[meteorite-list] Mars Express Update - December 24, 2003

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:03 2004
Message-ID: <200312250213.SAA19658_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

24 December 2003

Mars Express status report ...

At 09:30 CET today [0830 UTC], the Mars Express orbiter was 200,000 kilometres
from Mars and 156,000,000 kilometres from Earth. The orbiter is on its final
planned course for Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI).

The spacecraft will hit its intended MOI 'bull's eye' point, 414 kilometres
above the Martian surface, to within an accuracy of six kilometres.

The retargeting manoeuvre performed by ESOC Mission Control on Saturday, 20
December, was so accurate that the additional 'fine-tuning' manoeuvre scheduled
for 23 December was judged to be unnecessary and not performed.

Mission Control is currently placing the spacecraft in its final configuration
for MOI. The fuel tanks are being heated and the latch valves checked in
preparation for a 34-minute main engine burn, due to place the spacecraft into
Martian orbit in the early hours of Christmas morning.

All non-essential equipment is currently being turned off to minimise the
possibility of the spacecraft entering 'safe mode'. This process is due to
conclude around 12:00 CET [1100 UTC] when the spacecraft's Solid State Mass
Memory is switched off. No further commands are due to be sent to Mars Express
until after MOI.

Flight Director Michael McKay said, "From this point the tension really starts
to grow. We don't have a lot more to do except watch and wait. The time within
which we can do something reduces very rapidly.

"But if anything unexpected does occur then we would be ready to jump in and
recover the situation, applying all the professionalism and skill of the ESA and
industrial teams gathered here at ESOC Mission Control."

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ESA News
http://www.esa.int

24 December 2003

Mars Express status report ...

At 12:00 CET today [1100 UTC], the Mars Express orbiter was 169,000 kilometres
from Mars and 156,167,000 kilometres from Earth.

The orbiter is now in the final configuration for Mars Orbit Insertion. No more
commands are being sent to the spacecraft until after its capture by Mars.

Both the Mars Express orbiter and the Beagle 2 lander have a velocity relative
to Mars of 2.8 kilometres per second, increasing under the influence of Martian
gravity.

At 12:00 CET, the two spacecraft were 2300 kilometres apart, and diverging at a
rate of 6.5 metres per second.

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ESA News
http://www.esa.int

24 December 2003

Mars Express web streaming

Web streaming of Mars Express orbit insertion and Beagle landing starts at 02:35
CET (01:35 GMT) on 25 December.

Click here to access,
      http://esa.capcave.com/esa/marsexpress/


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ESA News
http://www.esa.int

24 December 2003

Mars Express status report ...

As of 2200 CET [2100 UTC] on 24 December, Mars Express is 66800 km from Mars and
the mission is proceeding as planned. ESOC Mission Control data on the velocity
of Mars Express show that the pull of Martian gravity is continually increasing.

This gravitational influence is as predicted, and serves as an independent
confirmation that the spacecraft is on its planned course. It is the force of
gravity that will place Mars Express in orbit around Mars at 0418 CET [0318 UTC]
on Christmas morning, following the end of the 34-minute main engine burn.


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ESA News
http://www.esa.int

25 December 2003

Mars Express status report ...

As of 0200 CET [0100 UTC] Mars Express is 23700 km from Mars. At 0231 CET [0131
UTC] Mars Express is scheduled to commence a half-hour slew manoeuvre that uses
its reaction wheels to line up its main engine for Mars Orbit Insertion.

The manoeuvre will mean the spacecraft's high-gain antenna is no longer pointing
at Earth and so telemetry will be lost until 0900 CET.
Received on Wed 24 Dec 2003 09:13:01 PM PST