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Lunar Prospector Status Report #5

January 10, 1998 - 6:00 p.m. EST (3:00 p.m. PST)

The Lunar Prospector spacecraft continues to perform extremely well and is right on schedule, according to Missions Operations Manager Marcie Smith.

Overnight, a possible third trajectory correction maneuver (TCM) was deemed unnecessary and was cancelled. Only 8 science configuration commands were sent to the spacecraft since the last status report.

Missions operations personnel now anticipate that the Lunar Prospector spacecraft will make its closest approach to the Moon within 4 seconds of the planned time, and will fly by at an altitude within 3 km of the target.

The attitude of the spacecraft is currently correct for the first lunar orbit insertion (LOI) firing, and so an overnight reorientation trim manuever was also unnecessary and was cancelled.

The first of the three scheduled lunar orbit insertion (LOI) burns is set for 6:45 a.m. EST (3:45 a.m. PST) on Sunday morning, January 11. Subsequent burns will follow within approximately 24 hours each, early on Monday and Tuesday mornings, depending upon the results of the first LOI burn, its effect upon the spacecraft and the vehicle's resulting orbit.

Status reports on the results of each of the LOI burns will be issued as soon as mission operations personnel can provide verified information. For planning purposes only and subject to change, you are advised that these status reports are currently anticipated to be posted on this website by about 10 a.m. EST (7 a.m. PST) on the mornings of Sunday Jan. 11 and Monday Jan. 12, and at about 12 noon EST (9 a.m. PST) on Tuesday Jan. 13, 1998.