STEREO Weekly Meeting Minutes for 2023-12-19 (Week 51) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- * None. INSTRUMENT and SPACECRAFT STATUS -------------------------------- * Ahead is operating nominally. PLASTIC is in operational mode, but with a moderately higher than normal 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 50 (Dec 11-17) * On day 345 (Dec 11), during the DSS-55 support, the transmitter was declared red due to a hardware problem. This anomaly resulted in the loss of 3.9 hours of real-time commanding and 2-way tracking data. See DR #M116586 for more information. * On day 348 (Dec 14), DSN conducted a Mission Network maintenance from 1600z through 349-0000z. After the maintenance, the MOPs team verified the SLE telemetry and command connectivity with DSN. * On day 349 (Dec 15), during the DSS-65 support, monitor data was not available in the MOC, due to a DSN network issue after the DSN mission network maintenance. See DR #M116598 for more information. * On day 350 (Dec 16), during the DSS-55 support, the beginning of track was delayed 1.25 hours until 0350z, due to a hardware issue. The track was switched to DSS-65 for the remaining time. This anomaly resulted in the loss of 1.25 hours of real-time telemetry, commanding, tracking, and SSR data. The MOPs team repositioned the SSR pointers during the track and recovered all the affected data. See DR #M116600 for more information. * As of day 351 (Dec 17), all PLASTIC systems are behaving well, except there is a moderate background count rate, which the team is continuing to monitor. * The average daily science data return for Ahead was 6.4 Gbits during this week. Week 51 (Dec 18-24) * Ahead has ten passes during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage is nominal. Week 52 (Dec 25-31) * Ahead has nine passes during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage is nominal. * APL will be closed for Christmas on Monday, Dec 25 (days 359-3). * Parker Solar Probe's perihelion pass runs from Dec 25-Jan 3, days 359-3. * There will be no telecon during the week, due to the holidays. * Solar Orbiter will offpoint for Parker Solar Probe on Dec 28. Week 1 (Jan 1-7) * Ahead has twelve tracks during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage is nominal. * APL will be closed for New Year's Day on Monday, Jan 1. Week 2 (Jan 8-14) * Ahead has twelve tracks during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage is nominal. * The 163rd momentum dump is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 9, with ignition at 16:45 UT. Week 3 (Jan 15-21) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage is nominal. * APL will be closed for the Martin Luther King holiday on Monday, Jan 15. Week 4 (Jan 21-28) * Ahead has twelve passes during the week, all at 720 kbps, and overall coverage is nominal. * The 69th SECCHI stepped calibration roll is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan 23, starting at 05:45 UT. This is the aphelion roll. COORDINATED OBSERVATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 51: M Dec 18 (352) T Dec 19 (353) W Dec 20 (354) T Dec 21 (355) F Dec 22 (356) S Dec 23 (357) S Dec 24 (358) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 52: M Dec 25 (359) Start of Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass T Dec 26 (360) HI-1 High Cadence (20-min cad) W Dec 27 (361) HI-1 High Cadence (20-min cad) T Dec 28 (362) Solar Orbiter off-point for Parker Solar Probe COR2 deep field (36 sec exp/5 min cadence) F Dec 29 (363) COR2 deep field (36 sec exp/5 min cadence) S Dec 30 (364) COR2 deep field (36 sec exp/5 min cadence) S Dec 31 (365) Notes: * Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass, Dec 25-Jan 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 01: M Jan 01 (001) New Year's Day T Jan 02 (002) W Jan 03 (003) End of Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass T Jan 04 (004) F Jan 05 (005) S Jan 06 (006) S Jan 07 (007) Notes: * Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass, Dec 25-Jan 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 02: M Jan 08 (008) T Jan 09 (009) Momentum dump, 16:45 UT W Jan 10 (010) T Jan 11 (011) F Jan 12 (012) S Jan 13 (013) S Jan 14 (014) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 03: M Jan 15 (015) Martin Luther King holiday T Jan 16 (016) W Jan 17 (017) T Jan 18 (018) F Jan 19 (019) S Jan 20 (020) S Jan 21 (021) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 04: M Jan 22 (022) T Jan 23 (023) Ahead: SECCHI stepped calibration roll, 05:45 UT W Jan 24 (024) T Jan 25 (025) F Jan 26 (026) S Jan 27 (027) S Jan 28 (028) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming events: 2024: * Mar 13-24 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensing Window 13 * Mar 26-Apr 4 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Mar 27-Apr 9 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensing Window 14 * Apr 12-15 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensing Window 15 * Jun 26-Jul 5 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Sep 25-30 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensing Window 16 * Sep 26-Oct 5 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Oct 2-15 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensing Window 17 * Oct 17-26 Solar Orbiter Remote Sensint Window 18 * Nov 6 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby, in HI2-A field-of-view * Nov 6 Solar Orbiter full disk mosaic * Dec 24 Solar Obiter off-point and roll for Parker Solar Probe * 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 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