HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

   DAILY REPORT #2937

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 08/15/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 08/16/01

Daily Status Report as of 228/0000Z

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 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.

    1.3 Completed Four 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 HSTAR 8306 and 2.1, the acquisition for the 4th iteration of 
this proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly 
affecting four observations.  Otherwise, the observations completed with no 
other anomalous activity.

    1.4 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.

    1.5 Completed Eight 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.

    1.6 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.

    1.7 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.

    1.8 Completed Nine 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.

    1.9 Completed STIS/CCD 9148 (Light Echos and the Nature of Type Ia 
Supernovae)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to take 
STIS snapshot images of a subset of 43 well observed Type Ia supernovae 
{SNIa}, most of which have been discovered in late type galaxies over the 
last 40 years to make a systematic search for light echos around SN 
Ia.  STIS will also observe a sample of 10 SN II and SN Ib/c, which are 
believed to be the result of massive star core collapse and, therefore, to 
be thin-disk population objects, in order to make an empirical calibration 
of the accuracy of our method for determining scale heights.  The SN Ia 
sample will provide a direct as well as accurate estimate of the scale 
height of SN Ia which is an important clue to the progenitors of these 
events.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.10 Completed 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.  The observations were completed as planned, and no 
anomalies were reported.

    1.11 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA2 9165 (A Damped LyAlpha System 
in a Close Separation Lens)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) observed 
damped LyAlpha absorption systems that hold key information about galaxy 
formation and chemical evolution of the universe.  It is proposed to 
conduct spatially resolved absorption line spectroscopy in the only 
presently known DLA system with two independent lines of sight.  This 
object was discovered recently by us in the course of an ongoing HST 
snapshot survey as a double QSO at z=1.57 with an image separation of only 
0.63 arcsec, almost certainly due to gravitational lensing.  The 
ground-based composite optical spectrum shows an exceptionally strong Mg 
II+ Fe II absorption system at z=0.93, which clearly indicates the presence 
of a damped LyAlpha absorber {DLA} in the line of sight.  The observations 
ended nominally.

    1.12 Completed STIS/MA2 8917 (MAMA Dispersion Solution Check)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (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.

    1.13 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.

    1.14 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.

    1.15 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.

    1.16 Completed WF/PC-2 9267 (Supernova Search)

        The WF/PC-2 was 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.  As described in HSTAR 8306 and 2.1, the acquisition for this 
proposal defaulted to fine lock backup on one FGS only, possibly affecting 
ten observations.  Otherwise, no further anomalous activity was reported.

    1.17 Completed STIS/CCD 9248 (Probing the Large Scale Structure: Cosmic 
Shear)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe 
the distortion of light bundles from distant galaxies in order to probe the 
statistical properties of the intervening inhomogeneous {dark} matter 
distribution.  There were no reported problems.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions:  8
Successful:  8

        Per HSTAR 8306, the acquisition at 227/152001Z defaulted to fine 
lock backup on FGS-2 when the scan step limit was exceeded on FGS-1.  The 
proposals detailed in 1.3 and 1.16 may have been affected.
  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  7
Successful:  7

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 15
Successful: 15

    2.3 Operations Notes:

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

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW