HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2932

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 08/08/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 08/09/01

Daily Status Report as of 221/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Two 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.

    1.2 Completed Three 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.

    1.3 Completed STIS/CCD 9106 (The Biggest Black Holes)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform 
searches for supermassive black holes in galaxy centers that have led to 
the discoveries that {1} most or all hot galaxies contain massive dark 
objects at their centers, presumably black holes; and {2} there is a tight 
correlation between the black-hole mass and the luminosity-weighted 
velocity dispersion of the hot component of the galaxy.  This remarkable 
relationship suggests a strong link between black-hole formation, AGN 
activity, and galaxy formation, and once it is understood this link should 
advance our understanding of all three processes.  There were no reported 
problems.

    1.4 Completed 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.

    1.5 Completed STIS/CCD 9231 (VV Cephei: The Egress from Chromospheric 
Eclipse)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain 
observations of the long- period {20.3 yrs} eclipsing binary VV Cephei {M2 
Iab + B0} as it continues to emerge from chromospheric eclipse.  There were 
no reported problems.

    1.6 Completed STIS/CCD 8845 (Spectroscopic Flats C9)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain 
CCD flats in the spectroscopic mode.  The observations completed with no 
reported problems.

    1.7 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9287 (Ultraviolet Observations of the 
Death Star in Outburst)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was 
used to observe WZ Sge, a "death star".  A few days ago, amateur 
astronomers have established that this cataclysmic variable star has gone 
into outburst, 23 years after the last outburst event and about 10 years 
earlier than expected.  The system rose from V=15 to V=8 in the course of a 
day and is expected to remain in outburst for about 1-2 months.  WZ Sge is 
arguably the most extreme and interesting cataclysmic variable {CV} in the 
sky.  Whereas other dwarf-nova-type CVs undergo 3-5 magnitude eruptions 
every few weeks or months, WZ Sge's outbursts have an amplitude of 7-8 
magnitudes and recur on a time-scale of roughly 33 years.  In addition, WZ 
Sge's 82 minute orbital period is one of the shortest of any CV, its mass 
ratio of M2/M1 is one of the lowest and its time-averaged absolute 
magnitude one of the faintest.  All of these facts imply that WZ Sge is a 
"death star" i.e. a highly evolved cataclysmic binary in which gigayears of 
mass transfer have converted an initially main sequence secondary star to a 
0.02 solar mass brown dwarf.  The observation completed with no reported 
problems.

    1.8 Completed 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.

    1.9 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.

    1.10 Completed 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.

    1.11 Completed 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.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions:  7
Successful:  7

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  5
Successful:  5

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 16
Successful: 16

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared five times, using ROP SR-1A.

        The 486 engineering status buffer limits were adjusted twice per 
ROP DF-18A.

        The STIS MCE-1 reset at 220/130545Z while the low voltage was on 
and while outside any SAA interval.  The STIS flight software error counter 
was cleared at 220/1325Z as directed by ROP NS-12.  MAMA-1 was recovered, 
via normal SMS commanding, at 220/1441Z.

        A TTR was written when there was a required re-transmit at 
221/083336Z during a 486 uplink.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

         GSFC SM3B Internal Simulation #10 (EVA-4/ACS) will be conducted 
today in the STOCC area, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continuing to 
approximately 5:00 p.m.

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW