. The series of events occurred with the next re-acquisitions at 022/031025Z, at 022/044632Z and at 022/062240Z. No science was affected. The same guide star pair will occur four times on day 23. 2.2 FHST Updates: Scheduled: 16 Successful: 16 2.3 Operations Notes: Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR-1 EDAC error counter was cleared three times. The ephemeris table was uplinked at 023/0126Z per ROP DF-07A. 3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS: Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations. /CAW