The STARDUST spacecraft continues to perform normally in cruise. Minimal
housekeeping activities were performed by the Flight Team at Lockheed Martin
Astronautics (LMA). Some of the planned Deep Space Network communications
sessions with STARDUST were released for use by the Mars Polar Lander project.
The Flight Team experienced its first event where a command was not
successfully received by the spacecraft. A minor Flight Software patch was
not received by the spacecraft with the spacecraft notifying the LMA team
of this occurrence. The command will be sent again next week during the
next planned communication session.
A meeting was held at the University of Chicago to determine which test
and operational modes the Dust Flux Monitor Instrument (DFMI) will be
used. The DFMI will be tested in about 6 months in its comet encounter
mode and then used in this mode during Earth gravity assist flyby as
well as at Comet Wild 2. An additional test may be made to study
another operational mode to be implemented at Comet Wild 2 where DFMI would
be powered on for short periods of time to provide additional dust
information.
For more information on the STARDUST mission – the first ever comet sample
return mission – please visit the STARDUST home page:
