STEREO Weekly Meeting Minutes for 2021-02-09 (Week 6) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- * None. INSTRUMENT and SPACECRAFT STATUS -------------------------------- * Ahead is operating nominally. PLASTIC is in operational mode, but with a high background rate. * Four years after the initial loss of communications anomaly with the Behind observatory, NASA has directed to cease periodic recovery operations with the last support on October 17, 2018. DISCUSSION AND OPERATIONS CONSTRAINTS ------------------------------------- Week 05 (Feb 1-7) * As of day 038 (Feb 7), all PLASTIC systems on Ahead are behaving well, except there is a high background count rate, which the team is continuing to monitor. * The average daily science data return for Ahead was 5.8 Gbits during this week. Week 06 (Feb 8-14) * Ahead has ten passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are eight passes at 720 kbps, and two at 480 kbps. ESA Cebreros passes were carried out on Monday, Feb 8, and Tuesday, Feb 9, and went well. Week 07 (Feb 15-21) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are eight passes at 720 kbps, and three at 480 kbps. * The 135th momentum dump is scheduled for Monday, Feb 15, with ignition at 19:00 UT. * Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 2 runs Feb 20-25, days 51-56. * Parker Solar Probe will fly by Venus on Feb 20. Week 08 (Feb 22-28) * Ahead has ten passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are nine passes at 720 kbps, and one at 480 kbps. Week 09 (Mar 1-7) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are ten passes at 720 kbps, and one at 480 kbps. Adjustments are being made to the schedules for week 9 and 10 because station 43 needs more downtime. The effect should be minimal, with only different stations being used. Week 10 (Mar 8-14) * Ahead has ten passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are seven passes at 720 kbps, and three at 480 kbps. An ESA New Norcia was added on Monday, Mar 8, to help with the track changes due to the station 43 down time. * Daily savings time in the US starts on Sunday, Mar 14. Week 11 (Mar 15-21) * Ahead has ten passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal, all at 720 kbps. * Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 3 starts on day 80 (Mar 21), and continues through day 83 (Mar 24). COORDINATED OBSERVATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 06: M Feb 08 (039) T Feb 09 (040) W Feb 10 (041) T Feb 11 (042) F Feb 12 (043) S Feb 13 (044) S Feb 14 (045) Notes: * Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Synoptics, Feb 1-19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 07: M Feb 15 (046) Ahead: Momentum dump, 19:00 UT T Feb 16 (047) W Feb 17 (048) T Feb 18 (049) F Feb 19 (050) End of Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Synoptics S Feb 20 (051) Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby Start of Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 2 S Feb 21 (052) Notes: * Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Synoptics, Feb 1-19 * Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 2, Feb 20-25. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 08: M Feb 22 (053) T Feb 23 (054) W Feb 24 (055) T Feb 25 (056) End of Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 2 F Feb 26 (057) S Feb 27 (058) S Feb 28 (059) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 09: M Mar 01 (060) T Mar 02 (061) W Mar 03 (062) T Mar 04 (063) F Mar 05 (064) S Mar 06 (065) S Mar 07 (066) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 10: M Mar 08 (067) T Mar 09 (068) W Mar 10 (069) T Mar 11 (070) F Mar 12 (071) S Mar 13 (072) S Mar 14 (073) Start of daylight savings time in US ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 11: M Mar 15 (074) T Mar 16 (075) W Mar 17 (076) T Mar 18 (077) F Mar 19 (078) S Mar 20 (079) S Mar 21 (080) Start of Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 3 Notes: * Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 3, Mar 21-24. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming events: Behind events are contingent on recovering the spacecraft. 2021: * Mar 21-24 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Checkout Window 3 * Apr 21-28 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensor Synoptics * Apr 25-May 4 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * May 13-Jul 15 Betelgeuse visible in SECCHI HI2 with 180 degree roll * Aug 5-15 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Oct 16 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby * Nov 5 Solar Orbiter along Sun-Earth line * Nov 17-26 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2022: * Feb 21-Mar 2 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * May 28-Jun 7 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Sep 2-11 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Dec 7-16 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2023: * Mar 13-23 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * May 5 Behind: Mercury transit * Jun 17-27 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Jul 17 Behind: Closest approach to Earth * Aug 13 Ahead: Closest approach to Earth * Aug 21 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby * Sep 23-Oct 3 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Dec 25-Jan 3 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2024: * Mar 26-Apr 4 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Jun 26-Jul 5 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Sep 26-Oct 5 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Nov 6 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby, in HI2-A field-of-view * Dec 20-29 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2025: * Mar 19-27 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Apr 7 Ahead: Mercury transit * Jun 15-24 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2026: 2027: * Feb 1 Behind: Mercury transit 2028: 2029: * Jun 30 Ahead: Mercury transit