Cassini Update - August 22, 2003

Cassini Significant Events
for 08/14/03 - 08/19/03

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Canberra
tracking station on Monday, August 18. 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 .

On board activities this week included a telemetry mode test and support
of a Deep Space Network array test at the Canberra complex in
Australia. Instrument activities included loading the Visual and
Infrared Mapping Spectrometer flight software and Radio and Plasma Wave
Science (RPWS) high rate observations and HFR calibrations. The
Composite Infrared Spectrometer and Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer
performed preliminary tests prior to the mute tests that will execute
next week. (The mute test assures that an instrument is completely quiet
on the data bus when it has been muted.)

A kick off meeting was held for the Verification and Validation (V&V) of
the live update process. Live updates will be required during the tour
when the on-board sequence requires timing or pointing changes based on
updated spacecraft or satellite position information. This is a
continuation of the Science and Sequence Update Process V&V performed
earlier this month.

RPWS has produced a pre-peer review volume of archive data, and a peer
review volume of the first Gravity Wave Experiment data for Planetary
Data System review.

The Science Planning Virtual Team continues work on cruise sequence C42,
the first approach science sequence, which includes the first set of
Saturn approach movies.

The Mission Support and Services office demonstrated the new Electronic
Command Request Form for members of the Spacecraft Operations Office.

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