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Significant Event Report for Week Ending 8/20/1999

Cassini Significant Event Report

For Week Ending 08/20/99


Spacecraft Status:


The most recent spacecraft status is from the DSN tracking pass on
Thursday, 08/19, over the Madrid tracking station. The Cassini spacecraft
is in an excellent state of health and is operating nominally. The speed of the spacecraft can be viewed on the "Where is Cassini Now?" web page (http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/present-position.cfm)


During this period the instruments participating in data collection and
instrument calibration at Earth successfully powered up and performed
their activities as designed.


The VIMS IR cover successfully released and the MAG Boom successfully
deployed.


The Cassini Spacecraft flew within 5 kilometers and 0.6 seconds of predict
at an altitude of 1171 kilometers at 20:28 Pacific Time.


Analysis has just begun on data played back after closest approach. MAG,
RPWS, VIMS, UVIS, CAPS, MIMI, RADAR, RSS, and ISS have begun reporting in
with the greatest enthusiasm on instrument performance and data quality.


After the Earth Flyby, CAPS, MAG, MIMI, RPWS, and UVIS remained on and
began Earth Magnetotail Observations. This activity will continue through
C16 as the instruments collect data as Cassini passes alongside and
through the Magnetotail.


Upcoming events for the period of 08/20 - 08/26 include:


Uplink of the Post Earth Mini-sequence, Power on of CDA and configuration
to their nominal dust monitoring configuration on 08/20, change of Command
Loss Timer threshold to 11 days on 8/23, CDA Flight Software Load, CAPS power
OFF, and start of execution of the Post Earth Mini-sequence on 08/24, and
AACS Parameter Update in preparation for TCM-13 on 08/25.



Additional information about Cassini-Huygens is online at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.


Cassini will begin orbiting Saturn on July 1, 2004, and release its piggybacked Huygens probe about six months later for descent through the thick atmosphere of the moon Titan. Cassini-Huygens is a cooperative mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.


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