HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2934

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 08/10/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 08/13/01

Daily Status Report as of 225/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Seventeen 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.  As 
described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8298, the acquisition for the first iteration of 
this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly 
affecting all observations it that iteration.  Otherwise, the observations 
completed with no further anomalous activity.

    1.2 Completed Two Sets of 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.  As described in 2.1 and 
HSTAR 8298, the acquisition for the first iteration of this proposal 
defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting all 
observations it that iteration.  Otherwise, no other problems were reported.

    1.3 Completed Seven 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.  As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8298, the acquisition 
for the first iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on 
one FGS only, possibly affecting all observations it that 
iteration.  Otherwise, the proposal completed nominally.

    1.4 Completed Seven 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.  As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8298, the acquisition for the first 
iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, 
possibly affecting all observations it that iteration.  Otherwise, the 
proposal completed with no further reported problems.

    1.5 Completed Two 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.

    1.6 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.

    1.7 Completed STIS/CCD 8678 (Galaxy Mass and the Fate of the ISM in 
Candidate Proto-Spheroidals at z~0.2-0.4)

        The Space telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain 
long-slit spectra for a sample of 5 faint blue compact galaxies {BCGs} at z 
~ 0.2 to 0.4.  The observations completed nominally.

    1.8 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 9052 (A Global Search for 
Alteration Minerals on Mars)

        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were 
used to perform high spatial resolution and moderate spectral resolution 
long-slit imaging spectroscopy of Mars, to search for and globally map the 
presence of iron-bearing minerals that are diagnostic of specific climatic 
conditions.  These hyperspectral image cubes will be complemented by 
near-simultaneous WFPC2 UV-VIS imaging that will allow us to quantify the 
effects of water ice clouds or other aerosols on our STIS spectra.  These 
STIS data will provide the ability to detect and map small abundances {~1 
jarosite K, Na, H_3OFe_3{SO_4}_2{OH}_6, goethite {AlphaFeOOH}, hematite 
{alphaFe_2O_3}, and other ferric and ferrous phases.  These minerals are 
formed under specific environmental conditions, and some are potential 
sinks for Martian atmospheric volatiles.  There were no reported problems.

    1.9 Completed Three Sets of WF/PC-2 8825 (Decontaminations and 
Associated Observations 4/4)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform the monthly decontaminations 
(decons).  Also included are instrument monitors tied to decons: 
photometric stability check, focus monitor, pre- and post-decon internals 
{bias, intflats, kspots, & darks}, UV throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and 
internal UV flat check.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.10 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.

    1.11 Completed Five Sets of 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.

    1.12 Completed WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 8573 (Newborn Planets and Brown Dwarf 
Companions in IC 348)

        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were 
used to search for young giant planets and brown dwarfs around ~100 
low-mass stars and brown dwarfs in the nearby cluster IC 348.  The 
observations completed with no reported problems.

    1.13 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8941 (Cycle 10 UV Earthflats)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flat field stability by obtaining 
sequences of earth streak flats to improve the quality of pipeline flat 
fields for the WFPC2 UV filter set.  The proposal had no problems.

    1.14 Completed Four Sets of FGS/1 9169 (An Interferometric Harvest of 
Double Degenerates)

        Fine Guidance Sensor #1R was used to observe the white dwarf mass 
and age distributions that hold clues to the star formation history of our 
Galaxy and the age of the disk.  No problems were reported.

    1.15 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 8909 (CCD Dispersion Solutions)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform 
wavelength dispersion solutions that are determined on a yearly basis as 
part of a long-term monitoring program and to obtain deep engineering 
wavecals for all CCD gratings at several wavelength centers.  The proposal 
completed with no reported problems.

    1.16 Completed STIS/CCD 9143 (Spectrophotometry of Nearby Seyfert 2 
Nuclei: Can We Eliminate the Seyfert 2 Class?)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to 
investigate Seyfert 2s that are distinguished by the absence of the broad 
emission lines characteristic of Seyfert 1s and more luminous QSOs.  Are 
Seyfert 2s fundamentally different from Seyfert 1s and their brighter 
cousins?  Or is the broad emission line region in Seyfert 2s simply 
suppressed by obscuring material as postulated by the unification 
model?  If the latter model is correct, the weak broad emission lines in 
the Seyfert 2s may simply be overwhelmed by starlight from the 
circumnuclear region, particularly in the case of recent star 
formation.  It is proposed to determine if all Seyfert 2s have {weak} broad 
emission line regions by obtaining long-slit STIS spectroscopy for a 
well-defined sample of 20 Seyfert 2s {3 archival, 17 new}.  The 
observations completed with no anomalous activity.

    1.17 Completed Six 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.

    1.18 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8569 (A New Survey for Low-Redshift Damped 
Lyman-Alpha Lines in QSO MgII Systems)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used to 
support studies which have shown that most of the observable neutral gas 
mass in the Universe resides in QSO damped LyAlpha {DLA} systems.  However, 
at low redshift, DLA can only be found by searching in the UV with HST.  By 
boot-strapping from the MgII statistics, we will be able to further improve 
the determination of the low- redshift statistical properties of DLA {their 
incidence and cosmological mass density} and open up new opportunities for 
studies at low redshift.  The observations completed nominally.

    1.19 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.

    1.20 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.

    1.21 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 9064 (HI Detection of an Extra-Solar 
Planetary Atmosphere)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to 
observe the extra-solar planet discovered around HD 209458 that is the 
unique one also detected through occultation.  During its transit, we will 
obtain spectra of the HI and DI Lyman-Alpha line at 1215 Angstrom.  No 
problems occurred.

    1.22 Completed Three 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.

    1.23 Completed WF/PC-2 8825 (Decontaminations and Associated 
Observations 4/4)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform the monthly decontaminations 
(decons).  Also included are instrument monitors tied to decons: 
photometric stability check, focus monitor, pre- and post-decon internals 
{bias, intflats, kspots, & darks}, UV throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and 
internal UV flat check.  The proposal completed with no reported problems.

    1.24 Completed Three Sets of STIS/MA1/MA2 8917 (MAMA Dispersion 
Solution Check)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to 
determine wavelength dispersion solutions on a yearly basis as part of a 
long-term monitoring program {implemented as Program 7651 in Cycle 7, 
Program 8430 in Cycle 8 and 8859 in Cycle 9}.  No anomalous activity was 
reported.

    1.25 Completed STIS/CCD 8881 (An Unbiased Survey of X-Ray and Optical 
Emission From Extended Radio Jets in AGN)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to an X-ray 
bright jet in the distant quasar PKS 0637-752 that shows that X-rays can be 
energetically dominant in relativistic jets.  The observations completed 
nominally.

    1.26 Completed WF/PC-2 9085 (Measuring The Masses Of High-Z Quasar Host 
Galaxies)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to investigate the close link between 
black-hole mass and spheroid mass in both quiescent and active galaxies in 
the local universe.  Consequently black-hole and spheroid formation/growth 
are now viewed as intimately related processes, and establishing the mass 
of quasar host galaxies as a function of redshift is now seen as a key 
measurement in observational cosmology.  From the Cycle 7 NICMOS program, 
the best estimate to date of the mass evolution of the hosts of both 
radio-quiet and radio-loud quasars out to z ~eq 2 has been derived.  Under 
the assumption of passive stellar-population evolution our results are 
consistent with the black-hole/spheroid population being unchanged out to z 
~eq 2.  However, the crucial assumption of passive evolution needs to be 
tested.  All observations competed nominally.

    1.27 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 9066 (Closing in on the Hydrogen 
Reionization Edge of the Universe)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in parallel 
constrain the Hydrogen reionization edge in emission that marks the 
transition from a neutral to a fully ionized IGM at a predicted 
redshifts.  The proposal completed uneventfully.

    1.28 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.

    1.29 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 9114 (SINS: The Supernova Intensive Study-- 
Cycle 10)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to 
perform closer observations of supernovae that will create the chemical 
history of the Universe, energize the interstellar gas, stiffen the spine 
of the extragalactic distance scale and provide the only evidence for an 
accelerating universe.  A
violent encounter is underway between the fast-moving debris and the 
stationary inner ring.  Monitoring this interaction will help solve the 
riddles of stellar evolution posed by the enigmatic three-ring system of SN 
1987A.  Our UV observations of Ly- Alpha emission reveal the present 
location and velocity of a remarkable reverse shock that provides a unique 
laboratory for studying fast shocks and a powerful tool for dissecting the 
structure of the vanished star.  No problems were encountered.

    1.30 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8857 (MAMA Sensitivity and 
Focus Monitor C9)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was 
used to monitor the sensitivity of each MAMA grating mode to detect any 
change due to contamination or other causes.  There were no problems.

    1.31 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 9136 (T Tauri Star Coronagraphic 
Survey: A PMS Protoplanetary Disk Census)

      The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe 
pre-main sequence solar-mass stars, the T Tauri stars that Millimeter and 
IR studies suggest at least 50 percent have circumstellar disks similar to 
the disk from which our planetary system formed.  High spatial resolution, 
high dynamic range imaging of such systems will map the spatial 
distribution of material around the star, constraining the disk sizes and 
inclinations, and provide a first assessment of when structure in the disk, 
such as cleared central zones and annuli, which has been linked to planet 
formation, develops.  All observations completed without incident.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions: 33
Successful: 33

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions: 14
Successful: 14

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 80
Successful: 80

    2.3 Operations Notes:

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

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

        TTRs were written for required re-transmits during a NSSC-1 uplink 
at 223/1245Z and during a 486 load at 225/0842Z.  For the first occurrence, 
it became necessary to reset the SI C&DH error counter (at 223/1250Z), 
using ROP NS-05.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW