There were two scheduled Deep Space Network (DSN) passes this week with
the STARDUST spacecraft, and all onboard subsystems were
performing normally. There were two additional Payload Attitude Control
Interface (PACI) board resets in the past week.
Battery conditioning of discharging the battery to 93% of its rating
and overcharging it to 115% was completed successfully. This
test was required to be completed prior to Trajectory Correction
Maneuver (TCM-A) and Deep Space Maneuver #1 (DSM-1), where the
spacecraft will go totally off of sun pointing attitude for up to 1
hour maximum.
Preparations for the first Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM-A)
continue. The commands for TCM-A successfully passed Spacecraft Test
Laboratory (STL) testing and review during a recent command conference
and have been commanded up to the spacecraft.
The Multiple Firings Flight Software patch and command sequence for
testing All-Stellar attitude are completing testing in the STL.
The final NASA-wide Y2K mission operations testing at JPL was completed
successfully by STARDUST through support from the Mars Surveyor
Operations Project (MSOP) and Telecommunications and Mission Operations
Directorate (TMOD), providers of the STARDUST Ground Data System. No
spacecraft commanding is planned during the Y2K transition, however
spacecraft tracking will continue following TCM-A into the new year.
For more information on the STARDUST mission – the first ever
comet sample return mission – please visit the STARDUST home page:
