HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT # 3178 PERIOD COVERED: DOY 225 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED (see HSTARS below for possible observation problems) NICMOS 8790 NICMOS Post-SAA calibration - CR Persistence Part 1. 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 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. WFPC2 8938 WFPC2 CYCLE 9 SUPPLEMENTAL DARKS pt3/3. characterizing the evolution of hot pixels. STIS/CCD 9066 Closing in on the Hydrogen Reionization Edge of the Universe. edge in emission that marks the transition from a neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted redshifts. STIS/CCD 9280 X-Ray Imaging of GPS and CSS Quasars. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to conduct a survey of GPS and CSS radio-loud quasars, by studying their arcsecond structure in the X-rays, by searching for X-ray jets, and by searching for signatures of intermittent AGN activity. 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. NICMOS 9321 Dark current, shading profile, and read noise monitoring program The purpose of this proposal is to monitor the detector dark current, read noise, and shading profile for all three NICMOS cameras from the onset of normal NCS operations throughout the start of Cycle 11. NICMOS 9366 H_2 Imaging of Proto-Planetary Nebulae: Probing the Dynamics and Morphology H_2 emission provides an excellent probe of the physical conditions in planetary nebulae {PNs} and also in proto- planetary nebulae {PPNs}, objects in transition between the asymptotic giant branch {AGB} and PN phases. It is thought that the shaping of the PN occurs when a fast wind interacts with the remnant of the AGB progenitor during the PPN phase. The study of shock-excited H_2 in PPNs will allow us to study this process. We request HST/NICMOS H_2 and complementary K and H broad-band images of 13 PPNs with a range of spectral types of the central star. We presently have very high- resolution {~100, 000} H_2 spectra for 7 of these, which we will use with the high-resolution images to study the velocity structure of the fast wind. We will also explore the relationship between the presence of H_2 and a bipolar shape for the nebula, as has been found in PNs. However, the role of the equatorial torus is expected to be different in these two cases, and in the PPNs it is expected to collimate the wind rather than shield the molecules. Thus the H_2 in the PPNs is expected at the ends of the lobes rather than in the torus. Radiatively excited H_2 emission appears to be common in PPNs with central stars of B spectral types; this appears to be a transitional stage in the evolution of the H_2 in the nebula which these images will help us to better understand. GO 9449 UV Spectrum of the Massive X-ray Binary LS 5039 LS 5039 is a massive X-ray binary with non-thermal radio emission, relativistic jets, and probably high energy Gamma- ray emission. It appears to be one of the closest of the Galactic microquasars, stellar-sized engines that produce relativistic jets like extragalactic quasars. We recently discovered that the system is a 4.1 day binary with a very eccentric orbit {indicating large mass loss in the supernova event that gave birth to the system}. The companion is probably a neutron star, but a black hole companion is viable if the system inclination is small. Here we propose to obtain the first UV observations of the binary to determine fundamental properties about the O6.5 V{{f}} optical star and the mass transfer process. The UV spectrophotometry will allow us to measure accurately the interstellar extinction and system distance, and the unreddened spectrum will provide information on the optical star's effective temperature, spectral classification, and surface abundances. The stellar wind lines in the FUV provide the means to measure the O- star's wind terminal velocity and mass loss rate, and these parameters will allow us to determine if the X-ray luminosity can be generated by wind accretion alone. We plan to observe these wind lines at both orbital conjunction phases to search for evidence of changes in the wind structure caused by proximity to the X-ray source's radiation field, accretion disk wind, and jets. ACS/NIC 9452 Characterizing the Star Formation History of a Highly Magnified z=5.6 Lyman Alpha Source We have located a remarkably faint pair of compact images arising from a z=5.6 Lyman Alpha emitting source, magnified 33-fold by the lensing foreground cluster Abell 2218. Keck spectra verify the lensing hypothesis but fail to locate any UV stellar continuum to interesting limits, suggesting the object is a 10^6 M_sun source viewed close to its epoch of formation. We argue the source could be representative of an abundant population of low mass systems forming their first stars at z>5, this example becoming visible only by virtue of the strong gravitational magnification. We seek HST imaging to provide much tighter constraints on the nature and distribution of starlight in this intriguing source. ACS will be used to investigate the spatial extent of UV continuum light on <100 pc scales also providing the equivalent width of the Lyman Alpha emission. NIC will be used to measure the slope of the rest- frame continuum in order to break age and mass degeneracies caused by the unknown amount of dust extinction. HST uniquely provides the resolution and sensitivity to gather detailed information on a remarkable source which may be representative of a population seen in future surveys with NGST. ACS 9480 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/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/ ACS/CAL 9558 ACS weekly Test 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 9567 SBC Dark Current Dark current measurements will be made for the ACS SBC once a week. ACS/WFC 9584 ACS Default {Archival} Pure Parallel Program II. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (WFC) was used to test ACS pure parallels. WFPC2 9599 WFPC2 Cycle 11 UV Earth Flats Monitor flat field stability. This proposal obtains sequences of earth streak flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set. These Earth flats will complement the UV earth flat data obtained during cycles 8-10. 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%. ACS 9672 Grism/Prism Calibration A Planetary Nebula in the LMC and two Galactic White Dwarfs are observed through the prisms of the HRC and the SBC to measure: 1} the dispersion of the prisms and its field dependence; 2} the prisms throughput and its field dependence. Therefore, these measurements will be carried out at several positions on the chip including the centre and the corners of the HRC and SBC chips. WFPC2 9676 POMS Test Proposal: WFII parallel archive proposal used to take parallel images of random areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the 2002 Parallels Working Group. POMS 9677 POMS Test Proposal: WFII backup parallel archive proposal This is a POMS test proposal designed to simulate scientific plans. FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY: HSTARS (For details see http://hst-sers.hst.nasa.gov/SERS/HST/HSTAR.nsf) HSTARS: None COMPLETED OPS REQs: None OPS NOTES EXECUTED: None SCHEDULED SUCCESSFUL FAILURE TIMES FGS GSacq 7 7 FGS REacq 8 8 FHST Update 20 20 LOSS of LOCK Operations Notes: None SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: Continued CCS Release 4.0.1 - IP Packet Filter Mode activities 225/09:00Z - 226/09:00Z. Tested ability to switch to a Serial Conversion Device Mode on an IP String (G). Re-cycled and configured "G" String Release 4.0.1 Serial Conversion Devise Mode as PRIME OPS @ 225/18:11Z. Commanded one NSSC-1 load uplink and one SSR engineering data playback. Configured "B" String Release 4.0.1 IP Packet Filter Mode as PRIME OPS @ 225/21:05Z. Re-cycled and configured "G" String Release 4.0.1 IP Packet Filter Mode as PRIME OPS @ 225/21:40Z. HST On-Orbit Checkout of real-time WSC interface scheduled daily 224 - 231 with GDOC, STOCC Ops (SIMOR), HITT, and CCS using CCS "G" String with CCS Release 4.0.1 and PRD D06100R2. The purpose of this testing is to verify CCS Release 4.0.1 (IP) capability to interface through the IP Packet Filters to WSC for real-time telemetry and commands.