HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT # 3120 PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 05/19/02 - 0000Z (UTC) 05/20/02 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED: NICMOS 8790 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. STIS/CCD 8902 The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor the darks. STIS/CCD 8904 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 8905 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. STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8916 The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to measure the basic sensitivity for all supported MAMA and CCD first-order spectroscopic modes. Sensitivity measurements are done for all supported tilts of the gratings, at a S/N suitable to any particular setting, in order to get all measurements done in a reasonable number of orbits but still get a very accurate sensitivity measurement. STIS/MA1/MA2 8920 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 8935 The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain dark frames every week in order to provide data for the ongoing calibration of the CCD dark current rate, and to monitor and characterize the evolution of hot pixels. Over an extended period these data will also provide a monitor of radiation damage to the CCDs. WFPC2 8938 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 The WF/PC-2 was used to calibrate the internal monitor, to be run weekly to monitor the health of the cameras. ACS/WFC/HRC 8947 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. ACS/SBC 9009 The Advanced Camera for Science (SBC) was used to perform a MAMA fold analysis for initial turn-on or anomalous recovery of the MAMA detector. WF/PC-2 9043 The WF/PC-2 was used to continue observations in the HST Key Project on the Extragalactic Distance Scale and the HST project on the "Calibration of Nearby Type Ia Supernovae'' that have greatly improved our knowledge of the Hubble Constant by providing a solid zero point for the Tully- Fisher {TF} relation and Type Ia Supernovae {SNIa}. However, severe inconsistencies remain for distance estimators to early-type galaxies such as surface brightness fluctuations {SBF}, the planetary nebula luminosity function {PNLF}, the fundamental plane {FP}, and the globular cluster luminosity function {GCLF}. As a result, the distance to the Virgo cluster core remains uncertain by as much as 20 determination is directly affected by a lingering 0.1 mag {5 uncertainty in the photometric calibration of the WFPC2. Resolving these issues is essential not only to firm up the extragalactic distance scale, but also to understand the mass and velocity structure of the local universe. SBF in particular is emerging as the method of choice for mapping local velocity fields to 10, 000 kms because it offers an order of magnitude less Malmquist bias than TF, and SNIa are too rare to study large scale flows effectively. This project will tighten the photometric calibration of the WFPC2, and provide a solid Cepheid calibration for SBF and PNLF. ACS/WFC/HRC 9075 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/CCD 9110 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. NICMOS 9269 NICMOS Camera 3 pure parallel exposures in the F222M filter will be obtained for the entire duration of SMOV to establish the stability of the HST+NCS+Instrument thermal emission. STIS/CCD 9317 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 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. ACS/WFC/HRC 9566 The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC and HRC) was used to perform hot pixel annealing that will be performed once per month. The CCD TECs will be turned off and heaters will be activated to bring the WFC detector temperature to about +10C. The HRC temperature will reach about 30C. This state will be held for approximately 24 hours, after which the heaters are turned off, the TECs turned on, and the CCDs returned to normal operating condition. ACS/WFC 9587 The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC) was used to observe V838 Mon0cerotis which is a completely unanticipated new kind of object: although it has undergone an outburst somewhat similar to that of an extremely slow nova, its spectrum is unique and totally unlike that of any type of nova. Knowledge of its distance and luminosity is crucial in understanding its nature and origin. Remarkably, a rapidly evolving light echo around V838 Monocerotis has been detected from the ground in recent weeks. HST polarimetric imaging over the next few months, as the light echo expands and fades, will provide a direct geometrical distance to this object. Since the only previous Galactic nova light echoes occurred in 1901 and 1936, this extraordinary combination of circumstances is unlikely to recur during the HST mission. ACS/WFC 9588 V838 Mon is a completely unanticipated new kind of object: although it has undergone an outburst somewhat similar to that of an extremely slow nova, its spectrum is unique and totally unlike that of any type of nova. Knowledge of its distance and luminosity is crucial in understanding its nature and origin. Remarkably, a rapidly evolving light echo around V838 Mon has been detected from the ground in recent weeks. HST polarimetric imaging over the next few months, as the light echo expands and fades, will provide a direct geometrical distance to this object {because polarization allows us to selectively identify material with a scattering angle of 90 deg, lying in the plane of the sky at the same distance as the star}. The outburst of V838 Mon thus provides a magnificent, unique, and unexpected testbed for the method proposed by Sparks for measuring extragalactic distances using supernova light echoes, which was the primary justification for adding polarimetric capabilities to the Advanced Camera for Surveys. Since the only previous Galactic nova light echoes occurred in 1901 and 1936, this extraordinary combination of circumstances is unlikely to recur during the HST mission FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: HSTARs: 8654 - GSACQ(2,3,2) failed to RGA Mode @ 140/1803z 8655 - GCSS3T out of limit one sample @ 140/2329z COMPLETED OPS REQs: None OPS NOTES EXECUTED: None SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq 6 5 140/1803z (see HSTAR 8654) FGS REacq 10 9 140/1910z FHST Update 9 9 LOSS of LOCK None Operations Notes: Ephemeris U/L postponed due to 'Accuracy Check Failure' SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS: Continuation of Servicing Mission Orbital Verification and the gradual resumption of normal science observations and calibrations