February 27th 06, 06:32 AM
Cassini Significant Events
for 02/16/06 - 02/22/06
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired Wednesday, February
22,
from the Goldstone tracking stations. 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/operations/present-position.cfm .
Thursday, February 16 (DOY 047):
The passive microwave radiometer of Cassini's RADAR instrument
collected
distant Titan data for radiometer science and calibration from a
distance of
2.4 million km. Operating at 13.78 GHz, the radiometer measured
brightness
and polarization of Titan's microwave emission. This information will
contribute to the science goal of determining surface properties such
as
temperature, composition, and roughness.
Friday, February 17 (DOY 048):
The S21 Science Operations Plan Update process began today. The
kick-off
meeting will occur Tuesday, February 21. The process will run for 5
weeks
and conclude on March 24.
Saturn Observation Campaign members held events this month in:
San Francisco and Martinez, CA
Plano, Crowell, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Corsicana, Texas
New Port Richey and Orlando, Florida
Gilbert, Arizona
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Steilacoom, Washington
Paragould, Arkansas
Broomfield, Colorado
Devens, Massachusetts.
International events were also held in Germany and Portugal, reaching
over
3,000 attendees. Cascade, Wisconsin will try again Feb 24th, after a
weather
cancellation earlier in the month.
Monday, February 20 (DOY 051):
The sequence leads for S18 uplinked commands to update a RADAR trigger,
and
three Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) triggers. All are
registered and
active on-board the spacecraft. The commands will execute on Saturday
prior
to next week's Titan flyby.
Radio Science (RSS) performed Ultra Stable Oscillator characterization
and
periodic instrument maintenance activities today. In addition, RSS
team
members supported an operations readiness test for Titan gravity
science.
Tuesday, February 21 (DOY 052):
Cassini Outreach showed views of Saturn and its moons Titan, Iapetus,
Rhea,
Tethys and Dione to over 100 students and parents at the Santa Fe
Middle
School, Monrovia, CA annual Parent Teacher Association Founders Day
celebration.
Wednesday, February 22 (DOY 053):
The first-ever picture of Saturn's moon Telesto is Astronomy Picture of
the
Day today.
The Monopropellant Tank Assembly (MTA) Recharge Activity Project Review
was
held this afternoon. The MTA recharge will be performed during S19 on
April
10, 2006. This activity brings the thrust up to the required level for
ACS
to provide control authority for the planned lower altitude Titan
flybys,
starting with T-16 at 950 km on July 22, 2006. Right after the
recharge,
ACS will upload a flight software patch to bring the default thruster
magnitudes in line with the expected values.
As mentioned in previous weeks, the project has been working on
adopting a
new reference trajectory in order to raise the minimum Titan flyby
altitude
for various encounters. Today the project reached a decision to
proceed
with the "optocc2" trajectory. Additional work is still to be
performed
before delivery of the final files. This will include minor tweaks
that
have been analyzed in other trajectories, adjusting orbit 68 timing,
and
capture of an Enceladus plume occultation on orbit 28. The new
trajectory
provides a small net savings in delta-V with respect to the current
reference trajectory. Final review and details will be worked out
between
now and the end of the week. Significant effort was put into analysis
of
multiple trajectory options over the last several weeks. Mission
Planning
wishes to recognize and thank those individuals who supported this
effort.
Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM) 52, scheduled for execution on February 23,
has
been cancelled. The decision was reached after the orbit determination
solution using one more day of data moved the Titan flyby estimate by
about
one kilometer. This is well within the expected variations and science
has
not identified a requirement to execute the OTM. A Reaction Wheel
Assembly
bias, normally included in the OTM file, will be uplinked separately
this
evening, and will execute on DOY 055.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
The public is invited to attend a dark sky stargazing and Saturn gazing
event at the Southern California Joshua Tree National Park, Hidden
Valley
Picnic Area, on Saturday, February 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Pacific
Time.
Contact Cassini Outreach staffer Jane H. Jones at
> for directions.
A combined Saturn Observation Campaign (SOC) /International Occultation
Timing Association (IOTA) event will be held Friday March 3, in
Pleasant
Hill, California at 6:30 PM Pacific Time. IOTA is an organization whose
members study, record, and report stellar occultations. At this event,
participants will be able to observe a magnitude 6.8 star blink off and
on
as it passes behind the mountains of the Moon's South Pole. This is a
great
opportunity to learn about both programs as you view the occultation
event
via TV video/telescope hookup. SOC will be setting up equipment and
telescopes at the Sun Valley Mall at the corner of Contra Costa Blvd
and
Willow Pass Rd in Concord, California.
Wrap up:
Check out the Cassini web site at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov for the
latest
press releases and images.
The Cassini-Huygens mission 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, manages
the
Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate,
Washington,
D.C. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.
for 02/16/06 - 02/22/06
The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired Wednesday, February
22,
from the Goldstone tracking stations. 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/operations/present-position.cfm .
Thursday, February 16 (DOY 047):
The passive microwave radiometer of Cassini's RADAR instrument
collected
distant Titan data for radiometer science and calibration from a
distance of
2.4 million km. Operating at 13.78 GHz, the radiometer measured
brightness
and polarization of Titan's microwave emission. This information will
contribute to the science goal of determining surface properties such
as
temperature, composition, and roughness.
Friday, February 17 (DOY 048):
The S21 Science Operations Plan Update process began today. The
kick-off
meeting will occur Tuesday, February 21. The process will run for 5
weeks
and conclude on March 24.
Saturn Observation Campaign members held events this month in:
San Francisco and Martinez, CA
Plano, Crowell, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Corsicana, Texas
New Port Richey and Orlando, Florida
Gilbert, Arizona
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Steilacoom, Washington
Paragould, Arkansas
Broomfield, Colorado
Devens, Massachusetts.
International events were also held in Germany and Portugal, reaching
over
3,000 attendees. Cascade, Wisconsin will try again Feb 24th, after a
weather
cancellation earlier in the month.
Monday, February 20 (DOY 051):
The sequence leads for S18 uplinked commands to update a RADAR trigger,
and
three Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) triggers. All are
registered and
active on-board the spacecraft. The commands will execute on Saturday
prior
to next week's Titan flyby.
Radio Science (RSS) performed Ultra Stable Oscillator characterization
and
periodic instrument maintenance activities today. In addition, RSS
team
members supported an operations readiness test for Titan gravity
science.
Tuesday, February 21 (DOY 052):
Cassini Outreach showed views of Saturn and its moons Titan, Iapetus,
Rhea,
Tethys and Dione to over 100 students and parents at the Santa Fe
Middle
School, Monrovia, CA annual Parent Teacher Association Founders Day
celebration.
Wednesday, February 22 (DOY 053):
The first-ever picture of Saturn's moon Telesto is Astronomy Picture of
the
Day today.
The Monopropellant Tank Assembly (MTA) Recharge Activity Project Review
was
held this afternoon. The MTA recharge will be performed during S19 on
April
10, 2006. This activity brings the thrust up to the required level for
ACS
to provide control authority for the planned lower altitude Titan
flybys,
starting with T-16 at 950 km on July 22, 2006. Right after the
recharge,
ACS will upload a flight software patch to bring the default thruster
magnitudes in line with the expected values.
As mentioned in previous weeks, the project has been working on
adopting a
new reference trajectory in order to raise the minimum Titan flyby
altitude
for various encounters. Today the project reached a decision to
proceed
with the "optocc2" trajectory. Additional work is still to be
performed
before delivery of the final files. This will include minor tweaks
that
have been analyzed in other trajectories, adjusting orbit 68 timing,
and
capture of an Enceladus plume occultation on orbit 28. The new
trajectory
provides a small net savings in delta-V with respect to the current
reference trajectory. Final review and details will be worked out
between
now and the end of the week. Significant effort was put into analysis
of
multiple trajectory options over the last several weeks. Mission
Planning
wishes to recognize and thank those individuals who supported this
effort.
Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM) 52, scheduled for execution on February 23,
has
been cancelled. The decision was reached after the orbit determination
solution using one more day of data moved the Titan flyby estimate by
about
one kilometer. This is well within the expected variations and science
has
not identified a requirement to execute the OTM. A Reaction Wheel
Assembly
bias, normally included in the OTM file, will be uplinked separately
this
evening, and will execute on DOY 055.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
The public is invited to attend a dark sky stargazing and Saturn gazing
event at the Southern California Joshua Tree National Park, Hidden
Valley
Picnic Area, on Saturday, February 25, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Pacific
Time.
Contact Cassini Outreach staffer Jane H. Jones at
> for directions.
A combined Saturn Observation Campaign (SOC) /International Occultation
Timing Association (IOTA) event will be held Friday March 3, in
Pleasant
Hill, California at 6:30 PM Pacific Time. IOTA is an organization whose
members study, record, and report stellar occultations. At this event,
participants will be able to observe a magnitude 6.8 star blink off and
on
as it passes behind the mountains of the Moon's South Pole. This is a
great
opportunity to learn about both programs as you view the occultation
event
via TV video/telescope hookup. SOC will be setting up equipment and
telescopes at the Sun Valley Mall at the corner of Contra Costa Blvd
and
Willow Pass Rd in Concord, California.
Wrap up:
Check out the Cassini web site at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov for the
latest
press releases and images.
The Cassini-Huygens mission 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, manages
the
Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate,
Washington,
D.C. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.