HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

       DAILY REPORT #2970

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 10/03/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 10/04/01

Daily Status Report as of 277/0000Z

1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED:

    1.1 Completed Three 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.

    1.2 Completed 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.

    1.3 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.

    1.4 Completed 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.

    1.5 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.

    1.6 Completed Two 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 WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD 9267 (Supernova Search)

        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) were 
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.  No 
anomalous activity was reported.

    1.8 Completed Six Sets of WF/PC-2 8815 (Cycle 9 Earth Flats)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor flatfield stability.  This proposal 
obtains sequences of Earth streak flats to construct high quality flat 
fields for the WF/PC-2 filter set.  These flat fields will allow mapping of 
the OTA illumination pattern and will be used in conjunction with previous 
internal and external flats to generate new pipeline superflats.  The 
proposal completed nominally.

    1.9 Completed Two Sets of STIS/MA1/MA2 8920 (Cycle 10 MAMA Dark 
Measurements)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to 
perform the routine monitoring of the MAMA detector dark noise, and is the 
primary means of checking on health of the MAMA detectors systems through 
frequent monitoring of the background count rate.  The proposal completed 
with no reported anomalous activity.

    1.10 Completed WF/PC-2 9155 (The Cepheid Distance to NGC 1637: A Direct 
Comparison with the EPM Distance to SN 1999em)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to directly compare distances estimated by two 
primary extragalactic distance indicators. T he appearance of supernova 
1999em, a bright, extremely well- observed type II plateau event in the 
nearby SBc galaxy NGC 1637 offers the best chance to test the consistency 
of the Expanding Photosphere Method {EPM} of supernova distance 
determination with that derived from Cepheid variable stars.  Although EPM 
distances have been measured to 18 type II supernovae out to 180 Mpc and 
used to determine Hubble's constant independent of the Cepheid distance, 
there have never been any measurements of Cepheids in a galaxy that has 
hosted a normal type II-P supernova, the classic variety of core-collapse 
event to which EPM-derived distances are most robust.  The proposal 
completed nominally.

    1.11 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2/STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9127 (The UV 
interstellar Extinction in Nearby Galaxies: M33)

        The WF/PC-2 and the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 
and MA2) were used to investigate further the dust properties that vary in 
different environments and from galaxy to galaxy.  The proposers had 
previously used HST to determine the UV extinction curve in M31.  That 
result, together with other studies of the Magellanic Clouds and Milky Way, 
suggested that the dust particles vary and the proposers plan to enlarge 
the sample by studying the UV extinction properties of dust in M33, 
sampling different galactocentric distances and levels of star formation 
activity.  There were no reported problems.

    1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 8773 (Expansion Parallax Distances to Planetary 
Nebulae)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe planetary nebulae {PNe} for which 
the lack of reliable distances is especially troubling.  Acquired by 
generalized statistical methods in all but a handful of cases, individual 
PNe distances are often uncertain by factors of two or more.  The 
observations completed nominally.

    1.13 Completed 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.

    1.14 Completed STIS/CCD 8910 (Sparse Field CTE Test-Internal {Cycle 10})

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to perform 
CTE measurements that are made using the "sparse field test", along both 
the serial and parallel axes.  This program needs special commanding to 
provide {a} off-center MSM positionings of some slits, and {b} the ability 
to read out with any amplifier {A, B, C, or D}.  No problems were encountered.

    1.15 Completed WF/PC-2 9086 (Investigating the Formation History of 
Spiral Galaxy Halos)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to make observations in order to constrain the 
origin of spiral galaxy halos by studying stellar populations near the tip 
of the red giant branch.  This will be the first systematic study of this 
population in external galaxies and will quadruple the sample of normal 
spiral galaxies for which the halo metallicity distribution function is 
measured.  This larger sample will permit study of the relationship between 
the bulge, disk, and halo components and between halos and globular 
systems.  Such correlations will in turn provide indications as to whether 
the halo, bulge, and globular cluster systems built up nearly 
simultaneously in the early universe or were accreted over time through 
different kinds of merging events.  The proposal completed nominally.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions: 10
Successful: 10

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  5
Successful:  5

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 24
Successful: 24

    2.3 Operations Notes:

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

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW