NEAR Shoemaker Update 12 Jan 2001

MISSION OPERATIONS:
 
NEAR Shoemaker continues to operate in the 35 km circular orbit entered December 13 @ 20:15 UTC with the successful execution of Orbit Correction Maneuver 20 (OCM 20).  While in this low altitude orbit, the X-Ray / Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (XGRS) is the prime instrument, having authority to specify spacecraft instrument suite pointing.  The spacecraft will remain in this orbit until January 24, when Orbit Correction Maneuver 21 (OCM 21) initiates the Close Flyby sequence.
 
While in the 35 km orbit, two propulsive maneuvers, Momentum Correction Maneuver 15 (MCM 15) and Momentum Correction Maneuver 16 (MCM 16), were performed to manage accumulated system momentum.  The last of these two maneuvers, MCM 16, was successfully performed this past Tuesday, January 9, at 18:36 UTC.  According to the mission plan, this was the final momentum correction maneuver required.
 
Mission Operations attention has shifted to the January Close Flyby and End of Mission activities.  Solid State Data Recorder (SSDR) management during the final descent to the asteroid will be paramount to MSI image retrieval. Accordingly, a flight test of the recorder management technique was performed this past Thursday, January 10.  Results of this test are presently being evaluated.
 
The spacecraft subsystem configuration has not changed during this reporting period.
 
Except for the NIS, science activities conducted this week included Eros observations by the full instrument suite: MSI, MAG, XGRS and NLR.  Please consult science timelines for more details.
 
Upcoming Spacecraft Activities:
 
In addition to regular Eros Science and Optical Navigation, the following are operationally significant activities planned for the NEAR Shoemaker mission operation:
 
Jan 24 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 21  (35 km x 21 km elliptical orbit) Jan 28 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 22  (35 km x 19 km elliptical orbit) Jan 28 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 23  (35 km orbit circularization) Feb 6 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 24  (Orbit Trim)
Feb 12 End of Mission Maneuvers