Significant Event Report for Week Ending 3/16/2001

Cassini Significant Event Report

For Week Ending 03/16/01

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Goldstone
tracking station on Wednesday, March 13. The Cassini spacecraft is in an
excellent state of health and is operating normally. The speed of the
spacecraft can be viewed on the
"Present Position"
web page.

Post Jupiter science operations continued this week with the spacecraft
alternating between Optical Remote Sensing (ORS) and Magnetospheric Imaging
Instrument (MIMI) data collection. Additional activities included the uplink
and initiation of the C25 background sequence, Cassini Plasma Spectrometer
(CAPS) SAF142 test, MIMI Instrument Expanded Block (IEB) Load, IEB loads
for Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (UVIS) and Imaging Science Subsystem
(ISS), Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) IEB update, a High Water
Mark clear, a Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) momentum unload, and a Radio
and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) HFR calibration. A MIMI Collimator test
will test the interaction between the MIMI Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA),
RPWS, and CAPS.

The C26 Sequence Virtual Team (SVT) sequence development effort began this
week with the acceptance of the C26 Science Planning Virtual Team (SPVT)
handoff package and the official kickoff meeting. The SPVT sequence
products were stripped into their respective instrument/subsystem
subsequences and distributed. This activity was followed by the C26 Sub
Sequence Generation (SSG) Sequence Change Request (SCR) approval meeting.
Ten requests have been submitted at this time and all were approved.

The Spacecraft Office (SCO) Attitude Control Flight Software Team held an
evaluation of their process for review of the entire set of parameter
values for the AACS A8 delivery. The process rigorously examines each of
the more than 2000 parameters to establish their default values and
suitability for particular mission phases.

A SCO internal review was held of the Maneuver Automation Tool. A
prototype tool has been developed which links the pieces required and runs
very quickly. Further reviews will be scheduled as the software matures.

The Cassini Instrument Operations (IO) Team and the Multi Mission Image
Processing Laboratory (MIPL) have produced and delivered 25,602 ISS images
- 18,398 from the NAC and 7,204 from the WAC - and 5,079 Visual and
Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) cubes since Jupiter observations
began. IO/MIPL data reconciliation efforts yielded 37 new ISS images and
31 new VIMS cubes. This data had been missing from the initial TDS query
following their respective downlinks.

Members of Cassini's Radio Science Team (RSS) met at Goddard Space Flight
Center this week. Topics discussed included tour planning, preparation
for the Cross Discipline Workshops to be held in April, and discussion of
the project's decision to minimize the use of reaction wheels during
cruise and the impact this will have on RSS Cruise Science.

At a Satellite Orbiter Science Team (SOST) meeting held this week,
significant progress was made in the integration of 5 of the 10 icy
satellite flybys to occur during tour. Upcoming activities include the
generation of C-kernels for 4 of the 5 flybys to be used for analysis of
Magnetospheric and Plasma Science (MAPS) ride along data collection.

All teams supported the Cassini Monthly Management Review.

Mission Planning distributed the updated SSR Operations Scenarios for
review, as well as minutes from the Physical Constraints Forum where a
proposed process and official constraints file for Cassini were discussed.

System Engineering hosted a workshop where the Tour Verification and
Validation Plan was discussed. Attendees stepped through the plan in
preparation for the Delta Design Workshops to be held in the coming months.

Mission Assurance received results from Futron regarding the risk
identification brainstorming exercises conducted last month. The results
will be consolidated with those from the first risk identification
exercises in January and distributed to the Flight Team. These data will
form the initial Significant Risk List and will be entered into the Risk
Management Database, once an electronic software tool is selected.

Cassini Outreach supported the San Diego Science Educators Association
annual convention this week with a display and teacher workshop.

Additional information about Cassini-Huygens is online at http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.

Cassini will begin orbiting Saturn on July 1, 2004, and release its piggybacked Huygens probe about six months later for descent through the thick atmosphere of the moon Titan. Cassini-Huygens is a cooperative mission of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

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