The most recent spacecraft telemetry data was acquired from the Goldstone tracking station on Wednesday, 5/03. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally.  The speed of the spacecraft can be viewed on the "Where is Cassini Now?" web page ( "http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/today/" )
 
Activities this week included the uplink, execution, and data playback for the CIRS cooler cover release.  The mini-sequence ran perfectly with telemetry indicating a successful cover release.  A second mini-sequence was then uplinked for instrument cooldown and science data acquisition. Both instrument and spacecraft teams report nominal states.
 
Other activities include clearing of the high water marks and uplink of new TLM tables for two new telemetry modes (RTE&SPB_22.12 and RTE&SPB_82.95) to support C20 activities.  Both TLM mode transitions went off smoothly and onboard checkout was successful.  The final sequence approval meeting was held for the C20 background sequence.  C20 was uplinked and is both registered and active in the CDS sequencing machine. The sequence will begin execution on Friday May 5. The preliminary Sequence Change Request approval meeting for C21 was held on Monday, May 1.
 
The AACS subsystem test bed has been certified and relocation of equipment to building 230 has begun.
 
Outreach made presentations to 150 5th graders at Paradise Canyon School and to 85 8th graders at their outdoor school week at Camp Arbolado in the San Bernardino Mountains.  Outreach staff also assisted in judging the L. A. County Science Fair.
 
Cassini Outreach
Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
National Aeronautics and Space Administration