Page 1 PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS ST ScI Use Only ID 3859c Report Date: 09-May-96:18:53 Version: ********** Check-in Date: ********** 1.Proposal Title: NIGHTTIME MEASUREMENTS OF NITRIC OXIDE- CONT OF 2544 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Category 3. Proposal For 4. Proposal Type 5. Continuation ID SOLAR SYSTEM SNAP 2 Long Term yrs 2544 Sub Category INNER PLANETS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6. Principal Investigator Institution Country Telephone Cassandra G. Fesen DARTMOUTH COLLEGE USA 603-646-2119 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7. Abstract We propose to make the first nighttime measurements of nitric oxide in the earth's lower thermosphere. Nitric oxide is an important constituent of the earth's upper atmosphere but has been poorly observed. The GHRS on the HST provides an extremely simple and efficient way to measure UV absorption bands of NO using B and/or O stars acquired by the GHRS for other GO/GTO investigations. Several minutes before the target is occulted by the earth, we request a change of grating to obtain NO altitude profiles. The only time requested for this project is the last few minutes before earth occultation, a period when the instrument would otherwise be idle. Atmospheric models have demonstrated that NO in the 80-120 km region is quite sensitive to vertical transport, especially at night. The transport is typically parameterized by the eddy diffusion coefficient which is poorly known. The unique HST measurements would test and refine our knowledge of the earth's upper atmospheric diffusion processes. Once the technique is attempted and tested, it would be relatively easy for STScI to perform these observations routinely, disposing them to the archives for use by any interested scientist. This is a cheap, easy way to monitor the earth's atmosphere which should be exploited. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9. Est obs time (hours) pri: 1.87 par: 0 10. Num targs pri: 16 par: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Instruments requested: HRS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Page 2 I. GENERAL FORM Proposal 3859c PI: Cassandra G. Fesen Proposal Title: NIGHTTIME MEASUREMENTS OF NITRIC OXIDE- CONT OF 2544 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. Proposers: Proposers Institution Country ESA ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ John C. Brandt COLORADO, UNIVERSITY OF USA P.I. Cassandra G. Fesen DARTMOUTH COLLEGE USA Robert A. Fesen DARTMOUTH COLLEGE USA Raymond G. Roble NCAR USA Jean-Claude M. Gerard LIEGE, UNIVERSITY OF BELGIUM X ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2. Scientific Justification. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 11. Address Information Name: CASSANDRA G. FESEN Category: PI Institution: DARTMOUTH COLLEGE Address: THAYER SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING 8000 CUMMINGS HALL City: HANOVER State: NH Zip Code: 03755 Country: USA Telephone: 603-646-2119 Telex (or e-mail): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ TARGET LIST a) Fixed Targets ID = 3859c [ 3] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Tar| Target | Target | Target |Coord | Radial |Acqui|FLX| Flux data No | Name | Description | Position |Eqnx | Vel. |Prblm|REF| | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 HD91316 RHO- A, 110 RA = 10H 32M 48.6S +/- J2000 1 V = 3.85, TYPE=B1IB LEO 0.002S, 2 F-LINE(1830) = 1.39E-9 DEC = 9D 18' 24" +/- 0.002", ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 HD037128 A, 110 RA = 5H 36M 12.8S +/- J2000 1 V = 1.7, TYPE=B0I EPSILON-ORI 0.002S, DEC = -1D 12' 07" +/- 0.002", ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 HD116658 A, 110 RA = 13H 25M 11.6S +/- J2000 1 V = 0.98, TYPE=B1 III ALPHA-VIR 0.002S, DEC = -11D 9' 41" +/- 0.002", ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 HD38771 A, 110 RA = 05H 47M 45.3S +/- J2000 1 V = 2.06, TYPE= B0.5I KAPPA-ORI 0.002S, DEC = -9D 40' 11" +/- 0.002", ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EXPOSURE LOGSHEET ID = 3859c [ 4] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |10 | 11 | 12 |13 |14| 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Line | Seq | Target |Instr | Oper. | Aper |Spectral|Central| Optional |Num| Time | S/N |Flx|Pr| Special Number | Name | Name |Config| Mode |or FOV |Element |Waveln.| Parameters |Exp| |Rel. Time|Ref| | Requirements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 HD91316 HRS RAPID 2.0 G160M 1829 SAMPLE-TIME=0.9 1 70S 25 1 1 CYCLE 2 0.9S PCS MODE G Comments: SCHEDULE ALL TARGETS AS THEY ARE OCCULTED BY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE (DARK RIM ONLY). SCHEDULE THIS OBSET IN THE SAME SCHEDULING UNIT AS THE OBSET OF THE SAME TARGET IN PROPOSAL 3746. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2 HD037128 HRS RAPID 2.0 G160M 1829 SAMPLE-TIME=0.9 1 70S 25 1 1 CYCLE 2 0.9S PCS MODE G Comments: SCHEDULE ALL TARGETS AS THEY ARE OCCULTED BY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE (DARK RIM ONLY). SCHEDULE THIS OBSET IN THE SAME SCHEDULING UNIT AS THE OBSET OF THE SAME TARGET IN PROPOSAL 3472. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 HD116658 HRS RAPID 2.0 G160M 1829 SAMPLE-TIME=0.9 1 70S 25 1 1 CYCLE 2 0.9S PCS MODE G Comments: SCHEDULE ALL TARGETS AS THEY ARE OCCULTED BY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE (DARK RIM ONLY). SCHEDULE THIS OBSET IN THE SAME SCHEDULING UNIT AS THE OBSET OF THE SAME TARGET IN PROPOSAL 3323. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 HD116658 HRS RAPID 2.0 G160M 1829 SAMPLE-TIME=0.9 1 70S 25 1 1 CYCLE 2 0.9S PCS MODE G Comments: SCHEDULE ALL TARGETS AS THEY ARE OCCULTED BY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE (DARK RIM ONLY). SCHEDULE THIS OBSET IN THE SAME SCHEDULING UNIT AS THE OBSET OF THE SAME TARGET IN PROPOSAL 3472. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 5 HD38771 HRS RAPID 2.0 G160M 1829 SAMPLE-TIME=0.9 1 70S 25 1 1 CYCLE 2 0.9S PCS MODE G Comments: SCHEDULE ALL TARGETS AS THEY ARE OCCULTED BY EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE (DARK RIM ONLY). SCHEDULE THIS OBSET IN THE SAME SCHEDULING UNIT AS THE OBSET OF THE SAME TARGET IN PROPOSAL 1168 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Summary Form for Proposal 3859c [ 5] Item Used in this proposal ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Configurations HRS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Opmodes RAPID ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Optional Parameters SAMPLE-TIME=0.9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Proposal for SNAP ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ S/C Hours 1.87 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Category SOLAR SYSTEM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Scientific Sub-category INNER PLANETS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Special Requirements CYCLE 2; PCS MODE G; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Spectral Elements G160M ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Target Names HD91316 RHO-LEO HD037128 EPSILON-ORI HD116658 ALPHA-VIR HD38771 KAPPA-ORI ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------