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No. 212 - Mission Operations Update

No. 212 - Mission Operations Update

Report for Period 29 November to 5 December 2009The Venus Express spacecraft and instruments performed nominally during this week. Strong rain at the site of the Cebreros ground station on 29 November temporarily affected the downlink. Part of the data originally planned to be transmitted to Earth was stored aboard Venus Express and successfully retrieved two days later.

The table below shows a chronology of the main activities:

MET
(Day)
Date DOY Main Activity
1482 29/11/09 333

Communications pass over Cebreros.
Bad weather at Cebreros ground station

1483 30/11/09 334

Communications pass over Cebreros.
Data from DOY 333 stored on Venus Express

1484 01/12/09 335

Communications pass over Cebreros.
Data from DOY 333 retrieved.

1485 02/12/09 336

Communications pass over Cebreros

1486 03/12/09 337

Communications pass over Cebreros

1487 04/12/09 338

Communications pass over Cebreros

1488 05/12/09 339

Communications pass over Cebreros

At the end of the last Cebreros pass in the reporting period (DOY 339) Venus Express was orbiting Venus at 251.5 million km from the Earth. The one-way signal travel time was 838.4 seconds.

Spacecraft

Attitude and Orbit Control System (AOCS)
The AOCS is in its nominal configuration and performing nominally. Operations continue with all four reaction wheels.

The friction level on reaction wheel 1 (RW1) has remained stable during the reporting period. It even showed a reduction trend after the end of the more frequent slews (and the associated higher wheel speeds) of the previous week (see status report no. 211).

RW2 continued to show spikes in its friction level, predominantly during the Earth pointing communication periods. This behaviour has been correlated to higher bearing temperatures. The spikes are small (below RW1's friction level) but their influence on the spacecraft's attitude is being closely monitored.

Payload Activities

ASPERA
The instrument was regularly operated as part of the routine plan.

MAG
The instrument was regularly operated as part of the routine plan.

PFS
The instrument was not operated during the reporting period.

SPICAV
The instrument was regularly operated as part of the routine plan.

VeRA
No radio science observations were made during the reporting period.

VIRTIS
VIRTIS-M was operated in the visual channels only.

VMC
The instrument was regularly operated as part of the routine plan.


Future Milestones

  • Pre-solar conjunction test with the Cebreros ground station on 9 December 2009
  • Venus at superior conjunction on 11 January 2010. Venus Express superior conjunction operations: 29 December 2009 to 22 January 2010


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Legal disclaimer
This report is based on the ESOC mission operations report, MOR #212. Please see the copyright section of the legal disclaimer (bottom of this page) for terms of use.

Last Update: 1 September 2019
19-Mar-2024 10:50 UT

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