STEREO Weekly Meeting Minutes for 2021-08-24 (Week 34) 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 33 (Aug 16-22) * On day 228 (Aug 16), during the DSS-63 support for Ahead, the transmitter was declared red, due to a filament undercurrent interlock problem. This anomaly resulted in the loss of 2.9 hours of real-time commanding and 2-way tracking data. See DR #M113805 for more information. * On day 228 (Aug 16), during the DSS-14 support for Ahead, the beginning of track was delayed 41 minutes until 2256z, due to the Automated Link Build and connection problems at Goldstone. This anomaly resulted in the loss 31 minutes of real-time commanding, 2-way tracking, and the loss of 41 minutes of SSR data. The MOPs team repositioned the SSR pointers on the subsequent DSS-25 support. All affected data was recovered, except for the loss of ~5.3 hours of SECCHI data for day 228-1625z thru 2145z. See DR # G122184 for more information. * As of day 234 (Aug 22), 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 6.1 Gbits during this week. Week 34 (Aug 23-29) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are ten passes at 720 kbps and one at 480 kbps. An ESA Malargue pass was added on Tuesday, Aug 24. * Solar Orbiter was in quadrature with Earth on Monday, Aug 23. * A software upgrade was peformed on the IONet routers and switches yesterday (Aug 23). Week 35 (Aug 30-Sep 5) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are ten passes at 720 kbps, and one at 480 kbps. An ESA Cebreros pass has been added on Aug 31, and an ESA New Norcia pass on Sep 5. * The Solar Orbiter spacecraft will be performing a calibration roll for the METIS coronagraph instrument on Tuesday, Aug 31. The SOLOHI instrument will also take part in this roll campaign. Week 36 (Sep 6-12) * Ahead has nine passes during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage in nominal. An ESA New Norcia track is scheduled for Wednesday, Sep 8, from 08:30-11:15 UT at 720 kbps. * Monday, Sep 6 is Labor Day, an APL holiday * Tuesday, Sep 7 is the 140th momentum dump with ignition at 18:45 UT. * Sunday, Sep 12 will be the start of the 6th SECCHI-Solar Orbiter campaign, to run from Sep 12-19 (DOY 255-262). Week 37 (Sep 13-19) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are nine tracks at 720 kbps, and two at 480 kbps. * The Solar Orbiter remote sensing window ends on Sunday, Sep 19. Week 38 (Sep 20-26) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are six passes at 720 kbps, and five at 480 kbps. * The 59th SECCHI stepped calibration roll is scheduled for Monday, Sep 20, starting at 10:15 UT. This is the perihelion roll. Week 39 (Sep 27-Oct 3) * Ahead has thirteen passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are nine passes at 720 kbps, and four at 480 kbps. An ESA Cebreros pass is scheduled for Thursday, Sep 30. Other * The annual subsystem review is scheduled for Feb 17, between 8:30-12:00. The review is being delayed to avoid overlap with DART launch activities. COORDINATED OBSERVATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 34: M Aug 23 (235) Solar Orbiter in quadrature with Earth T Aug 24 (236) W Aug 25 (237) T Aug 26 (238) F Aug 27 (239) S Aug 28 (240) S Aug 29 (241) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 35: M Aug 30 (242) T Aug 31 (243) Solar Orbiter METIS, SOLOHI roll W Sep 01 (244) T Sep 02 (245) F Sep 03 (246) S Sep 04 (247) S Sep 05 (248) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 36: M Sep 06 (249) Labor Day T Sep 07 (250) 140th momentum dump, 18:45 UT W Sep 08 (251) T Sep 09 (252) F Sep 10 (253) S Sep 11 (254) S Sep 12 (255) Start of Solar Orbiter remote sensing window Notes: * Solar Orbiter remote sensing window, Sep 12-19. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 37: M Sep 13 (256) T Sep 14 (257) W Sep 15 (258) T Sep 16 (259) F Sep 17 (260) S Sep 18 (261) Ahead: Solar Orbiter in radial alignment S Sep 19 (262) End of Solar Orbiter remote sensing window Notes: * Solar Orbiter remote sensing window, Sep 12-19. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 38: M Sep 20 (263) Ahead: Stepped calibration roll, 10:15 UT T Sep 21 (264) W Sep 22 (265) T Sep 23 (266) F Sep 24 (267) S Sep 25 (268) S Sep 26 (269) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 39: M Sep 27 (270) T Sep 28 (271) W Sep 29 (272) T Sep 30 (273) F Oct 01 (274) S Oct 02 (275) S Oct 03 (276) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming events: Behind events are contingent on recovering the spacecraft. 2021: * Oct 16 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby * Nov 5 Solar Orbiter along Sun-Earth line * Nov 17-26 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Nov 27 Solar Orbiter Earth flyby * Dec 4 Solar eclipse in Antartica * Dec 17-21 Solar Orbiter METIS observations of Comet Leonard 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 * Sep 4 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby * 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: * Feb 18 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby * Mar 19-27 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Apr 7 Ahead: Mercury transit * Jun 15-24 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2026: * Dec 24 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby 2027: * Feb 1 Behind: Mercury transit 2028: * Mar 18 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby 2029: * Jun 10 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby * Jun 30 Ahead: Mercury transit 2030: * Sep 3 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby