SOHO prepares to return to normal operations
7 December 1999
Today and tomorrow, SOHO will be performing maneuvres in preparationfor a return to Normal Mode tomorrow evening. All instruments are ina safe configuration for the maneuvres.Earlier today, a temporary software 'patch', fully tested at ESTEC, was uploaded to the spacecraft to prevent any reoccurrence of the problems experienced last Wednesday, when the Coarse Roll Pointing (CRP) mode was corrupted due to a telemetry buffer pointer going out of bounds.
A long-term solution, which will clear the ACU error flag while keeping the CRP mode from being corrupted, is still being worked out.
Further plans for today and Thursday 9 December include three momentum managements, a roll back to the nominal orientation, and a station keeping (orbit trim) maneuvre. The fuel consumption is estimated at just below 1 kilogram. The spacecraft will then return to its Normal Mode by the end of the day, allowing instrument recovery to take place on Friday 10 December.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
