HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2904

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 06/28/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 06/29/01

Daily Status Report as of 180/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8583 (Imaging Snapshots of Asteroids)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain images of the fifty largest main 
belt asteroids that have favorable apparitions during cycle 9.  The images 
will be searched for companion bodies, as well as mineralogical variegation 
on the resolved main bodies.  There were no reported problems.

    1.2 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8192 (A Snapshot Survey of Probable 
Nearby Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make a snapshot survey images of a probable 
nearby galaxies KK010 and DD06.  The census of galaxies in the Local Volume 
of space is very incomplete, particularly at the faint end.  The 
observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.

    1.3 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8828 (Cycle 9 Supplemental Darks pt3/3)

        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 proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.4 Completed WF/PC-2 8632 (A UV Atlas of Nearby Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a snapshot survey of local galaxies 
at UV wavelengths with the F300W filter.  The aim of the project is to 
build a reference UV Atlas of normal galaxies, whose optical images are 
well known, with the highest possible degree of information, covering all 
the morphological types and luminosity classes.  The proposal completed 
normally.

    1.5 Completed WF/PC-2 8601 (A Snapshot Survey of Probable Nearby Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to continue the very successful snapshot 
survey in order to use the high spatial resolution of HST to determine 
whether selected galaxies are nearby on the basis of resolution into stars, 
and the magnitudes and colors of the brightest stars.  There were no 
reported problems.

    1.6 Completed WF/PC-2 8585 (Cosmological Parameters from Type Ia 
Supernovae at High Redshift)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to measure the cosmological parameters, Omega, 
Lambda, and thus the curvature, Omega_k, using Type Ia supernovae {SNe Ia} 
as calibrated standard candles.  There were no reported problems.

    1.7 Completed WF/PC-2 8820 (Wavelength Stability of Narrow Band and 
Linear Ramp Filters)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to verify the mapping of wavelength as a 
function of CCD position on linear ramp filters and to check for changes in 
central wavelengths of the narrow band filters.  The proposal completed 
nominally.

    1.8 Completed FGS/1 9168 (The Distances to AM CVn Stars)

        Fine Guidance Sensor (FGS) #1 was used to determine the parallaxes 
and proper motions of the five brightest of the seven known AM CVn systems 
using the HST FGSs.  AM CVn systems are binaries where mass is transferred 
from a completely hydrogen-deficient, degenerate mass donor to a white 
dwarf primary through a helium accretion disk.  A better understanding of 
these systems is crucial for a number of reasons: (1) to study the late 
stages of binary evolution, (2) to study the effect of chemical composition 
on the physics of accretion discs, (3) to estimate their contribution to 
the Supernovae Ia rate, and (4) to estimate their contribution to the 
gravitational radiation background.  All observations completed with no 
reported problems.

    1.9 Completed WF/PC-2 8726 (Cometary Knots in Planetary Nebulae)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make second epoch observations of the 
Cometary Knots in IC4406 in order to get a better idea of just how these 
objects are formed by comparison of their spatial motions with that of the 
ambient gas.  The observations completed with no reports of problems.

    1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 8773 (Expansion Parallax Distances to Planetary 
Nebulae)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe planetary nebulae {PNe} for which 
the lack of reliable distances is especially troubling.  Acquired by 
generalized statistical methods in all but a handful of cases, individual 
PNe distances are often uncertain by factors of two or more.  The 
observations completed nominally.

    1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 9045 (The Relationship Between Radio Luminosity 
and Radio-Loud AGN Host Galaxy Properties)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to determine the relationship between the 
properties of the host galaxies of radio-loud AGN and their radio 
luminosities.  Previous studies in this area with the HST have concentrated 
on the 3C sample which shows a tight correlation between luminosity and 
redshift, such that evolutionary effects cannot be distinguished from those 
depending upon radio luminosity.  Our sample of 46 radio galaxies at z ~ 
0.5 comes from four complete, low-frequency-selected samples of radio 
sources with differing flux limits.  Thus the total sample spans an 
unprecedented three orders of magnitude in radio luminosity at a fixed 
redshift interval.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 9086 (Investigating the Formation History of 
Spiral Galaxy Halos)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations in order to constrain the 
origin of spiral galaxy halos by studying stellar populations near the tip 
of the red giant branch.  This will be the first systematic study of this 
population in external galaxies and will quadruple the sample of normal 
spiral galaxies for which the halo metallicity distribution function is 
measured.  This larger sample will permit study of the relationship between 
the bulge, disk, and halo components and between halos and globular 
systems.  Such correlations will in turn provide indications as to whether 
the halo, bulge, and globular cluster systems built up nearly 
simultaneously in the early universe or were accreted over time through 
different kinds of merging events.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.13 Completed WF/PC-2 8683 (Imaging Of Brightest Cluster Galaxies: The 
High End Of The Black Hole Mass Distribution)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make kinematic black hole detections in 
galaxies to decide whether they indicate that the mass correlates with both 
optical luminosity and radio power.  The observation completed with no 
reported problems.

    1.14 Completed WF/PC-2 8720 (Masses and Multiplicity of Nearby Free- 
floating Methane and L Dwarfs)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe 50 very-low-mass objects in the 
solar neighborhood with spectral types of L0 and later {including several 
dwarfs with Methane absorption bands in their atmospheres}.  These objects 
will be observed in two filter bands with the aim to identify close 
companions, measure their colors, and to obtain first epoch data of the 
newly discovered binaries.  The observations completed nominally.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions: 11
Successful: 11

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  4
Successful:  4

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 30
Successful: 29

        As described in HSTAR 8251, the roll delay update scheduled for 
180/003845Z failed due to tracker #3.  The following full maneuver update 
and the subsequent two full maneuver updates were all successful.

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) remains in safe 
mode.  The VEST Side 2 Operations Acceptance Test successfully completed at 
179/2231Z.  Flight software personnel verified the load image.  The STIS 
transition to Operate executed nominally.

        Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared at 179/2015Z.

        The 486 engineering status buffer limits were adjusted at 180/0041Z 
per ROP DF-18A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW