ron
June 26th 09, 05:59 PM
Cassini Significant Events
for 06/17/09 - 06/23/09
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired
on June 23 from the Deep Space Network tracking
complex at Goldstone, California. The Cassini
spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and
all subsystems are operating normally.
Information on the present position and speed of
the Cassini spacecraft may be found on the
"Present Position" page at:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/presentposition/.
Wednesday, June 17 (DOY 168)
Thanks to an accurate orbit estimation and
execution for Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM) 201,
delivery of the spacecraft to Titan for the T57
flyby does not require further modification.
Therefore OTM-202 has been cancelled.
Monday, June 22 (DOY 173):
Today begins a week-long series of science
meetings and project status reports as part of
the 48th Cassini Project Science Group meeting.
The Target Working Team (TWT)/ Orbiter Science
Team (OST) integrated products for S56, covering
orbits 123 through 125, from December 2009
through January 2010, were delivered today. The
integrated products are in their final form and
no re-integration is planned. The next step in
sequence development, Science Operations Plan
(SOP) implementation, will kick off on July 8.
Between now and then, the instrument teams will
be working on pointing designs for the sequence.
TWT/OST teams deliver integrated sequence
products for the extended mission about every
five weeks.
Today Cassini passed Titan for the T57 flyby with
closest approach at approximately 12:52 PM PDT,
traveling at 6 km/sec, an altitude of 955 km, and
latitude 42.2 degrees S. The Ion and Neutral Mass
Spectrometer (INMS) was prime at closest approach
with an observation of the night side at mid
Southern latitudes. RADAR rode along with INMS
using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), outbound
altimetry, scatterometry, and radiometry. The SAR
runs parallel to tracks from T55 and T56 in the
southern hemisphere mapping sequence.
Radio Science (RSS) observed an ingress only
occultation, which was a unique opportunity that
probed the highest northern latitude ever
expected for the Cassini mission, at about 79
degrees North. The measurements will provide a
profile of the electron number density of the
ionosphere and will help characterize variability
in atmospheric conditions such as temperature,
pressure, extinction, turbulence, and gravity
waves as a function of latitude, in particular in
the region of the polar vortex. The
characterization is a prime science objective of
these Radio Science occultations. This was the
last Titan ionospheric and atmospheric
occultation in the Cassini Equinox Mission. The
experiment completed as planned with all data
successfully acquired.
The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS)
conducted mid-southern latitude far and mid
infrared vertical composition measurements.
Imaging Science had a 0.5-hour illuminated prime
observation primarily for photometry, then rode
along with the Visual and Infrared Mapping
Spectrometer (VIMS) to observe Titan's trailing
hemisphere at mid-southern latitudes and
relatively low phase angle, and with CIRS to
monitor clouds. On the inbound leg, the phase
angle is much larger than 90 degrees and VIMS
ride along observations provided information on
Titan's atmospheric composition. After closest
approach, VIMS observed the south polar region
riding along with CIRS.
The Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS)
obtained an image cube of Titan's atmosphere at
extreme and far ultraviolet wavelengths. These
cubes provide spectral and spatial information on
nitrogen emissions, H emission and absorption,
absorption by simple hydrocarbons, and the
scattering properties of haze aerosols. This is
one of many such cubes gathered over the course
of the mission to provide latitude and seasonal
coverage of Titan's middle atmosphere and stratosphere.
The Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument
measured thermal plasmas in Titan's ionosphere
and surrounding environment, searched for
lightning in Titan's atmosphere, and investigated
the interaction of Titan with Saturn's magnetosphere.
Visit the JPL Cassini home page for more
information about the Cassini Project:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/
------------------------
for 06/17/09 - 06/23/09
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired
on June 23 from the Deep Space Network tracking
complex at Goldstone, California. The Cassini
spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and
all subsystems are operating normally.
Information on the present position and speed of
the Cassini spacecraft may be found on the
"Present Position" page at:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/presentposition/.
Wednesday, June 17 (DOY 168)
Thanks to an accurate orbit estimation and
execution for Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM) 201,
delivery of the spacecraft to Titan for the T57
flyby does not require further modification.
Therefore OTM-202 has been cancelled.
Monday, June 22 (DOY 173):
Today begins a week-long series of science
meetings and project status reports as part of
the 48th Cassini Project Science Group meeting.
The Target Working Team (TWT)/ Orbiter Science
Team (OST) integrated products for S56, covering
orbits 123 through 125, from December 2009
through January 2010, were delivered today. The
integrated products are in their final form and
no re-integration is planned. The next step in
sequence development, Science Operations Plan
(SOP) implementation, will kick off on July 8.
Between now and then, the instrument teams will
be working on pointing designs for the sequence.
TWT/OST teams deliver integrated sequence
products for the extended mission about every
five weeks.
Today Cassini passed Titan for the T57 flyby with
closest approach at approximately 12:52 PM PDT,
traveling at 6 km/sec, an altitude of 955 km, and
latitude 42.2 degrees S. The Ion and Neutral Mass
Spectrometer (INMS) was prime at closest approach
with an observation of the night side at mid
Southern latitudes. RADAR rode along with INMS
using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), outbound
altimetry, scatterometry, and radiometry. The SAR
runs parallel to tracks from T55 and T56 in the
southern hemisphere mapping sequence.
Radio Science (RSS) observed an ingress only
occultation, which was a unique opportunity that
probed the highest northern latitude ever
expected for the Cassini mission, at about 79
degrees North. The measurements will provide a
profile of the electron number density of the
ionosphere and will help characterize variability
in atmospheric conditions such as temperature,
pressure, extinction, turbulence, and gravity
waves as a function of latitude, in particular in
the region of the polar vortex. The
characterization is a prime science objective of
these Radio Science occultations. This was the
last Titan ionospheric and atmospheric
occultation in the Cassini Equinox Mission. The
experiment completed as planned with all data
successfully acquired.
The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS)
conducted mid-southern latitude far and mid
infrared vertical composition measurements.
Imaging Science had a 0.5-hour illuminated prime
observation primarily for photometry, then rode
along with the Visual and Infrared Mapping
Spectrometer (VIMS) to observe Titan's trailing
hemisphere at mid-southern latitudes and
relatively low phase angle, and with CIRS to
monitor clouds. On the inbound leg, the phase
angle is much larger than 90 degrees and VIMS
ride along observations provided information on
Titan's atmospheric composition. After closest
approach, VIMS observed the south polar region
riding along with CIRS.
The Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS)
obtained an image cube of Titan's atmosphere at
extreme and far ultraviolet wavelengths. These
cubes provide spectral and spatial information on
nitrogen emissions, H emission and absorption,
absorption by simple hydrocarbons, and the
scattering properties of haze aerosols. This is
one of many such cubes gathered over the course
of the mission to provide latitude and seasonal
coverage of Titan's middle atmosphere and stratosphere.
The Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument
measured thermal plasmas in Titan's ionosphere
and surrounding environment, searched for
lightning in Titan's atmosphere, and investigated
the interaction of Titan with Saturn's magnetosphere.
Visit the JPL Cassini home page for more
information about the Cassini Project:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/
------------------------