NEAR Shoemaker Update 25 August 2000

NEAR SHOEMAKER WEEKLY REPORT
August 25, 2000
 
MISSION OPERATIONS:
 
NEAR Shoemaker continues to operate in a 50 km circular orbit and will remain in this orbit for another day and a half.  As usual, the spacecraft configuration has not changed during this reporting period.  The present subsystem configuration was established prior to the Eros Orbit Insertion Maneuver on February 14 and has been performing flawlessly since.  The only exception being the Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIS), which as previously reported has been disabled.
 
This week, NEAR Shoemaker was in a 50 km circular orbit with a 106 degree inclination.  This orbit commenced Tuesday, August 8 at 23:25 UTC, when Orbit Correction Maneuver 11 (OCM 11) executed.  According to the mission plan, the spacecraft is scheduled to remain in this orbit until August 26 at 23:25 UTC at which time Orbit Correction Maneuver 12 (OCM 12) initiates a 50 km x 100 km Transfer Orbit.  Modeling of spacecraft momentum accumulation by Mission Operations and successful momentum targeting by Guidance and Control subsystem engineers has allowed the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft to operate between OCM’s 11 and 12 without an interim Momentum Correction Maneuver.
 
Except for the NIS, science activities conducted this week included Eros observations by the full instrument suite: MSI, MAG, XGRS and NLR. 
 
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:
 
Aug 26 Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 12 (50 km x 100 km transfer orbit) Sep  5  Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 13  (100 km orbit circularization) Oct  12  Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 14  (100 km x 50 km transfer orbit) Oct  20  Eros Orbit Correction Maneuver 15  (50 km orbit circularization)