NEAR Mission Status Report 12-10-1999

NEAR Mission Status Reports – http://near.jhuapl.edu

December 10, 1999

MISSION OPERATIONS:

The NEAR spacecraft continued to operate nominally in Operational Mode with Flight Computer #1 and
Attitude Interface Unit #2 in control. With the exception of two Earth points (Dec 6 and 8) NEAR continues
to Sun-point (GS-5). All instruments remained “ON” during this week.

NEAR is presently 101,736.6 Km from Eros (63,216.1 miles).

TCM 21 was successfully executed on Dec 6. Onboard accelerometer data indicates a 6.57% (-9.31 mm/sec)
underburn.

Flight Controller training of recent new hires continues. The final new addition to the Eros orbital
operations team started on Dec 6, 1999.

Preparations for the December flight tests continue. A command review was held on December 3. Minor
changes to the sequence were recommended to improve the telecom link during the test. These changes were
incorporated into the command load and uplinked, dumped, and verified on the December 8 high gain contact.
The command load will not be enabled until brassboard testing of the load is completed, no later than next
Monday.

It appears the maser problems at station 25 have been corrected and it is back on-line today. NEAR
operations will verify it is working correctly before switching station 15 supports obtained for future
testing back to station 25.

Flight Computer (FC) #2 was turned off on Dec 8 after S/C data structures were dumped during a high-gain
antenna contact.

Upcoming Spacecraft Activities:

The following are operationally significant activities planned for the December time frame:

Dec 8 Post TCM 21 orbit load – postponed until Dec 16 to improve accuracy Dec 15 Flight Test of Rendezvous
Sequence

Dec 16 Post TCM 21 S/C Ephemeris update

Dec 17 NLR/MSI Co-Timing Test

Dec 20 MSI/SDC Lightcurve and OpNav Test