STEREO Weekly Meeting Minutes for 2021-08-03 (Week 31) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- * None INSTRUMENT and SPACECRAFT STATUS -------------------------------- * Ahead is operating nominally. PLASTIC is in operational mode, but with a high background rate. * Four years after the initial loss of communications anomaly with the Behind observatory, NASA has directed to cease periodic recovery operations with the last support on October 17, 2018. DISCUSSION AND OPERATIONS CONSTRAINTS ------------------------------------- Week 30 (Jul 16- Aug 1) * On day 208 (Jul 27), the 139th momentum dump was executed successfully at 1900z, which imparted an estimated delta V of 0.064 m/sec. This was the 58th momentum dump conducted without gyro use. After thruster operations completed, there was a 0.2 degree of roll angle error. Fine pointing stabilized 2.8 minutes after completion of the momentum dump. * On day 212 (Jul 31), during the DSS-34 support, turbo decoder lock was lost briefly at 0834z and again at 1116Z. This anomaly resulted in the loss of five frames of SSR data. * As of day 213 (Aug 1), all PLASTIC systems are behaving well, except there is a high background count rate, which the team is continuing to monitor. * The average daily science data return for Ahead was 6.8 Gbits during this week. Week 31 (Aug 2-8) * Ahead has fourteen tracks during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are twelve tracks at 720 kbps, and two at 480 kbps. * The ninth Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass period starts on Aug 5, and runs through Aug 15 (days 217-227). * APL IONet maintenance is scheduled for Thursday, Aug 5, between 13-17 UT. Week 32 (Aug 9-15) * Ahead has eleven tracks during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are eight tracks at 720 kbps, and three at 480 kbps. * Solar Orbiter will fly by Venus on Monday, Aug 9, for a gravity assist maneuver. SECCHI observations for Parker Solar Probe will also cover the Solar Orbiter Venus pass. * The ninth Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass period ends on Sunday, Aug 15. Week 33 (Aug 16-22) * Ahead has fifteen passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are eight passes at 720 kbps, and seven passes at 480 kbps. Week 34 (Aug 23-29) * Ahead has thirteen passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are eleven passes at 720 kbps and two at 480 kbps. * Solar Orbiter will be in quadrature with Earth on Monday, Aug 23. * A software upgrade will be peformed on the IONet routers and switches between 8:30-10:30 AM (12:30-14:30 UTC) on Monday, Aug 23. Week 35 (Aug 30-Sep 5) * Ahead has twelve passes during the week, and overall coverage is nominal. There are nine passes at 720 kbps, and three at 480 kbps. * The Solar Orbiter spacecraft will be performing a calibration roll for the METIS coronagraph instrument on Tuesday, Aug 31. Week 36 (Sep 6-12) * Ahead has eleven passes during the week, and overall coverage in nominal. There are ten passes at 720 kbps and one at 480 kbps. * Monday, Sep 6 is Labor Day, an APL holiday * Tuesday, Sep 7 is the 140th momentum dump with ignition at 18:45 UT. * Wednesday, Sep 8 there will be an ESA New Norcia track from 08:30-11:15 UT at 720 kbps. * Sunday, Sep 12 will be the start of the 6th SECCHI-Solar Orbiter conjunction campaign, to run from Sep 12-19 (DOY 255-262). COORDINATED OBSERVATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 31: M Aug 02 (214) T Aug 03 (215) W Aug 04 (216) T Aug 05 (217) Start of Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass F Aug 06 (218) S Aug 07 (219) S Aug 08 (220) Ahead: SECCHI EUVI 171, COR2 deep fields Notes: * Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass, Aug 5-15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 32: M Aug 09 (221) Solar Orbiter Venus flyby Ahead: SECCHI EUVI 171, COR2 deep fields T Aug 10 (222) Ahead: SECCHI COR2 pB campaign W Aug 11 (223) Ahead: SECCHI COR2 pB campaign T Aug 12 (224) F Aug 13 (225) S Aug 14 (226) S Aug 15 (227) End of Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass Notes: * Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass, Aug 5-15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 33: M Aug 16 (228) T Aug 17 (229) W Aug 18 (230) T Aug 19 (231) F Aug 20 (232) S Aug 21 (233) S Aug 22 (234) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 34: M Aug 23 (235) Solar Orbiter in quadrature with Earth T Aug 24 (236) W Aug 25 (237) T Aug 26 (238) F Aug 27 (239) S Aug 28 (240) S Aug 29 (241) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 35: M Aug 30 (242) T Aug 31 (243) Solar Orbiter METIS roll W Sep 01 (244) T Sep 02 (245) F Sep 03 (246) S Sep 04 (247) S Sep 05 (248) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scheduled activities for Week 36: M Sep 06 (249) Labor Day T Sep 07 (250) 140th momentum dump W Sep 08 (251) T Sep 09 (252) F Sep 10 (253) S Sep 11 (254) S Sep 12 (255) Start of SECCHI-Solar Orbiter conjunction campaign ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming events: Behind events are contingent on recovering the spacecraft. 2021: * Sep 12-19 Solar Orbiter remote sensing window * Oct 16 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby * Nov 5 Solar Orbiter along Sun-Earth line * Nov 17-26 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Nov 27 Solar Orbiter Earth flyby * Dec 4 Solar eclipse in Antartica * Dec 17-21 Solar Orbiter METIS observations of Comet Leonard 2022: * Feb 21-Mar 2 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * May 28-Jun 7 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Sep 2-11 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Sep 4 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby * Dec 7-16 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2023: * Mar 13-23 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * May 5 Behind: Mercury transit * Jun 17-27 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Jul 17 Behind: Closest approach to Earth * Aug 13 Ahead: Closest approach to Earth * Aug 21 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby * Sep 23-Oct 3 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Dec 25-Jan 3 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2024: * Mar 26-Apr 4 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Jun 26-Jul 5 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Sep 26-Oct 5 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Nov 6 Parker Solar Probe Venus flyby, in HI2-A field-of-view * Dec 20-29 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2025: * Feb 18 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby * Mar 19-27 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass * Apr 7 Ahead: Mercury transit * Jun 15-24 Parker Solar Probe perihelion pass 2026: * Dec 24 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby 2027: * Feb 1 Behind: Mercury transit 2028: * Mar 18 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby 2029: * Jun 10 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby * Jun 30 Ahead: Mercury transit 2030: * Sep 3 Solar Orbiter Venus flyby