STARDUST Status Report

May 19, 2000

There were five Deep Space Network (DSN) tracking passes during the past week. All subsystems onboard the spacecraft are performing normally.

The third of three spacecraft activities to support Doppler data measurements was performed. The DSN station successfully locked onto the spacecraft signal and obtained two-way Doppler data. At the conclusion of the tracking pass the DSN station tracked the carrier signal as the spacecraft returned to its nominal cruise sun pointed attitude. The Navigation team is analyzing the data to determine the effect of the forces due to the thruster firings by observing the Doppler shift.

Flight sequence SC018 was successfully transmitted to the spacecraft and will go active next week. The remainder of the DSN passes was used for tracking purposes to support the Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM 3) on May 24.

Preparations for TCM 3 are continuing. The estimated size of TCM 3 is 2 meters/second or a burn time of 77 seconds.

The command files for the Navigation Camera images have been developed and are being tested in the System Test Laboratory.

For more information on the STARDUST mission - the first ever comet sample return mission - please visit the STARDUST home page: