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Cassini Update - October 17, 2003



 
 
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Old October 17th 03, 05:50 PM
Ron Baalke
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Default Cassini Update - October 17, 2003


Cassini Significant Events
for 10/09/03 - 10/15/03

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Madrid
tracking station on Monday, October 15. The Cassini spacecraft is in an
excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the
present position and speed of the Cassini spacecraft may be found on
the "Present Position" web page located at
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operation...t-position.cfm .

C39 activities this week included a continuation of last week's star
observations and calibrations with the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph
(UVIS), Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS), and Imaging
Science Subsystem (ISS) performing observations of alpha CMa. In
addition, UVIS and ISS participated in image compression checkouts,
wide-angle camera photometric calibrations, and blue star observations.

RADAR powered on this week, loaded flight software (FSW) from the SSR,
and performed a nominal flight software (FSW) checkout. A VIMS FSW
checkout was uplinked that will execute next week.

As part of this week's imaging activities, a number of calibration field
images and optical navigation images of the Saturnian system was taken.
None of the images was acquired due to the DSN station not locking up in
time to support the downlink. Analysis of the current partition pointers
and the planned recording during the current observation period make the
recovery of the data impossible. The data will be overwritten before
the next DSN pass. Another opportunity for this activity has already
been planned for early in the Saturn approach phase.

Preliminary Sequence Integration and Validation (PSIV) and Final SIV
sequence approval meetings were held this week for C40. After approval,
the background sequence for C40 was uplinked to the spacecraft. The
spacecraft successfully received all eight programs. Three of the eight
were successfully placed in the CDS activation table. The remaining
five are load-only programs - cyclics - and are waiting to be called by
the background sequence program. Instrument Expanded Blocks for Ion and
Neutral Mass Spectrometer, ISS, Radio and Plasma Wave Science, and UVIS
were also uplinked.

This week marked the 6th Anniversary of the Cassini Launch on October
15th, 1997. The event fortuitously coincided with the 32nd Project
Science Group meeting being held at JPL. This allowed many of the
flight team members to get together to recognize this event.

The first preliminary port for science operations plan (SOP) integration
of tour sequences S05 and S06, and the second preliminary port for the
science planning team process for C43 occurred this week. Science
Planning has begun the process of generating the handoff package for
C42, the first approach science sequence.

A lab-wide display of the best of this week's Saturn images was
displayed as part of the PSG activities.

The Navigation Team completed the simulation of the Trajectory
Correction Maneuver (TCM) 22 approval and validation meetings as a part
of the Navigation Saturn Orbit Insertion approach Test & Training
activity. The simulation of the TCM Go/No Go meeting will be conducted
next week.

A suite of Cassini-centric training classes was offered concurrently
with the PSG. The timing was desirable to be able to provide necessary
training to new flight team members to enable them to support Approach
Science and tour operations. Uplink Operations coordinated and provided
training in the Pointing Design Tool, Science Opportunity Analyzer,
Cassini Information Management System, Automated Sequence Processor, and
the Sequence Team process. Deep Space Mission System personnel gave
instruction in Distributed Object Manager and the Multi-mission Ground
Data System/DMD. Mission Support & Services Office gave training in
Cassini specific security requirements and the Cassini SOS help desk,
Instrument Operations lectured on the Planetary Data System and the
E-Kernel, System Engineering gave talks on anomaly response and helpful
stuff - miscellaneous items - of use to flight team members, and the
Navigation Ancillary Information Facility provided a talk on Spacecraft,
Planet, Instruments, C-matrix, and Events kernels.

Implementation began this week to transition the flight team from the
existing cruise schedule to the tour schedule. Meetings have been
aligned with tour processes to best enable all necessary flight team
members to attend without schedule conflicts. The schedule will be in
place and become active as of October 20th along with the start of the
tour SSUP process for C42.

Cassini held a Delivery Coordination Meeting for the new Tracking,
Telemetry, Command and Mission Data Management Services (TTC&DM) V28.1
software. This version supports the new Cassini workstation operating
system and contains numerous enhancements including new telemetry packet
processing. Deployment of the Solaris 9 OS has begun.

A Software Requirements Certification Review delivery meeting was held
for Composite InfraRed Spectrometer v3.0 FSW. The FSW has been accepted
to the project software library and approved for processing to uplink as
part of the C40 sequence activities. Pending resolution of a few open
items, the FSW will be uplinked to the spacecraft in early November.

Cassini/MSSO has requested the DSN Network Operations Project Engineer
and TMS Manager initiate a team to look into Cassini's problems with
high-rate telemetry (TLM) lockup. The objective is to be able to
reliably achieve required TLM lockup times by start of Approach Science
mission phase 10 January '04.

Cassini outreach provided DVD copies of the new planetarium show to
visiting investigators attending this week's PSG meeting. Outreach also
attended the International Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough,
Tennessee to search for new and unique ways to present NASA mission
information to the public.

A number of articles was published recently related to the possibility
of the Huygens probe encountering liquid lakes when it descends upon
Titan in 2005. For more information, go to the following:

http://www.esa.int/export/esaCP/SEM1...D_index_0.html
First Extra solar Planets, now Extra solar Moons!
European Space Agency
8 October 2003

Delving Into the Liquid Intrigue of Saturn's Biggest Moon
By KENNETH CHANG
New York Times
October 7, 2003

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994227
Radar reveals Titan's methane lakes
Stuart Clark
New Scientist
02 October 03

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases...pbell.bpf.html
Cornell-led astronomers cut through Titan's atmosphere to find evidence
for hydrocarbon lakes.

Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and
the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of
the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the
Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

Cassini Outreach
Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
National Aeronautics and Space Administration

 




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