Lunar Prospector Status Report #40

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

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 7/1098):

Orbit: 2179
Downlink: 3600 bps
Spin Rate<: 12.00 rpm

Spin Axis Attitude (ecliptic):
Latitude: 90.2 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