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Lunar Prospector Status Report #33

May 21, 1998 - 1:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m. PST)


The Lunar Prospector spacecraft continues to perform very well.

Yesterday, May 20 (DOY 140), a spin axis reorientation was commanded, to maintain a positive sun angle. 5 0.2-second pulses were fired using the A1/A4 thrusters to precess the spin axis 0.8Á toward the sun. Initial estimates are that the maneuver went as commanded. Such maneuvers ensure optimal performance form the solar arrays and good battery performance.

After the reorientation the maneuver, the #3 face of the APS instrument was commanded off. For the last few days due to solar flares, it had been seeing enough noise to saturate the entire instrument. Shutting off the detectors when they are saturated and incapable of sending useable data will increase the likelihood of preserving detector functionality for the future when solar activity has returned to normal.

Current spacecraft state (0000 GMT 5/21/98):

Orbit: 1567
Downlink: 3600 bps
Spin Rate: 11.94 rpm

Spin Axis Attitude (ecliptic) [maneuver target]:
Latitude: 130 deg
Longitude: 87.2 deg

Trajectory:
Periselene Alt: 92 km
Aposelene Alt: 106 km

Inclination: 91 deg
Period: 118 minutes
Occultations: 46 minutes
Eclipses: 40 minutes