Lunar Prospector Status Report #2

January 7, 1998 - 09:30 a.m. EST (6:30 a.m. PST)

Following its spectacular launch at 9:28:44pm EST (6:28:44 PST) on January 6 from the new Spaceport Florida commercial pad at Cape Canaveral, FL, the Lunar Prospector spacecraft is performing extremely well, according to operations personnel in the Mission Control Center (MCC) at Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA.

As of 7:30am EST, the spacecraft's science booms have been completely and successfully deployed, and all science instruments--including the Magnetometer (MAG), the Electron Reflectometer (ER), the Neutron Spectrometer (NS), the Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS), and the Alpha Particle Spectrometer (APS)--have been turned on. The first trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) has been performed with preliminary results looking very good, according to Missions Operations Manager Marcie Smith.

The spacecraft is currently spinning at 11.2 rpm, as planned, at the nominal cruise attitude.

Mission control reported some anticipated problems with poor quality following initial data acquisition. This resulted from the geometry of the link between the spacecraft and the ground station--with the body of the vehicle itself partially blocking communication. Consequently, mission operations personnel delayed the scheduled spacecraft orientation until improved data quality could be achieved.

Since the deployment sequence for the spacecraft's science booms was delayed, the original reorientation of the spacecraft was modified to put the vehicle in a more favorable thermal condition for boom deployment. The spacecraft was oriented to the nominal cruise attitude following science configuration mission operations personnel report.

The spacecraft's science instruments will be turned to high voltage today, following a 'degassing' period, and a second vehicle TCM will be performed, if required.