Lunar Prospector Status Report #37

June 19, 1998 - 1:00 p.m. EST (10:00 a.m. PST)

Lunar Prospector continues to perform very well.

No commanding was done this week. No occultations and no eclipses means that if you look at the moon right now you would see a full moon (in full sunlight). The spacecraft is going around it counter-clockwise and is never behind the moon (always in communcations with earth) and always in sunlight. This condition only lasts a couple of days before the moon rotates around the earth enough to block part of the orbit as seen from Earth; the next occultation is scheduled for later today (11 am).

Current spacecraft state (0000 GMT 6/19/98):

Orbit: 1922
Downlink: 3600 bps
Spin Rate: 12.00 rpm

Spin Axis Attitude (ecliptic):
Latitude: 86.2 deg
Longitude: 164 deg

Trajectory:
Periapsis Alt: 90.2 km
Apoapsis Alt: 108.6 km

Inclination: 89.9 deg
Period: 118 min
Occultations: none
Eclipses: none