Stardust Status Report

January 24, 2003

Stardust's navigation camera took images this week for evaluating performance of the periscope. Images of the Pleiades star cluster were taken using a series of one-degree steps in positioning the periscope mirror. The images will be transmitted to Earth within the next two weeks.

The spacecraft is operating in good health. It had one period of radio contact with Earth this week through NASA's Deep Space Network.

The Stardust team has made minor updates in the mission's telemetry dictionary and flight rules to incorporate lessons learned from the flyby of asteroid Annefrank last November.

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

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov