Genesis Mission Status Update February 18, 2003

The Genesis spacecraft continues its mission collecting solar wind
material expelled from the Sun. Telemetry from the Genesis spacecraft
indicates that it is spinning at a rate of 1.602 rotations per minute
and in overall good health.

A review of the Sample Return Capsule Avionics Unit was held on Monday,
Feb. 10. Among the items addressed during the meeting, the Genesis team
established 80 degrees Celsius as the "flight allowable temperature" for
Sample Return Capsule Avionics Unit. Essentially, they established 80
degrees Celsius as a tripwire for the Sample Return Capsule Avionics
Unit. If the avionics unit reaches this temperature mark, the Genesis
team is notified.

Genesis performed a stationkeeping maneuver this past Feb. 4. The
maneuver, or burn, tweaked the spacecraft’s trajectory around the
Lagrange 1 point of gravitational stability between Earth and the Sun.
The burn employed the spacecraft’s small hydrazine thrusters. Telemetry
indicates there was a very slight underburn but that the maneuver
resulted in the desired change in trajectory.

Genesis Vital Statistics:

• 559 days since launch.
• 410 days to planned completion of solar particle collection.
• 568 days to Genesis return to Earth.