Stardust Status Report

September 12, 2003

There was one Deep Space Network (DSN) tracking pass in the past week. Telemetry relayed from the spacecraft indicates it is healthy and all subsystems continue to operate normally.

The start of the formal Spacecraft Test Lab (STL) testing of the Comet Wild 2 encounter sequence has begun.

The STARDUST Mission Design Manager participated with the Genesis project in the annual landing planning and review meeting at the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR). Since Genesis will land in one year, STARDUST is working closely with Genesis to gain flight experience and capitalize on their lessons learned.

The STARDUST Camera Science Lead made a presentation to the Caltech Alumni Association on STARDUST at the invitation of the Caltech Associates Office. The Spacecraft Systems Engineer and DSN Lead briefed the station personnel at Canberra on the Comet Wild 2 encounter and also made presentation on STARDUST at the Canberra Questacon Museum and the Sydney Powerhouse Museum, drawing hundreds of participants.

Information on the present position and orbits of the Stardust spacecraft and Comet Wild 2 may be found on the "Where Is Stardust Right Now?" web page located at:

http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/scnow.html

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