NASA Stardust Status Report August 29, 2003
There was one Deep Space Network (DSN) tracking pass in the past week.
The DSN was able to obtain real time telemetry from the Stardust
spacecraft for the first time in three weeks as the
Sun-Earth-Probe (SEP) angle became greater than 1 degree.
A peer review of the Comet Wild 2 cometary dust production model
is expected in mid-September.
An Earth-based observing plan for Comet Wild 2 has been drafted that
includes Keck, Lowell and Table Mountain observatories. These
observations will be taken as Comet Wild 2 comes out from behind the
Sun in late December, in time to validate the Comet Wild 2 dust
production and ephemeris models before final targeting of the flyby
in January 2004.
Information on the present position and orbits of the Stardust spacecraft
and comet Wild 2 may be found on the "Where Is Stardust Right Now?" web
page located at:
http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/scnow.html
For more information on the Stardust mission — the first ever comet
sample-return mission — please visit the Stardust home page:
