HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2929

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 08/03/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 08/06/01

Daily Status Report as of 218/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Eleven Sets of STIS/CCD 8808 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS 
Non-Scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation III)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make 
non-scripted, parallel observations as part of a POMS test proposal.  The 
observations completed with no anomalous activity.

    1.2 Completed WF/PC-2 8581 (A Search For Low-Mass Companions To 
Ultracool Dwarfs)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to search for very low-mass {VLM} companions 
to a complete sample of 120 late-M and L dwarfs, drawn mainly from the 
2MASS and SDSS surveys.  The primary goal is to determine the multiplicity 
of M < 0.1 M_odot dwarfs.  In particular, we aim to identify binary systems 
suitable for long-term astrometric monitoring and mass measurement, and 
systems with cool, sub-1000K companions.  The proposal completed with no 
reported problems.

    1.3 Completed Six Sets of STIS/CCD 8864 (CCD Dark Monitor-Part 2)

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

    1.4 Completed Two Sets of 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.

    1.5 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8865 (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, to build up high-S/N superbiases and track the evolution of hot 
columns.  The proposal completed with no anomalous activity.

    1.6 Completed Nine 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.

    1.7 Completed WF/PC-2 8599 (A Census of Nuclear Star Clusters in 
Late-Type Spiral Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to conduct an I-band snapshot survey of a 
well-defined sample of nearby, face-on spiral galaxies of type Scd or 
later.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.8 Completed Twenty-one Sets of WF/PC-2 8816 (Cycle 9 UV Earthflats)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain sequences of Earth streak flats to 
improve the quality of pipeline flat fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set and 
in order to monitor flat field stability.  There were no reported problems.

    1.9 Completed WF/PC-2 8701 (Multiplicity among Very-Low Mass Stars and 
Brown Dwarfs in Alpha Persei and the Pleiades)

         The WF/PC-2 was used to observe open clusters which provide 
excellent hunting grounds for brown dwarf {BD} searches.  The AlphaPer and 
Pleiades clusters are young, nearby and have low extinction.  They are 
considered to be the best-suited places to study the Substellar Mass.  A 
dozen of cool faint AlphaPer and Pleiades members have been confirmed as 
``bona-fide'' BDs with the lithium test.  By comparison with those, about 
60 very good cluster BD candidates are currently known.  The Pleiades SMF 
obtained using the most recent deep large CCD surveys indicates that BDs 
are quite numerous but do not make a significant contribution to the total 
cluster mass.  The observations completed with no reported problems.

    1.10 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 9057 (Host Galaxies of Obscured 
QSOs Identified by 2MASS)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a snapshot survey of red QSOs 
discovered in The Two Micron All Sky Survey {2MASS} to investigate the 
detailed properties of their host galaxies.  This large, possibly dominant, 
population of QSOs in the local universe has been previously overlooked 
because reddening by {intrinsic} obscuration along our line of sight causes 
their colors to be too red for identification by traditional "UV- excess" 
techniques.  Their near-IR colors are similar to PG- type {UV-excess} QSOs, 
but it is far from certain whether they are indeed from the same parent 
population or represent a completely new class of QSO.  There were no 
reported problems.

    1.11 Completed WF/PC-2 9124 (Mid-UV SNAPSHOT Survey of Nearby 
Irregulars: Galaxy Structure and Evolution Benchmark)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate the relation between star 
formation and the global physical characteristics of galaxies to interpret 
the morphologies of distant galaxies in terms of their evolutionary 
status.  Distant galaxies are primarily observed in their rest frame 
mid-ultraviolet.  They resemble nearby late-type galaxies, but are they 
really physically similar classes of objects?  It is proposed to address 
this question through a SNAPSHOT survey in the 2 mid-UV filter F300W of 98 
nearby late-type, irregular and peculiar galaxies.  No problems were reported.

    1.12 Completed STIS/MA1/MA2 8843 (Cycle 9 MAMA Dark Measurements)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to 
perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise.  The 
proposal completed nominally.

    1.13 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 9267 (Supernova Search)

        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were 
used to search for high-redshift supernovae in GO-observed fields, taking 
advantage of good first-epoch observations and of the scheduling 
opportunities available because STIS is not currently observing.  No 
anomalous activity was reported.

    1.14 Completed WF/PC-2 8815 (Cycle 9 Earth Flats)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flatfield stability.  This proposal 
obtains 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.  The 
proposal completed nominally.

    1.15 Completed STIS/MA2 8624 (Imaging and Spectroscopy of Dusty 
Circumstellar Disks)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to further 
understanding of the properties and evolution of dusty disks in the 
circumstellar environments of young stars which is a key element in 
furthering our concepts of the formation mechanisms of extra-solar 
planetary systems.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.16 Completed Eleven Sets of WF/PC-2 9244 (POMS Test Proposal: WFII 
Parallel Archive Proposal Continuation)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a generic target version of the 
Archival Pure Parallel program.  The program will be used to take parallel 
images of random areas of the sky, following the recommendations of the 
Parallels Working Group.  The observations completed with no anomalous 
activity.

    1.17 Completed STIS/CCD 7912 (STIS Parallel Archive Proposal - Nearby 
Galaxies - Imaging and Spectroscopy)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make 
parallel observations of nearby galaxies.  This survey will be useful to 
study the star formation histories, chemical evolution, and distances to 
these galaxies.  These data will be placed immediately into the Hubble Data 
Archive.  The observations were completed as scheduled, and no problems 
were reported.

    1.18 Completed WF/PC-2 9043 (Cepheid Distances to Early-type Galaxies)

        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.  The observations completed nominally.

    1.19 Completed WF/PC-2 9042 (An Archive To Detect The Progenitors Of 
Massive, Core-Collapse Supernovae)

         The WF/PC-s was used to search for supernovae which have massive 
star progenitors.  The already extensive HST archive and high-resolution 
ground-based images of galaxies within ~20 Mpc enables us to resolve and 
quantify their individual bright stellar content.  As massive, evolved 
stars are the most luminous single objects in a galaxy, the progenitors of 
core-collapse supernovae should be directly detectable on pre-explosion 
images.  One Type II progenitor has been observed this year, and the 
investigators have proposed a short, companion WFPC2 proposal to confirm 
this candidate and identify a second.  The observations completed nominally.

    1.20 Completed STIS/CCD 9110 (A Search for Kuiper Belt Object Satellites)

        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.  The 
proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.21 Completed STIS/CCD 9121 (Evolution of the Host Galaxies in Low- 
Power AGN)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to study 
the evolution of low-power AGN host galaxies to z~1.3, allowing the direct 
study of how the formation and life cycles of radio-loud AGN depend on 
intrinsic power.  There were no reported problems.

    1.22 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 9063 (Optical Counterparts of 
Isolated Neutron Stars)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to test the 
understanding of both quantum chromodynamics {QCD} and quantum 
electrodynamics {QED}.  Specifically, the measurement of radii of neutron 
stars can test QCD at high density.  This is being realized through 
intensive X-ray observations of bright nearby neutron stars.  However, the 
natures of these important sources are not clear and to this end a simple 
proper motion program is proposed as a means to obtain their ages and 
potential association with star-forming regions.  One of the sources is RX 
J0720.4-3125 which has been argued to be an old magnetar --- a highly 
magnetized neutron star --- and thanks to its high count rate is already a 
choice object for X-ray missions.  Magnetars, with their extreme magnetic 
field strengths, are excellent laboratories for testing out some 
expectation of QED.  There were no reported problems.

    1.23 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 9053 (The Late Evolution of Low-Mass Stars: 
a Deep UV Color-Magnitude Diagram of M32)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to 
construct a deep far-UV color-magnitude diagram of the hot stellar 
population in the center of M32 {NGC221}.  The previous Cycle 7 near-UV 
STIS observations of the M32 core resolved 8000 stars in a single 
bandpass.  While these observations provided no color information, they 
nonetheless showed conclusively that hot horizontal branch {HB} stars exist 
in M32.  Moreover, the near-UV luminosity function showed a surprising lack 
of post-asymptotic giant branch {post-AGB} stars, indicating that they 
evolve much more rapidly than expected from canonical theory.  Obtaining 
color information is the vital next step in extending this analysis.  There 
were no reported problems.

    1.24 Completed WF/PC-2 8059 (POMS Test Proposal: Targeted Parallel 
Archive Proposal)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the parallel opportunities 
available in the neighborhood of bright galaxies are treated in a slightly 
different way from the normal pure parallels.  Local Group galaxies offer 
the opportunity for a closer look at young stellar 
populations.  Narrow-band images in F656N can be used both to identify 
young stars via their emission lines, and to map the gas distribution in 
star-forming regions.  The observations completed nominally.

    1.25 Completed 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.

    1.26 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 9160 (Disks and Envelopes of Nearby 
Nebulous Young Stellar Objects: A Snapshot Survey)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a snapshot survey of nearby 
nebulous young stellar objects to study the detailed morphology of the 
their disks and envelopes and probe the effect of inclination on the 
infrared spectral energy distribution of disk/envelope systems.  The 
proposal completed as planned.

    1.27 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8840 (Read Noise Monitor)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure 
the read noise of all the amplifiers 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 1 x 1, 1 x 2, 2 x 1 and 2 x 2.  All 
exposures are internals.  The observations completed with no reported problems.

    1.28 Completed STIS/CCD 8846 (Imaging Flats C9)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to 
investigate flat-field stability over a monthly period.  The proposal 
completed nominally.

    1.29 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8560 (Large Scale Structure at z ~ 0.9)

        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were 
used to obtain deep, broad-band red images of three fields within a 
supercluster at z ~ 0.9 in order to study the morphological properties of 
galaxies within a high-redshift large scale structure.  Because significant 
evolution has already been observed in galaxy populations at this redshift, 
these observations will provide a crucial link between the global 
properties of large scale structure and galaxy-scale physics.  No problems 
were identified.

    1.30 Completed FGS/1 9034 (The Masses and Luminosities of Population II 
Stars)

        Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to observe the mass-luminosity 
relation {MLR} of Population II stars of which very little is currently 
known.  With the advent of the Hipparcos Catalogue, improved distances to 
many spectroscopic binaries known to be Pop II systems are now 
available.  After surveying the literature and making reasonable estimates 
of the secondary masses, we find 13 systems whose minimum separation should 
be larger than the resolution limit of FGS #1.  The observations completed 
nominally.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions: 21
Successful: 21

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 22
Successful: 22

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 59
Successful: 59

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        Using ROP SR-1A, the SSR EDAC error counter was cleared six times.

        The STIS MCE-1 reset at 216/003412Z while the low voltage was on 
and while inside an SAA interval.  The STIS flight software error counter 
was reset 216/003412Z, using ROP NS-12.  MAMA-1 was recovered at 216/1348Z 
via normal SMA commanding.

        A TTR was written when there was a required re-transmit at 
216/024549Z during an NSSC-1 uplink.

        The 486 engineering status buffer limits were adjusted twice per 
ROP DF-18A.  Using the same ROP, the engineering status buffer was dumped 
and reset at 216/1816Z.

        A fine attitude determination was performed at 216/1816Z per ROP PO-8.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW