ESA Science & Technology - No. 17 - Cruise 1 Phase Activities

These were mainly related to:

• the setting of the "dust" parameters of the Star Trackers via an on-board software patch
• the first activation of the Navigation Cameras to install software patches developed before launch,
• and the initial AOCS periodic maintenance activities (cycling of IMPs, return to 3 reaction wheels control).

Given some unexpected results of the in-flight validation of the Star Tracker dust settings, at the end of the week it was decided to return to the original settings and perform some more investigations and tests on ground.

The second and third battery have been successfully conditioned (reduction of charge level), thus completing the reconditioning activity planned for the beginning of each cruise phase.

As planned, on 14 June the GSEP pointing bias has been reset to 50 degrees above +X. 

Two New Norcia ground station passes were skipped, as planned, on 11 and 12 June.

The table below shows a chronology of the main activities in the reporting period:

At the end of the last New Norcia pass in the reporting period (DOY 170, 01:30) Rosetta was at 53.2 million kilometres from the Earth. The one-way signal travel time was 2 minutes 57 seconds.