HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE

       DAILY REPORT #2998

PERIOD COVERED:  0000Z (UTC) 11/14/01 - 0000Z (UTC) 11/15/01

Daily Status Report as of 319/0000Z

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 Seven 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 Two 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.

    1.4 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.

    1.5 Completed WF/PC-2 9080 (Transition from Non-radiative to Radiative 
Shocks in the Cygnus Loop)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to obtain narrow band HAlpha and O III imaging 
of faint filaments in the northeastern Cygnus Loop that represent the 
location of the primary shock front as it first encounters the ISM.  There 
were no reported problems.

    1.6 Completed Eight 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 STIS/CCD/MA1/MA2 9153 (The Black Hole {?} in BG Gem)

        The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (CCD, MA1 and MA2) was 
used to acquire low resolution ultraviolet spectra of the long period black 
hole binary candidate BG Geminorum.  These spectra allow an unambiguous 
test of the nature of the 4.5 M{sun} primary star, which makes no 
measurable contribution to the optical spectrum.  Detection of a strong 
ultraviolet continuum or ultraviolet absorption lines from Si II and Si III 
{among others} would indicate a B-type primary; failure to detect these 
features or detection of high ionization emission lines would favor a black 
hole primary.  If it contains a black hole, BG Gem would be the longest 
period black hole binary known {by a factor of ten}, challenging current 
theories of black hole formation.  It would also be the only eclipsing 
binary known to contain a black hole, which would provide a unique 
laboratory for testing accretion disk models for black hole binary 
systems.  The proposal completed as planned.

    1.8 Completed 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.

    1.9 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 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 WF/PC-2 9118 (Tracing the Cosmic Expansion to z>1 with 
Type Ia Supernovae)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe type Ia supernovae in order to 
provide evidence for an accelerating universe.  The case for cosmic 
acceleration rests almost entirely on the observation that the observed SN 
Ia at z~0.5 are 0.25 magnitudes fainter than expected for a 
non-accelerating Universe.  It is proposed to follow five SN Ia in the 
range 0.95<z<1.2 using the 850LP filter.  When combined with a ground-based 
J-band follow-up campaign, the proposers can expect to measure the mean 
luminosity distance of the sample at z~ 1.05 to better than 5.  At these 
redshifts, the effect of Omega_Lambda has all but vanished and the Universe 
was decelerating due to its known matter content.  Because any simple 
systematic error will deviate substantially from the non-monotonic effect 
of a Omega_Lambda > 0 cosmology, this experiment is a powerful and 
straightforward way to assess the reliability of the SN Ia 
measurements.  In addition, if SN Ia are reliable standard candles, the 
proposed observations will significantly increase the precision with which 
Omega_Lambda and Omega_M are measured.  There was no reported anomalous 
activity.

    1.12 Completed WF/PC-2 8942 (Cycle 10 Intflat Sweeps and Linearity Test)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to monitor the pixel-to-pixel flatfield 
response and provide a linearity check.  These intflat sequences are done 
once during the year and the images will provide a backup database in the 
event of complete failure of the visflat lamp as well as allow monitoring 
of the gain ratios.  There were no reported problems.

    1.13 Completed Two 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.

    1.14 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.

    1.15 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.

    1.16 Completed WF/PC-2 9173 (The Pattern of Heavy Element Abundances in 
a Damped LyAlpha Galaxy)

        The WF/PC-2 was used to observe the quasar PKS 1127-143.  X-ray 
absorption associated with an intervening 21-cm and damped LyAlpha$ 
absorber at z=0.312 in its spectrum has been detected with Chandra.  The 
advantage of the X- ray measurement is that the derived metallicity is 
insensitive to ionization, inclusion of an atom in a molecule, or depletion 
onto grains.  The X-ray absorption is mostly due to oxygen, and the 
abundance agrees with the oxygen abundance of 16-40 lines in a galaxy at 
the redshift of the absorber.  The STIS spectrum will allow measurement 
of  Zn II, an undepleted iron peak element.  Comparison of the oxygen group 
measured in the X-rays with the iron peak nuclei measured will reveal 
whether the absorber has a Pop II, halo-type abundance pattern or a Pop I, 
disk-like abundance pattern.  The proposla completed with no reported 
anomalous activity.

2.0 FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

    2.1 Guide Star Acquisitions:
       Scheduled Acquisitions:  9
Successful:  9

  Scheduled Re-acquisitions:  4
Successful:  4

    2.2 FHST Updates:
Scheduled: 22
Successful: 22

    2.3 Operations Notes:

        The SSR EDAC error counter was cleared at 318/1243Z per ROP SR-1A.

3.0 SIGNIFICANT FORTHCOMING EVENTS:

        GSFC Internal Simulation #12 (Deploy) will be conducted in the 
STOCC area today from 8 a.m. to approximately 4 p.m.

        Continuation of normal science observations and calibrations.

/CAW