HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

       DAILY REPORT #2968

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 10/01/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 10/02/01

Daily Status Report as of 275/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

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

         The WF/PC-2 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.

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

    1.3 Completed STIS/CCD 9083 (Critical Spectroscopic Variations In Eta 
Carinae)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to observe 
the very massive, unstable, persistently enigmatic star Eta Carinae that 
has implications for several branches of astrophysics.  Despite a series of 
remarkable discoveries in previous HST data, the nature of the central 
object remains elusive.  Fortunately, recent developments offer, for the 
first time, an approach that can settle a number of long-standing questions 
which have been obstacles to understanding this unique object.  A 5.5-year 
spectroscopic and X-ray cycle is now well established.  STIS provides the 
most promising and very likely the only way to test whether Eta Car is a 
5.5-year binary system.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.4 Completed Four 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.

    1.5 Completed Four Sets of WF/PC-2 8936 (Cycle 10 Supplemental Darks Pt1/3)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to perform a dark calibration program that 
obtains three dark frames every day to provide data for monitoring and 
characterizing the evolution of hot pixels.  The proposal completed with no 
reported problems.

    1.6 Completed Four Sets of STIS/CCD 8901 (Dark Monitor-Part 1)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to monitor 
the darks.  There was no anomalous activity.

    1.7 Completed STIS/CCD 9242 (Critical Spectroscopic Variations In Eta 
Carinae)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure 
the foreground interstellar absorption lines in the spectrum of Eta Carinae 
while it is near spectroscopic maximum.  The proposer also will be able to 
measure velocity variations from the star above and below in the 
nebulosity.  The observations completed with no reported problems.

    1.8 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8103 (A Global Picture of White Dwarfs in 
Cataclysmic Variables)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to 
make ultraviolet spectrographic observations of the white dwarf star that 
is located in the cataclysmic variable star system known as TY-PSC.  The 
observations were executed as scheduled, and no problems were reported.

    1.9 Completed S/C 5582 (FOC/48 Monthly Activation (Camera Section 
Only): Cycle 4)

         This proposal was executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted.

    1.10 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8903 (Bias Monitor - Part 1)

        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.  There were no problems.

    1.11 Completed FOC/96 7923 (FOC F/96 Turn-on)

        The Faint Object Camera (f/96) was used to take an internal flat 
and a dark to ensure that the 30-day limit for the FOC is not 
exceeded.  The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies 
were noted.

    1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 9087 (Black Hole X-ray Transients and X-ray 
Binaries in M31)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to search for M31 for x-ray transients which 
had previously been seen as part of the Chandra Guaranteed Time 
Observations {GTO} program.  The x-ray properties of these transient 
sources {spectra, variability} allow us to determine whether the accreting 
object is a black hole or a neutron star.  It is proposed to determine the 
nature of the mass-losing star.  Massive stars will show little {<2 mag} 
change in their UV luminosities during outbursts, while low-mass stars will 
show large {>5 mag} changes in their UV luminosities.  By determining the 
nature of the primary {accreting} and secondary stars in these x-ray 
transients, we will have the first dataset that will allow the evolution of 
black hole and neutron star binaries to be studied in an external 
galaxy.  The proposal completed nominally.

    1.13 Completed 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.

    1.14 Completed WF/PC-2 9125 (Are there Large Dust Grains in Orion's 
Proto-Planetary Disks?)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to acquire dithered PC images of six of the 
largest circumstellar disks in the Orion nebula to study the unique 
properties of dust within these systems.  No anomalous activity occurred.

    1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 9232 (Confirmation of Black Hole, Planetary, and 
Binary Microlensing Events)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to collect images of five MACHO Project 
microlensing events in order to confirm our microlensing models which 
indicate that these events were caused by black holes and stars with 
extra-solar planets.  No problems were reported.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

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

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  5
Successful:  5

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 21
Successful: 21

    2.3 Operations Notes:

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

        The engineering status buffer was dumped and cleared at 274/1248Z 
per ROP DF-18A.

        SSA transmitter #1 was turned on and off for the interval 
274/150317Z to 274/155130Z as directed by ROP IC-2.

        The ephemeris table was uplinked at 275/0300Z, using ROP DF-07A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW