STARDUST Status Report
May 8, 1998
Ken Atkins
STARDUST Project Manager
Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) activities: ATLO this week
involved installing the Solar Array Switching Unit (SASU), the test
battery, and making harness modifications for the Navigation Camera. The
Sample Return Capsule (SRC) spin balance testing and ballasting was
successfully completed. The total SRC mass is about 46 kg (101 lbs).
Outreach: The Project in collaboration the National Space Society, along
with Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures, today has announced a joint
online campaign to collect one million names to be flown round-trip to
comet Wild 2 onboard the Stardust Sample Return Capsule. The campaign,
"Make an IMPACT," is being launched in time for the nationwide
release of the film, "DEEP IMPACT," and will continue through the summer.
The names will be printed onto a microchip to be placed aboard the craft
later this year. Already collected are the names of every member of the
cast and crew of "DEEP IMPACT." Names can be submitted by going to the
National Space Society website at http://nss.org/impact, the film's website at
http://deep-impact.com, or the signup page on the Stardust website:
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/microchip/signup.html.
