STARDUST Status Report

October 2, 1998

Ken Atkins
STARDUST Project Manager

Note: This report covers progress for week ending September 25 also. Travel requirements precluded posting last week.

Assembly, Test, and Launch Operations (ATLO) activities: For the week of Sept. 25, the major event was completion of system thermal vacuum testing, and, after the test, moving the spacecraft and its electronic ground support equipment (EGSE) back to the Multifunction Test Facility (MTF). The very successful system thermal vacuum test series was completed two days early and showed excellent flight system performance through the simulated flight environments. Needless to say, the team was very pleased with the completion of this major test.

Another very key milestone was completed this week with the delivery of the flight aerogel collector to Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver, Colorado. This means it is now ready to install in the Sample Return Capsule. The STARDUST video feed from Lockheed Martin Astronautics is back online after the Thermal Vacuum Test.

STARDUST's Outreach and Opportunity Office participated in a JPL Commercialization & Technology Transfer workshop with industry this week. Entertainment, toy and other business and industry representatives were briefed on several missions and the event provided a forum for ideas for possible future ventures involving JPL and commercial interests.

Installation of the microchips with everyone's name is scheduled for October 12. Photo coverage is planned so everyone can observe and imagine themselves "boarding the flight."

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