Science with the Hubble Space Telescope - III: two decades and counting

The WFC3 on-orbit calibration program
The Wide Field Camera 3 provides HST with greatly enhanced imaging capabilities. The on-orbit characterization and calibration of WFC3 is a multifaceted activity that supports a broad variety of science programs. This presentation will discuss the design of the WFC3 SMOV, Cycle 17, and Cycle 18 Calibration programs. Results from these programs will be discussed including the acquisition of the first generation of on-orbit detector, photometric, and astrometric calibrations, the demonstration of the intrinsic stability of the instrument's calibration, and our efforts to understand several limiting characteristics. Initiatives to better understand the detectors and to expand the parameter space for future science observations will be presented.
J. MacKenty 21 Oct 2010 (pdf)