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Significant Event Report for Week Ending 8/6/2004

Cassini Significant Event Report

For Week Ending 08/06/04


The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, August 4. 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 .


The S02 background sequence concluded with the execution of a Reaction Wheel Assembly bias activity. S03 began execution on Friday July 30. Initial activities included the loading of Instrument Expanded Block files, and uplink of Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) flight software (FSW) version 9.2.4. The CDA FSW checkout is scheduled for mid August.


Science activities this week mostly centered on Saturn observations. The Magnetospheric and Plasma Science (MAPS) instruments began a campaign to study the influence of the solar wind on Saturn's aurora, while Optical Remote Sensing (ORS) instruments observed Saturn's south pole and aurora. In addition, the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) instrument observed Saturn's kilometric radio emissions. RPWS team members also gave a presentation to the flight team recapping science results that had been presented at last month's Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) meeting in Paris, France. Besides Saturn observations, the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) observed the trailing side of Iapetus, which will only be seen on a few occasions during tour.


In the last week, 747 ISS images arrived and were distributed. So far since Approach Science began, 15896 ISS images and 4614 Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) cubes have been returned.


In preparation for the Huygens Probe mission early next year, the Spacecraft Operations Office (SCO) Integrated Test Lab has completed ten probe relay fault case tests. Eight tests passed completely. One of the failed cases was an incorrect fault injection and will be repeated at a later date. The second failed case is currently being reviewed.


A project briefing was held as part of the Science Operations Plan update process for S05. This process will complete on Friday, August 6 and a handoff package presented to the leads for the Science and Sequence Update Process.


Assessment meetings were held to review all of the requested changes to the S08 and S09 sequences as part of the Aftermarket process. It appears that all requested changes will fit within available resources. The Target Working Teams and Orbiter Science Teams will be reviewing the requests over the next two weeks and will provide their recommendations at the decision meeting for S08 scheduled for August 13 and for S09 on August 17.


Development of S04 continued this week. A Preliminary Sequence Integration and Validation (PSIV) Science Allocation Panel (SAP) Meeting, Simulation Coordination meeting, and Simulation Procedure Review meeting were held. The simulation meetings were to coordinate testing of a first time use of Inertial Vector Definition in a Radio Science boresight calibration activity.


The Navigation team reported that the post solar conjunction separation angle is currently about 20 degrees. Tracking data quality has improved significantly.


The Multi Mission Image Processing Laboratory (MIPL) is performing certification testing of the Solaris 9 upgrades authorized by the Project as a part of the MIPL D32 delivery.


A delivery coordination meeting was held for the Attitude Control Subsystem C-Kernel generation Tool (ACKT) Version 2.0. This Java application queries the Cassini telemetry database for ACS attitude and rate telemetry from which it builds a C-Kernel (CK). The CK will be stored locally in the work directory and can then be published to the file repository.


The Mission Support and Services Office delivered and installed Version 1.3.1 of the electronic command request form (eCRF).


All teams and offices supported the Cassini NASA Quarterly Review.


A presentation on Phoebe science was given to the flight team this week. Both RADAR and Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph teams presented their most recent findings.


For the most recent Cassini press releases and images go to http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.