HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT # 3115 PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 05/12/02 - 0000Z (UTC) 05/13/02 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED: NICMOS 8790 NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 1.A new proceedure proposed to alleviate the CR-persistence problem of NICMOS. Dark frames will be obtained immediately upon exiting the SAA contour 23, and everytime 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. STIS/CCD 8902 Dark Monitor-Part 2.The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks. STIS/CCD 8904 Bias Monitor-Part 2. 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 in order to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot columns. STIS/CCD 8907 Spectroscopic Flats C10.The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain CCD flats in the spectrographic mode. STIS/MA1/MA2 8920 Cycle 10 MAMA Dark Measurements.The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) 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. WF/PC-2 8933 Decontaminations and Associated Observations Pt. 2/3.The WF/PC-2 was used for the monthly decons. Also included were 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. WFPC2 8938 WFPC2 CYCLE 9 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. 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. WF/PC-2 8940 Cycle 10 Earth Flats.The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flatfield stability by obtaining sequences of Earth streak flats to construct high quality flat fields for the WF/PC-2 filter set. These flat fields will allow mapping of the OTA illumination pattern and will be used in conjunction with previous internal and external flats to generate new pipeline superflats. ACS/WFC/HRC 8947 Weekly Test.The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to perform basic tests to monitor, the read noise, the development of hot pixels and test for any source of noise in ACS CCD detectors. This program will be executed at least once a day for the entire lifetime of ACS. NICMOS 8975 Dark current, shading profile, and read noise under the NCS. The purpose of this proposal is to measure the detector dark current, read noise, and shading profile for all three NICMOS cameras at the newly defined nominal operating temperature in the NCS era. NICMOS 1/2 8985 NICMOS Internal Flats.This proposal obtains sequences of NICMOS camera 1 & 2 medium and wide band filter flat fields, plus one orbit for selected Camera 3 filters. The observations will be used to to build high S/N NICMOS flat fields to enable the start of science observations. NICMOS 8993 The purpose of this program is to obtain images that display the panchromatic capability of HST with refurbishment of NICMOS. We will obtain images of two targets using NICMOS, and if possible, ACS as well. Images will be obtained in J and H and Paschen alpha. If ACS is unavailable images will be taken in K as well. Two targets will be imaged. The ULIRG IRAS19297-0406 will be observed under all circumstance. And one object from the list of the Cone Nebula {NGC 2264} and NGC 1241 will be observed. The latter will depend upon the result of ground-based IR imaging of NGC 2264. ACS 9010 SMOV Contamination Plan. This program has two main goals: {1} manage ACS operations to minimize the risk of contamination of its optics by materials outgassed during servicing activity, and {2} initiate a program to monitor the UV sensitivity of HRC and SBC as early as possible after the service mission. ACS/WFC/HRC 9075 Cosmological Parameters from Type Ia Supernovae at High Redshift. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to obtain a Hubble diagram of Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} that will be of long lasting value as a record of the expansion history of the universe. ACS/WFC/HRC 9075 Cosmological Parameters from Type Ia Supernovae at High Redshift. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to obtain a Hubble diagram of Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} that will be of long lasting value as a record of the expansion history of the universe. STIS/FUV-MAMA 9159 Test of a New Observational Method for Stellar Seismology. Proposal will measure amplitude versus wavelength for the 20 known ell=1 and 9. known ell=2 modes in PG1159-035 using the STIS FUV- MAMA. WF/PC-2 9180 Gamma-ray Burst Progenitors: Probing Their Environment.The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a target of opportunity observation of gamma ray burster (GRB), GRB-011121. GRB astronomy is a field maturing at a phenomenal rate. Three important new observational and theoretical discoveries, formulated over the last twelve months, allow the proposer to address new, and in many cases, more sophisticated questions than could have been posed previously. These developments: the discovery of X-ray lines in GRB 991216; the observation that N_H as deduced from X-ray afterglow are one to two orders of magnitude larger than the dust extinction inferred from optical afterglow; and the growing realization that the afterglow emission may exhibit features of dust echoes, appear to offer unexpected and new diagnostics that will directly inform us about the progenitor, the circum-progenitor material and the immediate interstellar environs. 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. 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. WF/PC-2 9319 POMS Test Proposal: WFII Backup Parallel Archive Proposal II.The WF/PC-2 was used to execute a POMS test proposal, designed to simulate future scientific plans. HST 9382 A Large Targeted Survey for z < 1.6 Damped Lyman Alpha Lines in SDSS QSO MgII-FeII Systems.We have searched the first public release of SDSS QSO spectra for low-z {z<1.65} metal absorption lines and found over 200 large rest equivalent width MgII-FeII systems. Previously, we empirically showed that such systems are good tracers of large neutral gas columns, with ~50% being classical damped Lyman alpha {DLA} systems {N_HI>=2*10^20 cm^-2}. Here we propose to follow up a well-defined subset of 79 of them to search for DLAs with 0.47