STEREO Weekly Meeting Minutes for 2009-11-17 (Week 47) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- * The seven hour track on Behind on Dec 1 will be a test of the 240 and 120 kbps telemetry rates. Most of the pass will be carried out at 240 kbps, with about 30-40 minutes at the 120 kbps rate. There are closely spaced tracks both before and after this pass. INSTRUMENT and SPACECRAFT STATUS -------------------------------- * All subsystems on both spacecraft are nominal. DISCUSSION AND OPERATIONS CONSTRAINTS ------------------------------------- Week 46 * Command bind was lost during the station 55 pass on Ahead on day 319 (Nov 15) due to an exciter alarm. The MOC was able to rebind to the station, and no commands were lost. The station 55 exciter problem was corrected a few months ago, but appears to be back again. * SECCHI-Ahead had a watchdog reset on day 319 (Nov 15) at 16:07:02. Recovery was completed at 05:21 UT the next day. This is the 15th reset on Ahead. * The EEPROM on IMU #2 on Behind was refreshed on day 314 (Nov 10). * The average daily SSR downlink was 5.3 gigabits on Ahead, and 6.1 gigabits on Behind. * IMPACT/SWEA had a latchup on Ahead on Nov 14 at 13:22 UT. It recovered autonomously within 10 minutes. The IMPACT team is monitoring this closely. Week 47 * The EEPROM on IMU #1 on Behind was refreshed this morning (Nov 17). * Short tracks are scheduled for Behind on Wednesday, Nov 18, and twice on Friday, Nov 20. Week 48 * The 11th SECCHI stepped calibration roll will be carried out on Ahead on day 328 (Nov 24), starting at 14:15 UT. Ahead will reach aphelion on Nov 25 at 05:38 UT. * Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov 26. Friday is also a holiday for APL. * Short tracks are scheduled for Ahead on Wednesday, Nov 25, and on Behind on Nov 23. Week 49 * The EEPROMs on Ahead on both IMUs 1 and 2 will be refreshed on Dec 1. * The 26th momentum dump will be carried out on Ahead on Wednesday, Dec 2, starting at 17:30 UT. * Behind will switch to 7 hour tracks in preparation for the switch down to 240 kbps. Not all the tracks will be 7 hours in duration, but this will be made up for to some extent by occasionally having additional tracks. Week 50 * Behind will switch to the 240 kbps rate on Dec 8, starting with the pass beginning at 14:20 UT on station 55. Week 51 * No significant activities planned. * SECCHI has asked for weekly schedules out to week 51 for planning purposes Other * APL is looking into the question of whether any planetary transitions are expected to be seen by either STEREO spacecraft. The SSC has identified possible transits of Mercury as seen from Ahead in Dec 2013, and from Behind in April 2014, but these need to be confirmed. COORDINATED OBSERVATIONS ------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 47: M Nov 16 (320) Ahead: SECCHI recovery, 05:21 UT T Nov 17 (321) W Nov 18 (322) T Nov 19 (323) F Nov 20 (324) S Nov 21 (325) S Nov 22 (326) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 48: M Nov 23 (327) T Nov 24 (328) Ahead: SECCHI stepped calibration roll, 14:15 W Nov 25 (329) T Nov 26 (330) Thanksgiving F Nov 27 (331) S Nov 28 (332) S Nov 29 (333) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 49: M Nov 30 (334) Behind: Begin 7 hour daily DSN tracks T Dec 01 (335) W Dec 02 (336) Ahead: momentum dump, 17:30 UT T Dec 03 (337) F Dec 04 (338) S Dec 05 (339) S Dec 06 (340) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 50: M Dec 07 (341) Behind: Switch downlink rate to 240 kbps T Dec 08 (342) W Dec 09 (343) T Dec 10 (344) F Dec 11 (345) S Dec 12 (346) S Dec 13 (347) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 51: M Dec 14 (348) T Dec 15 (349) W Dec 16 (350) T Dec 17 (351) F Dec 18 (352) S Dec 19 (353) S Dec 20 (354) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming events: 2009: ICAL-001: Dec 14-18 SECCHI Stepped calibration rolls Ahead: Nov 24 Behind: Dec 22 * Ongoing JOP 222, Origin of SEPS, Target of opportunity 2010: ICAL-001: Jan 11-15, Feb 15-19, Mar 15-19, Apr 12-16 SECCHI Stepped calibration rolls Ahead: Feb 23, May 18, Aug 10, Nov 2 Behind: Apr 6, Jul 13, Oct 12 * Jan 6 Both: HGA calibration * Jan 7,15 EIT shutterless (TBC) * Spring (TBD) SUMI sounding rocket launch http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2008AGUSMSP51B..01A * Apr 8,15 EIT shutterless (TBC) * Apr 19 Ahead: Begin 7 hour daily DSN tracks * Apr 26 Ahead: Switch downlink rate to 240 kbps * Jul 8,15 EIT shutterless (TBC) * Jul 11 Total solar eclipse http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEmono/TSE2010/TSE2010.html * Jul 14 Both: HGA calibration * Sep 7 Both: Begin 8 hour daily DSN tracks * Sep 13 Both: Switch downlink rate to 160 kbps * Nov 15 Behind: Switch downlink rate to 120 kbps 2011: * Jan 12 Both: HGA calibration * Feb 6 STEREO spacecraft at 180 degree separation * Mar 18 Messenger - Mercury orbital insertion * Apr 11 Ahead: Switch downlink rate to 120 kbps * Jul 13 Both: HGA calibration * Aug DAWN - Vesta arrival * Sep 19 Behind: Switch downlink rate to 96 kbps * Sep 26 Ahead: Switch downlink rate to 96 kbps 2012: * Jan 11 Both: HGA calibration * May DAWN - Vesta departure * Jul 11 Both: HGA calibration * Aug Both: Switch downlink rate to 30 kbps * Nov 13 Total solar eclipse, south Pacific 2013: * Dec 12 Ahead: Possible Mercury transit (TBC) 2014: * Apr 29 Behind: Possible Mercury transit (TBC) 2015: * Feb DAWN - Ceres arrival * Jan 10 - Apr 12 Behind: Spacecraft behind Sun * Feb 17 - Aug 2 Ahead: Spacecraft behind Sun * Jul 23 - Nov 10 Behind: Spacecraft behind Sun * Jul DAWN - End of nominal mission