HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE DAILY REPORT #2972 PERIOD COVERED: 0000Z (UTC) 10/05/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 10/09/01 Daily Status Report as of 282/0000Z 1.0 OBSERVATIONS SCHEDULED AND ACCOMPLISHED: 1.1 Completed STIS/CCD 9187 (A Lyman Limit Snapshot Survey: The Search for Candidate D/H Absorbers) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to measure D/H in gas clouds seen against background QSOs. This provides a unique and fundamental cosmological probe of the baryonic density parameter. To date, most of the QSO absorption line D/H constraints have been derived at high redshift. In this proposal the proposers investigate a lower redshift range, because there are two potentially crucial advantages to be gained by carrying out D/H measurements at intermediate redshift. First, the background of HI forest lines is lower and contamination of the DI feature is significantly reduced. Second, a far larger sample of very bright QSOs exists. There were no reported problems. 1.2 Completed STIS/CCD 9128 (A Snapshot Survey of Absorption Lines from High Velocity Clouds in the Milky Way) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to search for Mg II and Mg I absorption from Galactic High Velocity Clouds {HVCs} along the sightlines of 51 of the brightest QSOs, BL Lacs and Seyfert 2 galaxies in the sky. The observations completed with no reported problems. 1.3 Completed STIS /MA2 8590 (UV Imaging and Spectroscopy of Luminous Blue Compact Galaxies from z=0 to z=1) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA2) was used to observe two well-defined samples of low-mass starburst galaxies, one in the local universe {z<0.1} and another at intermediate redshifts {0.2 < z < 0.7}. Both samples show optical sizes, morphologies, emission line widths, and luminosities comparable to those of LBGs at z=3, and are therefore probably the best local analogs and testbeds for further study of LBGs. Our main goals are to: {1} explore the morphologies, surface brightness distributions, and half-light radii of nearby starforming galaxies in the FUV, near Ly-alpha; {2} search for systematic differences among UV, optical, and near-IR morphologies and structural parameters; {3} investigate the intrinsic emission and absorption spectra near Ly-alpha of starbursting dwarf galaxies, with special attention to Ly- alpha profiles and interstellar and stellar photospheric absorption from Si II, O I, C II, Si IV, and C IV; {4} measure their FUV-optical colors and dust extinction properties; and {5} test the hypothesis that low-mass starbursts are the local counterparts of LBGs. The observation completed normally. 1.4 Completed Seven 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. 1.5 Completed FGS/1 9034 (The Masses and Luminosities of Population II Stars) Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to observe the mass-luminosity relation {MLR} of Population II stars of which very little is currently known. With the advent of the Hipparcos Catalogue, improved distances to many spectroscopic binaries known to be Pop II systems are now available. After surveying the literature and making reasonable estimates of the secondary masses, we find 13 systems whose minimum separation should be larger than the resolution limit of FGS #1. The observations completed nominally. 1.6 Completed Sixteen 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. 1.7 Completed Eight Sets of WF/PC-2 8932 (Decontaminations and Associated Observations Pt. 1/3) The WF/PC-2 was used for the monthly WFPC2 decons. Also included are instrument monitors tied to decons: photometric stability check, focus monitor, pre- and post-decon internals {bias, intflats, kspots, &and darks}, UV throughput check, VISFLAT sweep, and internal UV flat check. No problems were reported. 1.8 Completed Four 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. 1.9 Completed Five Sets of 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. 1.10 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1 8684 (Emission Lines from Photoionized Accretion Disks and Winds in AGNs) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to observe the origin and dynamics of the gas that produces the broad optical and ultraviolet emission lines in AGNs, a fundamental gap that remains in our knowledge of AGNs. The proposal completed with no reported problems. 1.11 Completed Two Sets of STIS/MA1/MA2 8860 (MAMA Fold Distribution) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (MA1 and MA2) was used to monitor the performance of MAMA microchannel plates using a MAMA fold analysis procedure. The fold analysis provides a measurement of the distribution of charge cloud sizes incident upon the anode giving some measure of changes in the pulse-height distribution of the MCP and, therefore, MCP gain. There were no problems. 1.12 Completed FGS/1 9230 (Parallaxes of Magnetic CVs) Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to perform trigonometric parallaxes of cataclysmic variable {CVs} that are needed to obtain reliable information on luminosities, accretion rates, and on radii and masses of the stellar components. All observations completed without incident. 1.13 Completed Fourteen 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. 1.14 Completed Seven 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. 1.15 Completed Three Sets of STIS/CCD 8896 (The Circumstellar Disk of eps Eridani) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used to obtain coronagraphic images of the central region of the disk surrounding eps Eri. There were no reported problems. 1.16 Completed Fourteen 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. 1.17 Completed Four 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. 1.18 Completed FGS/1 9237 (The Masses of the O-type Binary 15 Monocerotis) Fine Guidance Sensor #1 was used to observe the O-type star 15 Mon {HD 47839} that was recently discovered to be an astrometric and spectroscopic binary with an orbital period of 25 years. It is the first known O-star system to bridge the observational gap between the period regimes normally probed by these techniques. The observations completed with no reported problems. 1.19 Completed Two Sets of 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. 1.20 Completed WF/PC-2 9060 (Photometry of a Statistically Significant Sample of Kuiper Belt Objects) The WF/PC-2 was used to propel the physical study of KBOs forward by performing accurate photometry at V, R, and I on a sample of up to 150 KBOs. The sample is made up of objects that will be observed at thermal infrared wavelengths by SIRTF and will be used with those data to derive the first accurate diameters and albedos for a large sample of KBOs. The observations completed nominally. 1.21 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 8205 (UV Spectroscopy of Infalling Cometary Material in Solar-Type Pre-Main Sequence Stars) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was used to test whether models for the formation of the Solar System really predict that an intermediate stage in planet formation was the assembly of material in the disk into planetesimals, and that this should be a common step in the evolution of planetary systems. There were no problems with these observations. 1.22 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. 1.23 Completed Five 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. 1.24 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 9090 (Transition Region Emission in Very Low Mass Stars) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to determine the origin of the magnetic heating which produces hot outer atmospheres in late-type stars and is one of the most interesting, and elusive, problems in stellar astrophysics. No anomalies were encountered. 1.25 Completed Two Sets of WF/PC-2 9257 (Cycle 10 Super-PSF) The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain deep images of the WFPC2 Point Spread Function (PSF) in several broadband filters in order to investigate the 2-dimensional structure in the PSF wings and characterize the change in structure with varying focus and target color. There were no reported problems. 1.26 Completed Two Sets of STIS/CCD 9284 (POMS Test Proposal: STIS Non-Scripted Parallel Proposal Continuation IV) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD) was used in the parallel mode to make some low galactic latitude archive observations. The observations were executed as scheduled, and no anomalies were noted. 1.27 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. 1.28 Completed STIS/CCD/MA1 8919 (MAMA Sensitivity and Focus Monitor C10) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA1) was used to monitor the sensitivity of each MAMA grating mode to detect any change due to contamination or other causes, and also to monitor the STIS focus in a spectroscopic and an imaging mode. All observations were successful. 1.29 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. 1.30 Completed WF/PC-2 9142 (The Structure and Physics of Extragalactic Jets) The WF/PC-2 was used to perform an ongoing investigation into the physics of jets. It is proposed to obtain polarimetry of the jets of 3C 264 and 3C 78. No problems were reported. 1.31 Completed STIS/CCD/MA2 8673 (The Properties of Ly-Alpha Absorbers at Redshifts Between 0.9HST) The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD and MA2) was used obtain new Echelle resolution spectra of three bright quasars which, when combined with archived and scheduled observations, will be used to characterize the properties of Ly-Alpha absorbers in the redshift range 0.9