Cassini Update - February 5, 2010

[baa...@earthlink.net]

Cassini Significant Events
for 01/27/10 - 02/02/10

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired
on Feb. 1 from the Deep Space Network tracking
complex at Madrid, Spain. The Cassini spacecraft
is in an excellent state of health and all
subsystems are operating normally. Information on
the present position and speed of the Cassini
spacecraft may be found on the "Present Position"
page at:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/presentposition/ .

Wednesday, Jan. 27 (DOY 027)

A Sun Sensor Assembly (SSA) checkout was
performed during the rolling downlink pass on DOY
027-028. The checkout showed that both SSAs are
performing properly, and SSA-B - the redundant
backup unit - was powered off via real-time command
at 2010-028T02:34:44 SCET.

An image of Tethys coming out from behind Titan
was Astronomy Picture of the Day today. The image can be
found at:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100127.html

Today Imaging Science (ISS) observed Prometheus
as the spacecraft passed within 33,000 km of the
tiny moon that helps shape Saturn's F ring. Today
was also a day for Dione observations. The
Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) observed
the moon to map temperatures on both the night
side and dayside, and the Magnetometer watched
for signatures of Dione in the magnetic field.

Thursday, Jan. 28 (DOY 028)

On January 28, Cassini flew by Titan at an
altitude of 7,490 kilometers and a speed of 5.7
km/sec. Closest approach occurred at 3:42 PM PST
and latitude of 53 degrees S. This Titan 66 flyby
was a high-altitude encounter where ISS acquired
high-resolution observations during and after
closest-approach. On the inbound leg, the Visual
and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) had an
opportunity for a stellar occultation, which will
allow the instrument team to constrain the
composition and the spectral properties of the
atmosphere of Titan. In addition, VIMS monitored
for mid-latitude clouds, which are predicted to
vanish during Titan's northern spring according
to global circulation models. For the full
details on the science during the T66 flyby link
to the Mission Description:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/files/20100128_titan_mission_description.pdf

A news note called "Prometheus: Over Easy"
highlighted a raw, unprocessed image of the moon.
The moon, one of Saturn's innermost, looked like
a celestial egg after a session in Saturn's
skillet in this image from Jan. 27, 2010. The image and
note can be found at:
http://jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2010-034

Friday, Jan. 29 (DOY 029)

While Mars shines brightly in the eastern sky
this month, Saturn is not far behind, rising by
9:30 PM PST this week, and by 7:30 PM at the end
of February. Compare reddish Mars high above
creame colored Saturn. Here are Viewing Saturn
tips for 2010 provided as part of the Saturn Observation Campaign:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/education/saturnobservation/viewingsaturn/

Sunday, Jan. 31 (DOY 031)

Orbit Trim Maneuver (OTM) #236 was performed
today. This was the cleanup maneuver from the
Titan 66 encounter on Jan. 28. The main engine
burn began at 9:14 PM PST. Telemetry immediately
after the maneuver showed a burn duration of
36.225 seconds, giving a delta-V of 6.199 m/s.
All subsystems reported nominal performance after the maneuver.

Monday, Feb. 1 (DOY 032):

A weeklong Cassini Project Science Group meeting
began today at JPL. This will be the 50th
gathering of Cassini science investigators for
this three-times-per-year event since the start of the mission.

A close-up image of Prometheus is Astronomy
Picture of the Day today. Check it out at:
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap100201.html

Tuesday, Feb. 2 (DOY 033)

The Science Planning (SP) pointing analysis for
the DOY 44 Mimas and Calypso live update period
has been released. Based on the targeting error,
SP recommended a No-Go for the update. The
Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph team has
verified that the 0.97 mrad error for Calypso is
acceptable and a No-Go consensus is in place for
SP, UVIS, VIMS, ISS, and CIRS. As a result, the
DOY 044 Live Update has been canceled.

Visit the JPL Cassini home page for more
information about the Cassini Project:
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/>
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