HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2936

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 08/14/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 08/15/01

Daily Status Report as of 227/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Four 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.

    1.2 Completed Five 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 8304, the acquisition for the final iteration of 
this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly 
affecting two observations.  Otherwise, the observations completed with no 
further anomalous activity.

    1.3 Completed Two 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.  As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8304, 
the acquisition for the final iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine 
lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting six 
observations.  Otherwise, the observations completed nominally.

    1.4 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 8682 (A Snapshot Study of 
0bservational Cosmology)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to examine the observational constraints on 
the cosmic star formation history that is currently among the most active 
fields in observational cosmology.  The most widely used tracer of the 
co-moving volume-averaged star formation rate {SFR} is the UV luminosity 
density, which early results found to peak at z~1- 2.  The apparent 
identification of the primary epoch of metal production and star formation 
in the Universe led to intense theoretical and observational 
interest.  Nevertheless, and remarkably for such a fundamental observation, 
little is known about the history of star formation in the Universe beyond 
its global average.  There were no reported anomalies.

    1.5 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.

    1.6 Completed Four 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.

    1.7 Completed Four Sets of STIS/CCD 9285 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS 
Non-scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation III)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to make low 
galactic latitude, non-scripted parallel observations as part of a POMS 
test proposal.  As described in 2.1 and HSTAR 8304, the acquisition for the 
final iteration of this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS 
only, possibly affecting one observation.  Otherwise, the observations were 
completed as planned, and no other anomalies were reported.

    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 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.

    1.10 Completed Two 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.

    1.11 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2STIS/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.

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

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

    1.13 Completed Two 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.

    1.14 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.  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.

    1.15 Completed FGS/1 8777 (Calibrating Stellar Models with the 
Pleiades: Resolving the Distance Discrepancy-Cycle 9)

        FGS-1 was used to measure an accurate distance to the Pleiades and 
to resolve the problem raised by the Hipparcos results for this 
cluster.  The Hipparcos distance, taken at face value, indicates that 
solar-composition ZAMS stars are 30% fainter than previously believed.  The 
resolution to the Hipparcos distance problem is vital for understanding all 
the parallaxes that have come from that mission and hence this issue is 
fundamental to the cosmic distance scale. In this first phase we observed 
several spectroscopic binary systems with 2 to 3 year orbital periods to 
assertain the prospects for deriving visual orbits and hence orbital 
parallaxes for these cluster members.  The proposal completed with no 
reported problems.

    1.16 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.

    1.17 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.

    1.18 Completed STIS/CCD 9077 (Survey of the LMC Planetary Nebulae)

        The Space telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform 
a snapshot survey of all known LMC planetary nebulae {PNe} in order to 
study the co-evolution of the nebulae and their central stars, and to probe 
the chemical enrichment history of the LMC.  There were no reported problems.

    1.19 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.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions: 12
Successful: 12

        Per HSTAR 8304, the acquisition at 226/160635Z defaulted to fine 
lock backup on FGS-1 when the scan step limit was exceeded on FGS-2.  The 
proposals detailed in 1.2, 1.3 and 1.7 may have been affected.
  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  3
Successful:  3

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 27
Successful: 27

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared three times per ROP SR-1A.

        SSA transmitter #2 was turned on at 226/1027Z and turned off at 
226/1053Z as directed by ROP SR-1A.

        At 226/1641Z, per HSTAR 8305, the STIS data dump contained one 
packet of unexpected fill data.  The data was dumped again at 226/2050Z 
with the same result.

        There was a STIS EMC re-try at 226/172400Z.  The STIS flight 
software error counter was reset at 226/1750Z, using ROP NS-12.

        ESTR-2 was reconditioned at 227/0906Z per ROP RD-7A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW