Cassini Weekly Significant Events for 08/09/01 - 08/15/01

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Madrid tracking station on Tuesday, August 14. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent state of health and is operating normally. Information on the spacecraft's position and speed can be viewed on the Present Position web page ("http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/where/").

Recent spacecraft activities include a Magnetospheric and Plasma Science observation, two Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) High Frequency Receiver Calibrations, and an RPWS Instrument Expanded Block Test. Real-time commands were uplinked to the spacecraft as planned to update the definition of the X-Band and Ka-Band body vectors, to perform routine Command & Data Subsystem (CDS) memory readouts of the sequence registration table and non-interfering error logs, and to clear the AACS High Water Marks.

In support of Tour planning, a program was uplinked that will characterize the behavior of the X-Band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifier when operated in the manner planned to be used during the tour. This program will execute later this week.

Mission Planning continued timeline development for tour Orbit Trim Maneuvers (OTMs). It was determined that nominal OTMs can be placed in the middle of nearly all expected DSN passes without encountering background sequence telemetry mode changes, which could interfere with storage of OTM data and subsequent science playback.

The Cassini Information Management System 1.3 was delivered. This delivery provides Extensible Markup Language (XML) export capability to support near-term Science Operations Plan development milestones.

The full Integration Test Laboratory retest of all modules for Mission Sequence Subsystem D7.6 completed successfully.

Mission Support & Services Office Security personnel have begun leading the annual Cassini security training courses, in an effort to make sure all Cassini team members are informed of the up-to-date security policies and procedures.

Cassini Outreach personnel made a presentation on Saturn and Cassini to 30 college and high school educators at a course jointly sponsored by JPL and California State University, Northridge. Thirty-three Solar System Educators were updated on Cassini results from Jupiter and practiced using an activity from the Saturn Educator Guide. These master teachers will share their expertise with other teachers in their communities and elsewhere, so that more solar system exploration materials will be used in classrooms throughout the U.S.

Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Cassini mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.