Cassini Significant Events 06/23/10 – 06/29/10

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired on June 29 from the Deep Space Network tracking complex at Canberra, Australia. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and all subsystems are operating normally. Information on the present position and speed of the Cassini spacecraft may be found on the "Present Position" page at: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/presentposition/

Wednesday, June 23 (DOY 174)

Science activities this week included Imaging Science (ISS), the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS), Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument, and Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) monitoring Titan for clouds. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) monitored the temperatures of mid-northern Saturn latitudes, changes in the ring temperature post Equinox, and measured oxygen compounds in the stratosphere of Saturn as a function of latitude. The Radio and Plasma Wave Science instrument measured thermal plasmas in Titan's ionosphere and surrounding environment, searched for lightning in the atmosphere of Titan, and investigated Titan's interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere. CAPS led a southern auroral observation coordinated with ISS and UVIS. All three instruments performed calibrations, and Radio Science performed calibrations on the ultra stable oscillator. The Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) performed an interstellar dust observation.

Thursday, June 24 (DOY 175)

Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM) #254 was performed today. This was the cleanup maneuver after the Titan 70 flyby on June 21. The main engine burn began at 2:15 AM PDT. Telemetry immediately after the maneuver showed a burn duration of 5.026 seconds, giving a delta-V of 0.867 m/s. All subsystems reported nominal performance after the maneuver.

Friday, June 25 (DOY 176)

The S60 sequence concluded and S61 began execution today. The sequence will run for 35 days and conclude on July 30. During that time there will be one targeted encounter of Titan and five non-targeted flybys - Calypso, Enceladus and Daphnis on DOY 186, and Prometheus and Atlas on DOY 206. Four OTMs are scheduled, numbered 255 through 258.

Tuesday, June 29 (DOY 180)

A mini-sequence for the S61 DOY 180 CDA flight software re-load executed today. The sequence included disable/enable ping-pong commands from CDS.

A kick off meeting was held today for the S61 DOY 186 Saturn Live Inertial Vector Propagator update. A Go-No go meeting is scheduled for tomorrow. If approved, the files will go up to the spacecraft on Saturday, July 3.

Each month the Cassini Project coordinates a teleconference for NASA Outreach communities. This month is the first of two Anniversary talks presenting Cassini highlights of the past year. The Topic: "Cassini Huygens Mission to Saturn Sixth Anniversary -- Part 1 - Mission Overview, Highlights of Magnetospheric Science, Icy Satellite and Titan Science." An audio recording of the conference will be available on the Cassini website within a couple of days. To down load the presentation package link to:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/video/products/MultimediaProductsCharm/