HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2572

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 03/02/00 - 0000Z (UTC) 03/03/00

Daily Status Report as of 063/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8437 (Dark Monitor-Part 2 C8)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor 
the darks.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.2 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8460 (Cycle 8 Supplemental Darks pt2/3)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain three dark frames every day to 
provide data for monitoring and characterizing the evolution of hot 
pixels.  The observations completed with no reported problems.

    1.3 Completed STIS/CCD 8439 (Bias Monitor-Part 2 C8)

        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.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.4  Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8445 (WF/PC-2 Cycle 8 Earth Flats)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make Cycle 8 Earth flat calibration 
observations.  This is to obtain sequences of earth streak flats to 
construct high quality flat fields for the WF/PC-2 filter set.  The 
observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.

    1.5 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8549 (POMS Test Proposal: 
Non-Scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation I)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make low 
galactic latitude, non-scripted parallel observations as part of a POMS 
test proposal.  The observations were completed as planned, and no 
anomalies were reported.

    1.6 Completed STIS/MA1 8429 (Cycle 8 Plate Scale Verification)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1) was used to conduct 
a Cycle-8 plate scale calibration verification. The calibration was 
completed as scheduled, and no anomalies were reported.

    1.7 Completed WF/PC-2 8322 (The Distance to NGC 2841: Improving the TF 
Calibration and Definitively Testing MOND)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to measure a distance to the spiral galaxy NGC 
2841 using Cepheid variables.  NGC 2841 provides a unique opportunity to 
simultaneously probe three separate phenomenon in extragalactic astronomy: 
1} It will provide the highest rotational velocity data point for the 
Cepheid based calibration of the I-band Tully-Fisher relation and thus will 
firmly determine if this relation experiences curvature or remains linear 
all the way out to high rotational velocities. 2} It has hosted two SN Ia 
events; both of which have good photometry {1957A and 1972R}- this 
significantly adds to the number of calibrators for the SN Ia distance 
scale; 3} If its distance can be shown to be significantly less than 19.5 
MPC, then MOND can be definitively ruled out because NGC 2841 will require 
a value of a_o substantially in excess of the empirically determined 
"universal" value.   The observations completed nominally.

    1.8 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8256 (Deep Helium-Mixing and the 
Ultraviolet Spectra of Hot Horizontal Branch Stars)

        The WF/PC-2 and The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 
and MA2) was used to make observations of globular Cluster NGC-6752 in 
order to study the deep helium-mixing and the ultraviolet spectra of hot 
horizontal branch stars.  There is now good evidence that the luminosities 
and gravities of hot horizontal branch stars in globular clusters are not 
correctly described by canonical models of core helium- burning stars.  A 
wavelength calibration image was also taken.  The observations were 
executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.

    1.9 Completed WF/PC-2 8390 (Expansion Parallax Distances to Planetary 
Nebulae)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the planetary nebula 
IC2448 in order to study its parallax distance.  The largest impediment to 
our understanding of planetary nebulae is the lack of reliable 
distances.  The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies 
were noted.

    1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 8269 (The Morphological Evolution of Field Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations of the near-infrared 
field galaxy SA57-A/E in order to study its morphology.  The observations 
were completed as planned, and no anomalies were reported.

    1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 8444 (WF/PC-2 CYCLE-8 Internal Monitor)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make a bias, and an internal flat, 
observation as part of a Cycle-8 monitoring program to monitor the health 
of the cameras.  A variety of internal exposures are obtained in order to 
provide a monitor of the integrity of the CCD camera electronics in both 
bays {gain 7 and gain 15}, a test for quantum efficiency in the CCDs, and a 
monitor for possible buildup of contaminants on the CCD windows.  The 
observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.

    1.12 Completed STIS/CCD 8187 (STIS Imaging of the Deep NICMOS Parallel 
Fields: Building on the NICMOS Legacy)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make 
observations of field #1631 which was previously observed using deep images 
from the NICMOS camera.  The STIS images will yield visual morphologies to 
magnitudes of 24.5 and quantitative measures of image structure to 26.5 or 
fainter in two orbits.  The observations were completed as planned, and no 
problems were reported.

    1.13 Completed WF/PC-2 8090 (POMS Test Proposal: WF-II Parallel Archive 
Proposal Continuation)

        The WF/PC-2 was used in the parallel mode to make some low galactic 
latitude archive observations.  The program will be used to take parallel 
images of random areas of the sky.  The observations were executed as 
scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions: 9
Successful: 9

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 8
Successful: 8

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 14
Successful: 14

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC errors were cleared once.

        Per an operations request, the FGE refresh table was dumped at 
062/1810Z.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW