Conference 7.286::space

Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: NASA Headline News for 05/18/90 (Forwarded)
Date: 22 May 90 23:28:19 GMT
Reply-To: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, May 18, 1990                  Audio Service: 202/755-1788
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This is NASA Headline News for Friday, May 18:
 
The Ulysses spacecraft is ready for processing at the Kennedy Space
Center.  It will fly a cooperative NASA-European Space Agency project
to study the unexplored sun's polar regions.  As current propulsion
systems are unable to lift the spacecraft directly from Earth over the
sun's poles, a sling-shot trajectory around Jupiter will send the
probe across the sun's equator in February, 1995.  The launch aboard
the space shuttle Discovery is scheduled for October 5. 
----------------------------------------------------------------
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Select TV.  All times are Eastern.
  
    Thursday, May 24:
 
          11:30 A.M.        NASA UPDATE will be transmitted.
 
          1:00-4:00 P.M.    STS-35 Flight Readiness Review. 
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West Longitude, Audio 6.8, Frequency 3960 MHz.
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All events and times are subject to change without notice.  These 
reports are filed daily, Monday through Friday, at 12:00 Noon EDT.  
This is a service of the Internal Communications Branch, NASA HQ.

From: [email protected] (Bill Higgins-- Beam Jockey)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses plutonium essay in *The Nation*, 14 May
Date: 2 Jun 90 09:51:00 GMT
Organization: The Internet

Perhaps the first shot in the next battle over plutonium-powered spacecraft has
been fired.

Karl Grossman and Judith Long have written "NASA Nonsense," a brief essay in
*The Nation*, May 14 1990, pages 656-657.

Last year NASA launched the Galileo probe with 49 pounds of plutonium aboard to
power its "radioisotope thermal generators" (NOT reactors).  These device
provide electrical power to the spacecraft.   Next October they plan to launch
the Ulysses solar probe, with similar RTG's carrying 24 pounds of plutonium,
which Grossman and Long describe as "the most toxic substance known." Ulysses
is a project of the European Space Agency.

The authors document that NASA has given contradictory answers to the question
of why Galileo and Ulysses couldn't have been powered by solar energy.  At the
time of the Galileo launch, NASA claimed that the probe operated too far from
the Sun to use solar panels (though one NASA study concluded that it's a
possibility).  Now the authors cite a letter from a NASA staffer to a senator
which says that Ulysses "will be operating too close to the Sun for solar
panels to function properly."  The spacecraft never comes closer than 1 AU to
the Sun.

"Groups that see solar-powered space missions as the best alternative to those
scenarios have filed a lawsuit to block the Ulysses launch and to abort the
Galileo mission before its plutonium probe makes two flybys of the Earth, the
first this December, passing 625 miles above the Earth, and the second, in
December 1992, 185 miles overhead."

"A significant new challenge to the Ulysses mission comes from Europe, still
reeling from Chernobyl, where West German Greens oppose the mission." Previous
ESA spacecraft have all been solar-powered, say the authors.  They quote Inge
Lindemann, chair of the Green antinuclear forum: `It's very simple... We don't
want to see nuclear-powered space flights because of the danger of radioactive
contamination.'"

They cite their previous article in the November 20, 1989 *The Nation*, which I
haven't seen.  I know Prof. Grossman, who teaches journalism at the State
University of New York at Old Westbury, was commended a few years ago for
digging up one of "the most under-reported stories of the year" (1987? 1988?).
This story was the fact that Galileo and Ulysses carried plutonium.  I don't
remember where I read about this award-- possibly *Utne Reader*-- and I don't
know where Grossman published his original story.

That's a summary of one article.  I have more information on the Ulysses
question, which I will post in later messages.

                      ______meson   Bill Higgins
                   _-~
     ____________-~______neutrino   Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
   -   -         ~-_
 /       \          ~----- proton   Bitnet: [email protected]
 |       |
 \       /                          SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet: 43011::HIGGINS
   -   -
     ~                              Internet: [email protected]

Abort Galileo?  And where would they like it to go?  Perhaps they would like it to be just turned
off so that it will just go wondering the solar system with no control at all.

Burns

I would guess so -- I don't think that completing the mission was in their
minds, just keeping it away from earth.  Science?  Who needs science?

[Here we are getting all this Pu off the planet ....   :-)   ]

I read an article in Technology Review (I think that's where I saw it) that
talked about the RTG controversy.  Unfortunately it was a lousy article.
Some of the interesting points that I recall were that the lawyers who
were challenging the launch of Galileo felt that if they had a few more
days they would have succeeded in grounding it.

It's a shame that the subject is so terribly complex, otherwise the law
might be able to do something with it (and the press could explain it).

- dave

From: [email protected] (William Higgins)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses: Status and opposition to launch
Date: 7 Jun 90 00:22:00 GMT

I want to review the current status of Ulysses, then discuss what I know about
ongoing efforts to prevent NASA from launching it this fall.

The Ulysses solar probe is intended to study the solar wind, magnetic field,
X-ray and radio emissions, and plasma waves at high solar latitudes.  All
previous probes (including Earth-based observatories) have orbited near the
plane of the ecliptic, and so have had a good view of the Sun's equator. But no
spacecraft has ever observed the Sun's poles.

Leaving Noordwijk and Amsterdam, the Ulysses spacecraft arrived at Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station on 17 May.  (Aboard a plane, of course.) It's
scheduled for launch 5 October aboard the Shuttle orbiter *Discovery* on
mission STS-41.  Ulysses will be boosted toward Jupiter on an IUS (Inertial
Upper Stage, Interim Upper Stage, call it what you will...) combined with a
PAM-S.  In a February 1992 encounter the planet's gravity will bend the
spacecraft's trajectory southward, out of the ecliptic, so that it will pass
over the Sun's south pole in May 1994. It crosses the ecliptic in February
1995, more or less reaching perihelion at this time. (Sorry, I don't have the
numbers, but my best guess is perihelion about 1.3 AU, aphelion at Jupiter's
distance, 5.2 AU.  [Thanks for the cribsheet, Dale Greer!]) Then  Ulysses
passes over the north solar pole in May 1995.

The 369-kg probe carries a radioisotopic thermoelectric generator (gee, what a
mouthful! But one should always spell out acronyms the first time, no?
Hereinafter, RTG.), an electric power source containing 11 kilograms of
plutonium-238, in the form of plutonium dioxide ceramic.  Note that this device
is NOT a nuclear reactor; it works on different principles, and the nature of
its radiation hazard is quite different.  Plutonium-238 decays with the very
short half-life of 88 years, and it emits all its radiation in the form of
alpha particles.  So it can be shielded safely by a very thin cladding, yet it
puts out lots of energy; the lump of PuO2 is warm to the touch.  Pu238 must be
specially produced for RTG's.  The fissionable isotope used in nuclear weapons
is Pu239.

Last fall three groups-- the Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice, the
Christic Institute, and the Foundation on Economic Trends-- joined to seek a
temporary restraining order to prevent NASA from launching the RTG-powered
Galileo probe, but they were unsuccessful.  They did, however, manage to
attract a great deal of attention, both from the press and from Space
Digest/sci.space readers. (-:

The Christic Institute is now seeking an injunction against all launches of
RTG's.  In addition to this, many groups have filed comments on NASA's
Environmental Impact Statement for the launch, including the Florida Coalition
for Peace and Justice, the Federation of American Scientists, Physicians for
Social Responsibility, and the Committee to Bridge the Gap.  Other
organizations filing  (my list is incomplete at this time) are the National
Space Society (which favors the launch and points out the environmental risks
of *failing* to study the Sun's poles) and the United States Air Force.

Bruce Gagnon, state coordinator of the FCFP&J, has contacted leaders of other
peace groups asking for help in opposing the Ulysses launch.  Working in his
favor are two things: (1) he and his cause have a much higher profile than they
did this time last year, thanks to the attention the Galileo affair gained, and
(2) there are four months remaining, time to prepare more than the hasty effort
of 1989.

A good review of the technical facts and issues is given by Daniel Salisbury in
"Radiation Risk and Planetary Exploration-- The RTG Controversy," *Planetary
Report*, May-June 1987, pages 3-7.  Another good article, which also reviews
the events preceding Galileo's launch, "Showdown at Pad 39-B," by Robert
G. Nichols, appeared in the November 1989 issue of *Ad Astra*.   (Both
magazines are published by pro-space organizations, the Planetary Society and
the National Space Society respectively.)

For details of the Ulysses mission, see *ESA Bulletin* No. 60, November 1989,
page 8-12, and No. 48, November 1986.  I'll bet NASA has a slick pamphlet on
Ulysses, too, but I have yet to dig it up.

In another posting soon I'll try to review the technical details of the RTG's,
and the risks associated with them.  I have made inquiries to learn more about
the struggle to stop Ulysses;  I'll post new information as I receive it.

                      ______meson   Bill Higgins
                   _-~
     ____________-~______neutrino   Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
   -   -         ~-_
 /       \          ~----- proton   Bitnet: [email protected]
 |       |
 \       /                          SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet: 43011::HIGGINS
   -   -
     ~                              Internet: [email protected]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[I've combined two postings into one...  -dg]

From: [email protected] (William Higgins)
Subject: Ulysses risks
Date: 7 Jun 90 02:35:00 GMT

DESIGN OF ULYSSES RTG

Ulysses is powered by a particular model of radioisotope thermoelectric
generator (RTG) known as a General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS).  Galileo had two
of these, Ulysses has only one.  It is a 55.5-kg device which produces 285
watts of electrical power when its fuel is fresh.

The fuel is plutonium-238 (not 239, the fissionable isotope used in bombs) in
the form of plutonium dioxide, a ceramic.  This isotope decays exclusively by
giving off 5.5 MeV alpha particles, and no other radiation.  Alpha particles
are the easiest kind of radiation to stop.  A thin sheet of paper will stop
most alphas.  The iridium cladding on the plutonium-oxide fuel slugs is more
than enough shielding to prevent radiation from escaping.  It is also malleable
enough to deform under stress without releasing the oxide inside.

The fuel pellets are in cylinders, 2.75 cm in diameter by 2.75 cm long. Each
pellet yields thermal power of 62.5 watts; the 72 pellets loaded into Ulysses
have a total thermal loading of about 4410 watts.  Therefore specific power
for the GPHS is 5.1 watts/kg, and electrical conversion efficiency is 6.8%.

Two cladded pellets go into a cylindrical graphite-epoxy impact shell; this is
wrapped in a carbon-bonded carbon fiber insulator.  Two impact shells go into a
block-shaped graphite-epoxy enclosure called an aeroshell.  The aeroshell,
measuring 9.7 x 9.3 x 5.3 cm, is the primary re-entry protection for the fuel.
The insulators should protect the fuel from the high temperatures of re-entry,
while the impact shells protect it from mechanical impact.

Eighteen aeroshell modules are stacked into the aluminum housing of the GPHS,
which also contains 576 silicon-germanium thermocouples.  In the case of an
accidental reentry, the GPHS is designed to separate into separate modules.
Between $20 million and $30 million have been spent on a testing program to
insure its safety, exposing RTG components to heating, projectile impact,
explosions, immersion in water, and fires.


HOW DANGEROUS IS THE PLUTONIUM?

I hope to research the toxicology of plutonium dioxide further.  Here's what
I've got so far.

Plutonium-238 is an isotope with a half-life of 88.6 years.  It is an excellent
choice for RTG fuel because the only radiation it gives off is alpha particles
of 5.5 MeV, making it very easy to shield (though there are fuels with higher
power density).

 The plutonium dioxide fuel is a yellow-green compound with a density of
11.46 grams/cubic centimeter.  It has a melting point of 2240 Celsius.  My CRC
Handbook says that it is insoluble in water and slightly soluble in hot
concentrated sulfuric, nitric, or hydrofluoric acids. This implies that even if
there is a breach of the RTG cladding (within the impact shell, within the
insulator, within the aeroshell, within the GPHS housing), it would not easily
get into the environment.  If ingested by animals or people, it wouldn't
dissolve and would likely be excreted after a short time.

The alpha radiation given off by plutonium-238 has a very short range, and
would be unlikely to do much damage during a few days in the digestive system.
Note this point (for it seems to come up again and again in discussions of
RTG's): Plutonium dioxide is not the most toxic substance known, and in fact is
not very toxic at all if ingested.

The greatest danger posed would be from particles inhaled into the lungs. A
small particle of PuO2 would give off lots of alphas, which are highly ionizing
and lose energy in a very short distance.  (This is why they're so easy to
shield against.) If a particle were in proximity to lung tissue, a small
thickness of tissue would be pounded over and over, and the chances of inducing
cancer would become very high.

For Ulysses to cause this kind of problem, an accident must breach the RTG fuel
cladding, somehow pulverize the plutonium dioxide, and disperse it into the air
where somebody can breathe it in.   A launch accident with enough violence to
do this is *highly* improbable.  For example, the *Challenger* accident, in
which flames leaking from the solid rocket boosters triggered the explosion and
rupture of the hydrogen-bearing external tank, exposed payload-bay components
to 10 psi of overpressure.  The RTG aeroshells and impact shells have been
tested at overpressures up to 2000 psi with no release of the fuel.

Downrange of the Kennedy Space Center launch site is ocean for several thousand
miles.  In the case of a launch accident, debris will most likely end up
underwater, where it will be harmless.

Reentry accidents are another possibility.  (At the moment, I have little hard
information on this topic, and will discuss it at length after I've snagged
some more documentation.)  The Apollo 13 lunar module, with an RTG aboard to
power lunar surface instruments, re-entered at over 40,000 km/hour in 1970.  A
program of air and ocean sampling around its impact site detected no release of
plutonium.

REFERENCES

Gordon L Chipman, Jr., "Advanced Space Nuclear Systems" (AAS 82-261), in
*Developing the Space Frontier*, edited by Albert Naumann and Grover Alexander,
Univelt, 1983, p. 193-213.

*Handbook of Chemistry and Physics*, Chemical Rubber Company, 1989.

William Corliss and Douglas Harvey, *Radioisotopic Power Generation*,
Prentice-Hall, 1964.

Robert G. Nichols, "Showdown at Pad 39-B," *Ad Astra*, November 1989, p. 8-15.

Daniel Salisbury, "Radiation Risk and Planetary Exploration-- The RTG
Controversy," *Planetary Report*, May-June 1987, p. 3-7.

    
    How much radioactive material enters the earth's atmosphere from
    natural items, i.e., metors, dust ..etc.. ?
    
    Chris

From: [email protected] (Peter Scott)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Date: 7 Jun 90 23:57:13 GMT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA/Caltech

I have a report from NUS Corporation, prepared for the DoE, titled
Safety Status Report for the Ulysses Mission: Risk Analysis (Book 1).
Document number is NUS 5235; there is no GPO #; published Jan 31, 1990.
It's too lengthy to reproduce here, so I'll go into some highlights
since the RTG issue is surfacing again.

Mission phases 0 and 1 are on the launch pad or during early ascent in trhe
KSC area.  Phase 2 involves the possibility of a failure during later
ascent with a reentry and impact along an African ground track.  An accident
during phases 3 & 4 can result in a reentry anywhere wihtin the 28 deg.
latitude bands.

No accident cases resulting in release in phase 0.  Launch and ascent
source terms calculated using LASEP-3 program, using a Monte Carlo approach
to simulate RTG response to a given accident environment.  100,000 trials
for each scenario or sub-scenario.  The LASEP-3 model directs calculations
to arrive at fueled clad distortion,... fueled clad crack size, fuel release
quantity, and particle size distribution of the release.

Integrated risk analysis constructed 5- and 95-%ile bounds on radiological
consequences & risks.

Based on NCRP report #91 denotes Negligible Individual Risk Level of 1e-7 per
yr, == 1 millirem/yr.  Also referred to as a "de minimis dose".  Dosage
considered As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) is 25 mrem/yr, and
100 mrem/yr
as requiring remedial action.

(Page missing) ... GPHS (General Purpose Heat Source) module are independent
reentry bodies... resulting in broad footprint of impact points.

No credit for dose reduction was taken for possible measures such as
sheltering,
clean-up, food restrictions.

Because of the nature of the "weathering" process for ground deposited
material,
its availability for resuspension inhalation (the dominant long-term
dose pathway) decreases dramatically over the first 2 years after an accident.
... Since the dose related deposition criteria of DoE and EPA are intended
to ensure population protection over extended periods of time when
administrative controls might not be assured, the ground deposition isopleths
have been calculated for the second year after an accident when the weathering
process has slowed considerably.

Phase 1: begins with lift-off and ends with SRB burn-out and jettison.
Accidents during this phase include SRB failures, RSS destruct, aft
compartment explosion, vehicle breakup, and those leading to crash landing
or ocean ditch.  These accidents have a total probability of occurrence of
4.36e-3.  Analysis shows that given an accident, a release of RTG fuel will
occur about 4 times in 100,000.

The radiological consequences of Phase 1 accidents are such that individual
doses are < 10mrem, no collective dose will exceed de minimis, and therefore
no health effects are calculated.  No areas would have dose rates exceeding the
EPA/DoE criteria, except for localized areas onsite near any ground-level
releases.

Phase 2: T+128 sec thru MECO, ET sep, until first OMS burn.  Accidents 
occur above 150,000 ft & all scenarios considered result in vehicle breakup
and release of GHPS modules.  Fuel release can occur if GHPS modules impact
hard rock along the trajectory over Africa.  This can only occur if the
accident occurs during a 5.5-sec interval near the end of the 404-sec phase.
Accidents prior would result in RTG or GHPS modules impacting water with no
release.  The iridium fuel capsules are resistant to corrosion, and the 
solubility of PuO2 is very small.  No measurable concentrations would be
expected in water, even over very long time periods.  Total initiating
accident probability is 1.15e-3.  Given an accident, a rock impact and fuel
release involving one module would occur about 15 times in 10,000 with 0.834 Ci
released.  Total probability of 2.31e-6.

Radiological consequences: individual doses <~20mrem, collective dose about
0.03 person-rem above de minimis.  No areas have dose rates > EPA/DoE draft
criteria, except perhaps localized area around impact locations.  Calculated
health effects essentially zero and risk near zero.  An average population
density is assumed in determining the separation distance between the release
and the nearest people.

Phase 3: T+532 sec thru IUS/PAM-S deployment.  Accidents result in
uncontrolled orbital decay re-entry of Orbiter, followed by Orbiter break-up
and independent re-entry of the 18 individual GHPS modules.  This could only
occur if the failure was of such a nature that a mission abort from orbit
to a safe landing was not possible.  Fuel release would occur only if one or
more GHPS modules impacted hard rock.  Modules impacting oceans would
not release fuel over long periods of time.  The initiating accident
probability
is 1.58e-4.  Given the accident, a rock impact and fuel release involving one
module would occur about 4 times in 100 with an average release of 0.477 Ci.
Total prob. 6.16e-6.

Radiological consequences: individual doses < 40mrem, collective dose above
de minimis < 1 person-rem.  No areas exceed DoE/EPA, except localized etc.
Calculated health effects & risk essentially zero.  Consequences are higher
due to increase in average population density, even though source term is
lower [as shown in tables & failure trees, not included here].

Phase 4: IUS deploy thru escape velocity.  Accidents resulting from IUS
malfunctions lead to spacecraft reentry, breakup, and independent reentry of
GHPS modules.  Same as phase 3 with total initiating accident probability for
a reentry of 6.16e-3.  Given an accident, rock impact and fuel release
involving
1 or more modules would occur about 4 times in 100.  Identical radiological
consequences.  Total prob. 2.40e-4.

- - - - 
Elision of scientific justification in the above should not be construed as
meaning it wasn't done: I just summarized in a very rough fashion.  I think
it's interesting that the RTG modules would apparently survive intact any
reentry, and only break when they hit rock.  I don't expect this will convince
the fanatics, but there's some interesting information for the rest of us.


This is news.  This is your       |    Peter Scott, NASA/JPL/Caltech
brain on news.  Any questions?    |    ([email protected])

Re: .6

I don't know - does it matter?

Radiation - or at least the type we're generalizing on here - comes in a
few forms (alpha, gamma, beta?), and different substances produce those
particles/waves at different strengths, and they have differing half-lives.
All these factors combine to determine the lethality of a given substance.
[At least as my relatively ignorant view of the way things seem to be.]


I don't think we're getting much Pu dust in from outer space - only what we
put up there.


The argument for/against RTGs will not be won with a "the building you are
sitting in emits more radiation than all RTGs combined" type of arguments.
Those for RTGs will have to show the facts and the risks.  Those against will
use the same facts/risks (or another set of facts more complimentary to
their argument) plus the emotional weight of the word "Plutonium".
[Heavy on the emotion in my opinion.]

- dave

    Re: .6 and .8
    
    I was just wondering how much stuff was coming down.  If the RTG
    burns up on reentry how much stuff would get thru.  If this is the
    same as the amount coming down anyway who cares.
    
    Take off from Earth is another matter, however, 
    if I understand the extract from the report it risks are minimum.
    
    
                                                    Chris

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Date: 12 Jun 90 16:37:01 GMT
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA


                                   Payload Status Report
                                   Kennedy Space Center
                                   Monday, June 11, 1990



          George H. Diller
          407/867-2468
          FTS 823-2468


          ULYSSES

               A Command and Data Flow Test was run Thursday and Friday,
          June 7-8, between the spacecraft in Hangar AO and the Jet
          Propulsion Laboratory via the MIL-71 Deep Space Network interface
          at KSC.  This test verified that JPL can send commands to and
          receive data from Ulysses.

               Spacecraft subsystem integrated testing has been completed.
          The tests of the spacecraft experiments are to begin this week.

               The Inertial Upper Stage for the mission is now scheduled to
          be delivered to the Vertical Processing Facility for storage the
          third week of June, slightly behind the original schedule.  As a
          precaution, selected avionics boxes which are from a component
          lot that did not pass tests at the Boeing IUS plant in Seattle
          are being changed out.

               The Payload Assist Module (PAM-S) spin balance has been
          completed and a total of 11 pounds of weights were added.

Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 06/18/90
Date: 18 Jun 90 22:59:53 GMT
Reply-To: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
 
                          Ulysses Update
                          June 18, 1990
 
    A Ulysses Mission Readiness Test (MRT) was run on the Ulysses
spacecraft, and all objectives of the MRT were met.  Successful
validations were performed on tracking (S and X band doppler),
ranging, command, monitor and control, and telemetry subsystems.
Standard S-band uplink acquisition completed with no problems.  The
Telemetry Simulation Assembly (TSA) was configured in standalone mode
with receiver injection.  The telemetry data source used was
pre-recorded test data.  Telemetry Processing Assemblies 1 and 2 (TPA1
and TPA2) were configured to the link and simultaneous validations
conducted on S and X band.  Solid frame synchronization was achieved
on all bit rates and formats.  The Ulysses spacecraft is scheduled for
launch from the Space Shuttle in October 1990. 

       _   _____    _
      | | |  __ \  | |       Ron Baalke           |  [email protected]
      | | | |__) | | |       Jet Propulsion Lab   |  [email protected]
   ___| | |  ___/  | |___    M/S 301-355          |
  |_____/ |_|      |_____|   Pasadena, CA 91109   |

                                   Payload Status Report
                                   Kennedy Space Center
                                   Monday, June 18, 1990


          George H. Diller
          407/867-2468
          FTS 823-2468
          ULYSSES/IUS-17 (PAM-S)

               The testing of Ulysses nine onboard experiments is on
          schedule.  Four of the experiments which were scheduled for
          testing last week have been successfully completed.  Five more
          are undergoing functional tests this week, which concludes the
          experiment test program.  Ulysses is scheduled to be moved to the
          Explosive Safe Area (ESA-60) on July 10 for fueling and will
          transported to the Vertical Processing Facility on July 20.

               Delivery of the Inertial Upper Stage to the Vertical
          Processing Facility is now scheduled for on or about June 22.
          Processing will begin on June 29.  The Payload Assist Module
          (PAM-S) will be delivered on July 10.


From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Date: 19 Jun 90 18:23:26 GMT
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.aviation,clari.news.military
Date: 26 Jun 90 18:52:32 GMT

	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- A boxy robot probe that cost NASA and
the European Space Agency nearly a million dollars a pound is finally
ready for launch in October on a historic flight over the poles of the
sun, officials said Tuesday.
	The nuclear-powered 800-pound Ulysses probe, built in Europe in a
joint NASA-ESA venture, is scheduled for launch aboard the shuttle
Discovery at 6:35 a.m. EDT Oct. 5.
	Once released from the shuttle's cargo bay, the probe will be fired
to Jupiter so it can utilize the giant planet's gravity for a slingshot
boost down and out of the plane of the solar system onto a trajectory
carrying it over the sun's south and north poles.
	No other spacecraft has ever flown over the poles of the sun and no
other such craft are planned after Ulysses, which will need five years
to complete its unprecedented mission.
	Peter Wenzel, Ulysses project scientist with the European Space
Agency, said at a news conference the small spacecraft will
revolutionize man's knowledge of the sun, the closest of the 100 billion
or so stars in Earth's galaxy and the only one that can be easily
studied.
	``Ulysses is a mission bound for a region of space never explored
before, namely, the region above the poles of the sun,'' Wenzel said.
``Previous space missions that investigated the fields and particles
generated by the sun were confined to a narrow disk in which all the
planets move around the sun.
	``Ulysses will take us a step further. It will take us into the
third dimension.''
	The United States's share of the Ulysses mission is about $500
million, including the cost of the shuttle launch, while the European
Space Agency spent around $250 million to build the spacecraft.
	Like the $1.5 billion Galileo Jupiter probe launched last October
from the shuttle Atlantis, Ulysses is powered by a ``radioisotope
thermoelectric generator,'' or RTG, a compact energy pack that converts
the heat produced by the decay of radioactive plutonium 238 into
electricity.
	Galileo was equipped with two such power packs while Ulysses only
needs one. While the odds of a radiation release in the event of a
flight disaster are subsequently lower for Ulysses, officials Tuesday
gave apparently conflicting estimates of the potential health threat in
a worst-case scenario.
	``If the worst of the worst of the worst happened, the largest
number that I've seen, and I want to be very careful how I give you
this, would be that we would have a release of plutonium in the upper
atmosphere,'' said Willis Meeks, Ulysses project manager at the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
	Given the Earth's population of about 4 billion, ``after 50 years,
you could possibly have somewhere like 300 or 400 additional cancer
deaths over what you would have from natural causes,'' Meeks said.
	An engineer with the Department of Energy said the number of
additional cancer deaths around the world in an absolute worst-case
scenario was between 10 and 100, depending on a complex set of
variables.
	The DOE official, citing orders from superiors, refused to give his
name to reporters, saying the Energy Department wanted to maintain a
``low profile'' on the RTG issue.
	Anti-nuclear activists filed a lawsuit to block Galileo's launch,
but the effort was not successful. NASA officials are in the final
stages of seeking formal White House permission to launch Ulysses, which
is required whenever nuclear payloads are to be carried into space.
	Ulysses is equipped with nine sensitive instruments to study the
sun's magnetic field, the solar wind, X-rays, gamma rays, radio waves,
cosmic dust, gravity waves and other phenomena.
	Meeks said scientists have dreamed about launching a spacecraft
over the poles of the sun since the 1960s.
	``The problem was, how to get there,'' he said. ``That's a very,
very difficult thing to do.''
	The planets circle the sun in the plane of its equator. Deep space
probes typically are launched in that plane in the direction of Earth's
rotation to utilize the planet's rotational and orbital speed.
	When a shuttle is sitting on the launch pad in Florida, for
example, it is already moving east at about 900 mph because of Earth's
rotation. Launching a rocket due north or south eliminates that
advantage and more energy is required to boost the same payload into
orbit.
	Current rocket technology does not pack sufficient punch to boost
Ulysses out of the plane of the solar system.
	Instead, the probe will be fired to Jupiter so the spacecraft can
take advantage of the stormy planet's titanic gravity in February 1992
for a slingshot boost down out of the plane of the planets and back
toward the south pole of the sun.
	If all goes well, Ulysses will begin a four-month transit of the
sun's south polar region in May 1994, before looping back up past the
equator and on over the north pole in May 1995.

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Date: 16 Jul 90 01:51:18 GMT
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

                                   Payload Status Report
                                   Kennedy Space Center
                                   July 11, 1990
          George Diller
          407/867-2468
          FTS 823-2692

          ULYSSES

               Checkout of the high gain antenna was completed last Friday
          as scheduled.  Thermal blanket closeouts were completed today.

               Tonight, at 6:00 p.m., the spacecraft is to be moved from
          the Hangar AO Spacecraft Checkout Facility to the Explosive Safe
          Area (ESA-60) where preparations will begin for fueling next
          week.

               The PAM-S fueling of the nutation control system was
          completed today and the stage is now being weighed.  The PAM-S is
          scheduled to be transported to the Veritical Processing Facility
          for mating to the Inertial Upper Stage on Friday, July 13.

               Communications testing between the VPF and the IUS checkout
          station (COS) in the Solid Motor Assembly Building (SMAB) on Cape
          Canaveral Air Force Station which began last week was completed
          on Monday, July 9.  This testing was is in preparation for
          upcoming upper stage checkout activity.

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Date: 5 Aug 90 22:01:43 GMT

                            STS-41 PAYLOAD STATUS REPORT
                           FRIDAY,  AUGUST 3, -- 3:30 P.M.

          Patricia E. Phillips
          NASA Public Affairs/KSC
          407/867-2468

          ULYSSES/STS-41

               The Ulysses payload processing team is concluding a success-
          ful week in preparing the solar exploration spacecraft for launch
          in October aboard Discovery.
               On Tuesday,  July 31,  Ulysses  was mated to the Payload As-
          sist Module (PAM-S) and Inertial Upper Stage (IUS). The mating of
          the approximate 800-pound spacecraft to its in-flight booster en-
          gines was completed at about 11:30 a.m.  in the Vertical Process-
          ing Facility.
               Following that successful  operation,  engineers  and  tech-
          nicians completed another significant milestone Wednesday as they
          conducted  the Interface Verification Test (IVT).  The IVT checks
          out and verifies the communication interfaces between the payload
          and the Orbiter.
               For this test,  the Cargo Integration Test Equipment  (CITE)
          in the O&C building was used. The CITE configuration was designed
          and  constructed to serve as an electronic stand-in for the Space
          Shuttle.
               The CITE allows important data and communications checks  to
          be performed without using the Orbiter itself.  IVT results are a
          significant  part  of the buildup of test data that verifies  the
          payload is ready to perform its mission.  No major problems  were
          reported during Wednesday's test.
               Early today,  the End-to-End test began. This important com-
          munications  test  verifies  the   communications   between   the
          spacecraft and facilities involved in the mission. The NASA sites
          include KSC,  Johnson Space Center,  Goddard Space Flight Center,
          Marshall Space Flight Center,  and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
          KSC communications are routed through the MILA tracking station.
               The ETE is scheduled to continue through late today.  After-
          wards, engineers will review and analyze data from the test.  The
          test  is  being  conducted ahead of the original schedule,  which
          targeted the operation for next week.
               In other Ulysses operations,  troubleshooting of ground sup-
          port  equipment  associated  with the payload retention latch as-
          semblies (PRLA's) continues off-line.  Last week,  a test anomaly
          occurred during PRLA checkouts.

               The  two  PRLA's  are on the IUS Airborne Support Equipment,
          one on the port side and one on the starboard side.  During test-
          ing,  an  incorrect  response was indicated on the ground support
          equipment (GSE) panel used to test the PRLA's.
               Troubleshooting last weekend failed to  reveal  any  problem
          with  the  flight  hardware,  and  the  condition  could  not  be
          recreated in subsequent testing.  Therefore,  managers decided to
          move ahead with the mating and interface testing.  Meanwhile, ad-
          ditional testing of the GSE panel using test article  and  PRLA's
          will  continue,  and  retest  with  the  flight  hardware will be
          scheduled if required for problem resolution. The PRLA's are used
          during payload deployment.
               Ulysses is scheduled to be launched aboard Discovery  during
          the period Oct.  5-23. Once at an orbit of l18 statute miles, the
          astronauts will release Ulysses from the Shuttle.
               Then,  the two-stage IUS engine  will  ignite,  sending  the
          spacecraft on its initial trajectory. After IUS separation, the
          PAM-S,  a smaller booster engine, will fire. This maneuver begins
          the spacecraft; eventually Ulysses will travel at about 4 revolu-
          tions per minute (rpm) throughout its five-year mission.
               The booster engines just mated to Ulysses have  the  respon-
          sibility  of  getting  the spacecraft in the right flight path to
          "slingshot" around Jupiter,  using gravity assist to head  toward
          the  sun.  Ulysses  is expected to encounter Jupiter in February,
          1992,  and will begin transit of the Sun's south polar regions in
          mid-1994.
               The  international  mission carries 11 experiments that will
          measure magnetic  fields  and    solar-wind  plasma,  investigate
          high-energy  cosmic rays,  solar particles,  and solar x-rays and
          gamma rays,  and search for gravitational  waves  that  would  be
          another proof of Einstein's theory of relativity.
               Another  STS-41  payload,   the  Shuttle  Solar  Backscatter
          Ultraviolet (SSBUV) was  installed  in  Discovery  July  22.  The
          SSBUV, which is contained in two canisters will measure ozone and
          solar ultraviolet irradiance.  It is part of a program that began
          with an  original  instrument  launched  aboard  NASA's  Nimbus-4
          satellite April 8, 1970.

[A little bit of everything in this article: status, RTG scare, schedule, 
 budgets...   -dg]

From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Date: 16 Aug 90 20:30:40 GMT

	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- The European-built Ulysses solar
probe's nuclear powerpack is safe and work is on schedule to ready the
costly spacecraft for launch around Oct. 5 aboard the shuttle Discovery,
officials said Thursday.
	Ulysses, a joint $750 million project between NASA and the European
Space Agency, is powered by a small nuclear generator, prompting
criticism from anti-nuclear activists concerned about the threat of
plutonium fallout in the event of a disaster.
	But NASA officials say Ulysses' powerpack was designed to withstand
even a shuttle explosion and Derek Eaton, the Ulysses project manager,
said media reports about the issue amounted to ``scare mongering.''
	``They're entitled to their viewpoint. I happen to think they're
wrong,'' he said of activists who oppose Discovery's launch. ``Most
thinking Europeans would think (recent media coverage) is wrong, it's
scare mongering.
	``This happens in every country in the world and you just have to
live with that sort of thing. I don't feel offended, I don't feel
disgusted, I don't feel amused, it's a point of view which I don't
happen to share.
	Discovery currently is scheduled to be hauled to launch pad 39B
shortly after the shuttle Columbia takes off Sept. 1 from nearby pad
39A.
	Work to ready Discovery for flight is extremely tight -- only four
days are built into the processing flow to handle unexpected problems --
and the space agency could run out of money around launch time if debate
over the federal budget is not resolved.
	But deputy administrator Samuel Keller said by telephone from
Washington that Discovery's launching would not be affected by any
budget trouble.
	``I do not intend to have that happen,'' Keller said. ``We do not
see an impact on Ulysses. The worst case for us ... we believe, is that
everybody would get laid off one day and we would exempt the Ulysses
(launch) crew from that.''
	Ulysses cost the European Space Agency some $250 million. NASA is
chipping in some $500 million, which includes the cost of the shuttle
launch, data processing and a $95 million three-stage solid-fuel booster
system.
	To accomplish its mission, Ulysses first must be fired to Jupiter
so the giant planet's gravity can fling it down, out of the plane of the
solar system and back toward the sun. The probe's post-Jupiter
trajectory will carry it first over the sun's south pole and then the
north.
	Because of the positions of Earth and Jupiter, NASA only has 18
days to get Ulysses off the ground or the flight will be delayed for 13
months while the two planets return to favorable launch positions.
	Discovery's roll out to launch pad 39B is somewhat uncertain given
plans to launch the repaired shuttle Columbia from nearby pad 39A on
Sept. 1, but engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are considering
making the move a few hours after Columbia takes off.
	Possibly working over the Labor Day holiday, engineers and
technicians will have only four days of on-the-launch-pad
``contingency'' time at most to handle any unexpected problems that
might crop up before liftoff. Discovery originally was expected to have
10 days of contingency time at the pad.
	But a series of minor snags and mishaps have slowed launch
processing. Given that NASA historically loses a day per week at the
launch pad -- and given the possibility of problems launching Columbia --
the Oct. 5 target date for the Ulysses mission could be in jeopardy.

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA

                                 Payload Status Report
                                 Kennedy Space Center
                                 Wednesday, September 26, 1990
 
 
 
          George H. Diller
          407/867-2468
          FTS 823-2468
 
 
 
          ULYSSES/IUS-17/PAM-S
 
               Final launch preparations for the STS-41 payload are
          underway this week.
 
               The Inertial Upper Stage computer memory load was performed
          satisfactorily on Monday, Sept. 24.  Also, the guidance system
          aboard the IUS -- the Redundant Inertial Measurement Unit (RIMU)
          -- was calibrated and aligned.  The IUS Flight Readiness Checks
          were successfully completed yesterday afternoon.  Also, the final
          battery installation for the IUS was completed, and the flight
          batteries were installed aboard the PAM-S Payload Assist Module.
 
               Today, a simulated countdown will begin and will take the
          IUS/PAM-S upper stage combination through all activities that
          will be performed on launch day.  The call to stations is 5:00
          p.m. tonight and the countdown will conclude at 7:35 a.m.
          tomorrow, reflecting the actual liftoff time on Oct. 6.  The only
          difference between the IUS SIM COUNT and launch day is that there
          are no built in holds.
 
               Also on Thursday, Sept. 27, the Ulysses spacecraft will have
          a state of health check, and the final Joint Integrated
          Simulation (JIS) for the deployment involving JPL and JSC is
          scheduled.
 
               On Friday, Sept. 28, upper stage ordnance devices will be
          installed and checked out.  These include ordnance which separate
          each of the three booster stages, then the Ulysses spacecraft
          from the PAM-S, and finally the spacecraft's ordnance devices
          which allow experiment booms and antennas to deploy.
 
               The payload bay doors will be closed for launch one week
          from today, on Wednesday evening, Oct. 3.

    What will happen to Ulysses after the completion of the mission?
    Will it continue in a solar orbit, fall into the sun, or leave the
    solar system? Are there any plans to maintain contact and collect
    data after the primary mission is over?
    
    John B.
    
    

I believe it is in a (solar) polar orbit...it will just keep on going around
the sun.

Burns

    Re:.18
    
    	There are some plans somewhere for an extended mission if the
    spacecraft survivies past its primary mission but it is still kind of
    early to talk too seriously about it yet. It all depends on the
    condition of the RTG power supply (which is getting pretty old
    already and will barely supply the power it needs for its primary
    mission).
    	As far as its short term orbit, it will continue pretty much in its
    solar polar orbit for decades if not centuries. In the long term it is
    likely that it will pass close to Jupiter again. At that point it could
    assume a modified solar orbit, be thrown closer to the sun, or even
    escape the solar system. No one (as far as I know) knows for sure.
    
    				Drew
    

  Why don't they give it a fresh RTG?

  George

No one makes them anymore.

    Re:.21&.22
    	No one makes the TYPE of RTG carried by Ulysses anymore. It would
    cost too much to build a replacement and cost about as much to build a
    new one and modify the spacecraft to use it. Galileo had (has) the same
    problem.
    
    				Drew
    

  Since so much of the mission was close to the sun, wouldn't it have made
some sense to attach solar panals? The RTG would probably be able to supply
the small amount of power needed above what the panals could collect out
near Jupiter for many orbits and it could have run of solar power during
the scientific part of its mission.

  Of course, they would have had to say that they were allowing for additional
orbits and if it didn't last past the 3rd orbit (probably many years) the
press would be yelling about another NASA failure (even though ESA built it).

  George

I think part of the mission that is closest to the sun is launch.  I always had
the impression that U was going to orbit at Jovian distances.  Anyone know for
sure?

Burns

  If they are passing under Jupiter's pole to change the plane of the orbit
then they won't increase speed so the perogee (how ever that's spelled) should
remain the same. It would suggest an elipictical orbit with the low point
near Earth orbit and the high point near Jupiter's orbit.

  George

>     Ulysses is to be launched by the Space Shuttle in October 1990.
>Using a two-stage IUS solid-rocket motor in combination with a Payload
>Assist Module (PAM-S) kick stage, Ulyssses will be injected into a
>direct Earth-Jupiter transfer orbit. Ulysses will arrive at Jupiter in
>March 1992. It is interesting to point out that Ulysses will arrive at
>Jupiter before Galileo. At this point, the Jovian gravitational field
>will deflect the Ulysses spacecraft into a high-inclination orbit
>south of the ecliptic plane.  The out-of-ecliptic orbit has an
>aphelion of 5 AU and a perihelion of 1.5 AU. About 46 months after
>launch, Ulysses will pass under the southern pole of the Sun at a
>distance of 2.3 AU. Ulysses will then proceed to pass over the
>northern pole a year later. The Ulysses mission will end in September
>1995. 
 
That is from note 0.  So we are both right.  It is a fairly eccentric, but
perihelion is about 46 million miles further out than earth, still within
solar range (Mars is at about 141 megamiles, or about 1.5 AU if my memory and
calculations are right, and Mars is close enough for solar).  However, it would
appear that a lot of work is going to be done at 2+ AU, and probably some at
5.  If you have to have an RTG with enough oomph to power the whole spacecraft
to begin with, why spend the extra $ to provide solar panels to relieve the
RTGs for some percentage of the orbit?

Burns

  Agreed, you don't need them for the 1st pass and maybe not even the
2nd. However, they might be nice for extending the mission for several decades.

  George

[I originally posted this in the STS-41 note, but I realized that most of the
 relevant discussions and associated texts were in this note.   An additional
 USENET posting on RTG testing has been added to this reply.  -dg]


From: [email protected] (William S. Higgins)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses risks V: Materials and design
Date: 2 Oct 90 00:40:00 GMT

This is another in a series of messages concerning the controversial
Ulysses spacecraft and the safety of its plutonium-powered radioisotope
thermoelectric generator (RTG). The EIS document is:

NASA Office of Space Science and Applications, *Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Ulysses Mission (Tier 2)*,  (no serial number
or GPO number, but probably available from NTIS or NASA) June 1990.

The following is a quote from the document.  I will try to post further
information as time permits.

Bill Higgins
Bitnet:                [email protected]
Internet:             [email protected]
SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet:         43011::HIGGINS

[To review briefly: the fuel is plutonium dioxide ceramic pellets, about
an inch long, encased in iridium metal "clads."  These are inside
graphite impact shells, which are inside a graphite "aeroshell," also
known as a GPHS (general purpose heat source) module. Eighteen of
these are inside the RTG assembly.]
== == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == ==
...The fuel used in the GPHS design is plutonium-238 dioxide,
high-fired and hot-pressed into 62.5 Watt capacity ceramic fuel
pellets.  In this form, plutonium dioxide is virtually insoluble in
ground or sea water should such exposure occur.  In fact, GPHS modules
survive water impact and will resist significant fuel release for
virtually unlimited periods when submerged.

...[Iridium cladding] is compatible with the fuel material to over
1500 degrees C (2700 F), resists oxidation in air to 1000 degrees C
(1800 F), and melts at 2447 degrees C (4437 F).  Each clad also
contains a vent designed to release the helium generated by the fuel
alpha particle decay and to prevent the release of the plutonium
dioxide.

The graphitic materials in the GPHS perform several functions.  The
primary function is to provide reentry protection for the fueled clads
through the use of the aeroshell.  A second major function is impact
protection.  This is accomplished by both the aeroshell and the impact
shell.  The impact shell also serves as a redundant reentry aeroshell.
The third function is to provide a mounting structure for the clads to
survive normal ground handling and launch dynamic loads.  The material
used for the aeroshell and impact shell is called fine weave, pierced
fabric (FWPF).  FWPF is a carbon-carbon composite material woven with
high-strength graphite fibers in three perpendicular directions.  Upon
impregnation and graphitization, the material has an extremely high
thermal stress resistance as required for reentry protection. FWPF has
a very fine structure that results in uniform ablation characteristics
leading to high confidence in ablation margins.  This material, used
primarily by the Air Force for missile nose cones, is one of the best
available for reentry applications.

The GPHS deliberately was designed to be composed of small, modular
units so that reentry heating and terminal velocity would be lower
than they were for previous heat sources.  A modular heat source tends
to minimize the amount of fuel that can be postulated to be released
in a given accident. For example, for a high-velocity fragment impact
resulting from a severe explosion that penetrates the GPHS, only a few
of the fueled clads would be expected to release fuel.  This is an
improvement over earlier heat source designs.

Overall, the DOE has spent 9 years in engineering, fabricating, and
safety and environmental testing of the GPHS, building on the
experience gained from previous heat source development programs and a
data base that has accumulated since the 1950s.  Test results have
demostrated the present design exceeds the already stringent safety
standards achieved by earlier heat source models.

The RTG systems also have a proven record of reliability and are the
only power source available that satisfies all of the performance
criteria associated with the Ulysses mission.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: [email protected] (William S. Higgins)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses risks IV: Testing results
Date: 2 Oct 90 00:37:00 GMT

This is another in a series of messages concerning the controversial
Ulysses spacecraft and the safety of its plutonium-powered radioisotope
thermoelectric generator (RTG). The EIS document is:

NASA Office of Space Science and Applications, *Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Ulysses Mission (Tier 2)*,  (no serial number
or GPO number, but probably available from NTIS or NASA) June 1990.

The following is a quote from the document.  I will try to post further
information as time permits.

Bill Higgins
Bitnet:                [email protected]
Internet:             [email protected]
SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet:         43011::HIGGINS

[To review briefly: the fuel is plutonium dioxide ceramic pellets, about
an inch long, encased in iridium metal "clads."  These are inside
graphite impact shells, which are inside a graphite "aeroshell," also
known as a GPHS (general purpose heat source) module. Eighteen of
these are inside the RTG assembly.]
== == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == ==
From section 2.2.4.3:

The DOE safety philosophy for the design of the RTG requires
containment or immobilization of the plutonium fuel to the maximum
extent possible during all mission phases, including ground handling,
launch, and unplanned events such as reentry, impact, and post-impact
situations...

The following is a brief summary of relevant environments and the GPHS
response to testing (also see additional data available in [DOE 1989b]):

EXPLOSIONS: Fueled clads contained in GPHS modules and intact RTGs
were shown to survive overpressures of 2210 psi without any release;
bar fueled clads withstood pressures of 1070 psi without breaching.

SOLID PROPELLANT FIRES: Bare fueled clads and clads contained in the
Graphite Impact Shell (GIS) were shown to survive in solid propellant
fires (i.e., temperature calculated at 2360 degrees C or 4280 degrees
F [DOE 1990f]) without fuel release.  [Liquid propellant fires, which
reach a lower temperature than solid propellants, would not damage
fueled clads contained in a GIS [DOE 1990b].]

HIGH VELOCITY FRAGMENTS: Tests with bare fueled clad exposed to small
high velocity projectiles indicate that, given the protection afforded
by the RTG case and the GPHS module, projectiles of this type will not
result in damage to the clads.  Further tests, representative of Solid
Rocket Booster (SRB) fragment impacts (1/2 inch thick steel), indicate
that the RTG will survive face-on fragment impacts at a velocity up to
212 m/s (695 f/s) with no release of fuel; edge-on fragment impacts at
95 m/sec (312 f/s) breached only the leading clads of the GPHS module
impacted.

REENTRY: GPHS modules survive Earth-escape-velocity ablation and
thermal stress with wide margins.

EARTH IMPACT: GPHS modules were designed to survive impact on hard
surfaces (granite/steel/concrete) at terminal velocity (maximum speed
reached by falling object) of 53 m/s (172 f/s).  Test results show no
failures of clads against sand up to 250 m/s (820 f/s), no clad
failures against concrete at terminal velocity, and small releases
against steel or granite at terminal velocity.

== == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == ==
REFERENCES CITED:

[DOE 1989b] U.S. Department of Energy, *Supplement to the Final Safety
Analysis Report for the Galileo
Mission*, Document No. 89SDS4221, August 1989.

[DOE 1990b] U.S. Department of Energy, *Safety Status Report--
Accident Analysis*, GE Document, January 1990.

[DOE 1990f] U.S. Department of Energy, *Final Safety Analysis Report for
the Ulysses Mission*,  Volume II, books 1 and 2: *Accident Model
Document*, ULS-FSAR-003 and -004, March 1990.

From: [email protected] (William S. Higgins)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Date: 2 Oct 90 15:54:00 GMT

This is another in a series of messages concerning the controversial
Ulysses spacecraft and the safety of its plutonium-powered radioisotope
thermoelectric generator (RTG). The EIS document is:

NASA Office of Space Science and Applications, *Final Environmental
Impact Statement for the Ulysses Mission (Tier 2)*,  (no serial number
or GPO number, but probably available from NTIS or NASA) June 1990.

The following is a quote from the document.  I will try to post further
information as time permits.

If discussion of this issue comes up in newsgroups other than
sci.space, perhaps some person with Usenet access will cross-post
this information to the appropriate place.  See my messages
with subject lines "Ulysses risks IV: Testing results" and "Ulysses
risks V: Materials and design."

Bill Higgins
Bitnet:                [email protected]
Internet:             [email protected]
SPAN/Hepnet/Physnet:         43011::HIGGINS

[To review briefly: RTG components have been tested extensively. The
only way plutonium-dioxide fuel can escape is impact by sharp
fragments in an SRB explosion, or reentry impact on a very hard
surface such as steel or granite.  The fuel is in an insoluble form
which cannot contaminate groundwater or seawater.  It is, however,
dangerous if small particles are inhaled and remain in the lungs.]

== == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == == ==
From the Executive Summary:

[The DOE database of 30 years' experience] was used to develop models
and simulation techniques to conduct a detailed, in-depth safety
analysis.  Monte Carlo simulation was used to combine the range of
release quantities with the range of atmospheric dispersion and
deposition parameters to arrive at a distribution of possible accident
consequences along with their probablilty of occurence.  This FEIS
primarily discusses the mean consequences as a best estimate of the
consequences and the 99th percentile as represenative of the "maximum
case."

...The most probable release occurs in Phase 4 (at interplanetary
trajectory injection) with a total probability of land impact of about
1 in 602 (i.e., 1.66E-3) and the conditional probablility of one or
more modules hitting rock and one or more clads having a release is
0.129.  The total probability of release is 2.14E-4 (or 1 in 4670).
There are no health effects from the release in either the mean value
or the 99th percentile analysis.  The mean collective population dose
over a 50-year period would be 0.19 person-rem.  "Maximum" collective
dose is predicted to be 3 person-rem with a probability  of
approximately 1 in 60,000.  The ability of the modules to survive
Earth orbital reentry heating without a loss of fuel has been
demonstrated by test and operational experience.  The release could
occur only in the event of reentry and impact on rock or a similar
unyielding surface.  If the RTG modules reenter and land in the ocean,
statistically the most likely occurrence, there would be no release.

The maximum consequences accident scenario is a Solid Rocket Booster
(SRB) case rupture near the end of first stage ascent (106-120
seconds).  In the 99th percentile analysis, and without the *de
minimis* assumption, that scenario would indicate up to 14.5 health
effects worldwide at a probability level of 1 in 44,000,000 (2.27E-8).
This scenario involves high-speed SRB fragment impact on the RTG and
release of plutonium dioxide high in the stratosphere.  The respirable
size particles of interest have long residence times in the
stratosphere which leads to wide dispersion and therefore low local
dose levels.  The maximum individual dose (99th percentile) is 0.0127
millirems over the fifty year dose commitment.   At such a low dose
level, zero health effects is equally as likely as 14.5.

[Higgins comments: To get this "most nasty" accident, the SRB must
rupture in a way that sends fragments edge-on into the RTG at a speed
larger than 95 m/sec, or face-on faster than 212 m/sec, which would
breach the cladding and expose the fuel.  At the same time, a fireball
accompanying this explosion must reach a temperature hot enough to
vaporize plutonium dioxide  so that it re-condenses in the form of
small particles around 10 microns.  The accident must happen at high
altitude to give the particles a chance to diperse and get into the
lungs of lots of people.  This combination of circumstances is the
reason for the low probability assigned to such an accident.]

In summary, the average individual risk of cancer fatality was
calculated for this mission and was compared to risks tabulated by the
Bureau of the Census.  The risks associated with this mission are four
to five orders of magnitude smaller than any of the risks tabulated as
commonly occurring.  Thus the health risks of this mission are very
small.

No launch area accident would indicate environmental contamination of
any area of significant size.  An early first stage ascent (0-10
seconds) release in the 99th percentile analysis could lead to
deposition above the EPA screening level of 0.2 microcuries/square
meter over an area of 111 square kilometers.  This would indicate the
need for monitoring to assess the need for remedial action.

[Higgins again:  I've just obtained the Final Safety Analysis Report,
which goes into LOTS of detail about the methods used to arrive at
these conclusions.  Unfortunately, I'll never get through it all
before the scheduled launch-- it's eight inches of paper.  But it
might be useful if Ulysses is delayed until the November 1991 launch
window.  And it will be useful in understanding CRAF and Cassini
safety issues, if those missions aren't canceled.  (Hmm, I recall that
CRAF first appeared as a new start in the FY 1986 budget.  Postponed
to 1987, then 1988, then 1989, and finally funded in 1990, it might be
dead in FY 1991.)]

    I here that a group is out with a court order to stop the launch
    because of the RTGs anyway....
    
    They tried this with Magellan, but the court found no cause for an
    injunction. I hope it's as quick a process this time.
    
    					-**Ted**-

    	You mean the GALILEO probe to Jupiter, not MAGELLAN, which is
    solar powered due to being so close to the Sun in its orbit around
    Venus.
    
        We will need nuclear power for spacecraft the further we travel 
    from the Sun, as past Jupiter the Sun's energy just gets weaker and
    weaker.  I for one do not wish to see space exploration curtailed 
    by a virtually non-existant "threat".  The atomic bombs exploded in
    our atmosphere from the 1940s through the 1960s were certainly far
    more hazardous than any RTG spillage from one probe.  NASA has al-
    ready shown that the containers can handle just about any accident.
    
    	Larry
                                                                       

    FWIW, NASA would not answer any RTG questions in today's press
    conference due to ongoing litigation.
    
    When asked 'could Ulysses have been built to use solar arrays' one of
    the ESA scientists answered 'yes, but it would have been too large to
    launch'.
    
    gary

Date: 7 Oct 90 05:07:58 GMT
From: (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/06/90
  
                           Ulysses Status Report
                              October 6, 1990
 
     The Ulysses Spacecraft has been successfully launched and
deployed from the Space Shuttle Discovery.  Launch time of the Space
Shuttle was at 04:47:16 PDT, and it reached a circular orbit of 160
nautical miles. The payload bay doors were opened, and a thorough
checkout of Ulysses was made by the ESA Control Team located within
the UPOCC (Ulysses Payload Operations Control Center) at the Jet
Propulsion Lab. The tilt table holding the Ulysses spacecraft was
raised to 29 degress at +5 hours 21 minutes (elapsed time since
launch).  After a final IUS/PAM-S checkout, the crew aboard Discovery
received GO for deployment.  The deployment window for this orbit is
only 19 minutes. The IUS umbilical was released, and at +5 hours 45
minutes, the tilt table was further raised to the deployment angle of
58 degrees, which took a nominal 3 minutes 20 seconds.  The Discovery
crew then activated the nozzle heaters and purged the RTG cooling
lines.  A misfiring of one of the heaters was reported, as the
signature observed did not match what was seen in simulator tests;
however, indications did show that the purge did occur. 
 
     At +6 hours 0 minutes 59 seconds, Ulysses was deployed from the
Space Shuttle on its 6th orbit, over the Pacific Ocean between Guam
and Hawaii.  Springs pushed Ulysses clear of the Shuttle at a speed of
0.5 feet/second.  Three IUS payload alerts were received in the IUS
telemetry by the tracking team in Sunnyvale, California; however, they
were considered to be nominal.  One of the alerts was a Mission Phase
alert, similiar to the one detected during Galileo's deployment from
the Space Shuttle last year.  The shuttle crew then lowered the tilt
table to its original -6 degree position and performed a Shuttle OMS
burn for 34 seconds to further separate the Shuttle from the Ulysses
spacecraft. 
 
     At this point, Ulysses is traveling at 17,300 mph relative to
Earth.  The next three crucial burns of the IUS and PAM-S are needed to
place Ulysses on its way to Jupiter, and also would make Ulysses the
fastest object ever to leave Earth orbit.  At +7 hours 5 minutes 58
seconds, the first burn of the IUS (SRM-1) ignited for 149 seconds,
and increased Ulysses's speed to 22,550 mph.  SRM-2 then occurred at
+7 hours 10 minutes 27 seconds and ignited for 106 seconds, further
increasing the speed of the spacecraft to 25,580 mph.  The IUS then
automatically separated from the PAM-S.  Since the PAM-S does not have
a built-in navigation system like the IUS, the PAM-S had to be spun up
to 70 rpm using thrusters to keep it stablized.  After spinup, the
PAM-S motor was then fired for 88 seconds, giving Ulysses the
necessary speed of 34,130 mph to reach Jupiter.  After the PAM-S burn,
the spacecraft was then despun to 7 rpm by using a system of two
weights on wires which were uncoiled to slow the spin in the same way
ice skaters use to slow their spins by extending their arms.  After
the despin, the PAM-S was separated from Ulysses by the firing of
release bolts on the four legs of the spacecraft. 
 
     The Air Force's Guam station were the first station to pick up a
downlink from Ulysses, confirming that the PAM-S burn was performed
successfully. The DSN's (Deep Space Network) tracking station in
Canberra, Australia, picked up the telemetry from Ulysses about 5
minutes later, and at this point the control of the mission was handed
over to the UPOCC in JPL. 
 
     Over the next 9 days, Ulysses will go through a series of
checkouts. TCM-1 (Trajectory Course Maneuver) will be performed on
October 16 if it is determined to be necessary.  After TCM-1, the
Payload Switch-on phase will commence for about 50 days, which
includes a TCM-2 around November 3. If everthing goes well, Ulysses
will be operational around December 6 and will collecting continuous
data requiring 8 hours of DSN coverage every day. 
 
      Key Dates for the Ulysses Mission
      ---------------------------------
      10/06/90 - Launch from Space Shuttle
      10/16/90 - TCM-1
      11/03/90 - TCM-2
      12/31/90 - First Opposition
      08/21/91 - First Conjunction
      02/08/92 - Jupiter Encounter
      02/27/92 - Second Opposition
      09/02/92 - Second Conjunction
      03/01/93 - Third Opposition
      05/30/94 - Beginning of First Solar Pass (South Pole)
      10/05/94 - End of First Solar Pass
      02/05/95 - Perihelion
      05/30/95 - Beginning of Second Solar Pass (North Pole)
      09/14/95 - End of Second Solar Pass
      09/30/95 - End of Primary Mission

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |
 

From: [email protected] (WILLIAM HARWOOD, UPI Science Writer)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.tw.science,clari.news.top
Subject: Ulysses bound for historic study of sun
Date: 7 Oct 90 05:02:07 GMT
 
    _ _U_P_I_ _S_c_i_e_n_c_e
               
	CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (UPI) -- Imagine trying to understand the forces
shaping Earth's environment without being able to study the planet's
polar regions, where magnetic field lines converge and other complex
phenomena take place.
	Imagine trying to figure out how those unknown forces and phenomena
might affect Earth's weather at the equator, its winds and the transport
of energy north and south in the atmosphere and the planet's globe-
spanning oceans.
	Scientists would find such an assignment daunting, to say the least.
Yet that is precisely what astronomers face when it comes to studying
the all-important sun from the vantage point of Earth's orbit around the
star's equator.
	While humanity's knowledge of the equatorial regions of the sun is
extensive, no instruments have ever been launched to look down on the
star's polar regions because of the tremendous energy required to
overcome the gravitational bonds that hold the planets in equatorial
orbits around the sun.
	But if all goes well, a tiny 850-pound instrument-loaded probe built
by the European Space Agency and launched from the space shuttle
Discovery will sail over the poles of the sun in 1994 and 1995,
revolutionizing knowledge about Earth's star and how it influences the
planet's fragile environment.
	``If you're trying to understand the Earth's environment and yet you
tell all the Earth scientists they can only make observations at the
equator and then make extrapolations as to what's going to happen at the
higher latitudes, they'd probably tell you that it can't be done,''
Discovery commander Richard ``Dick'' Richards said in a pre-launch
interview.
	``So the idea of making observations of the sun through the polar
area is a very exciting one and a worthwhile event.''
	Appropriately enough, the probe is called Ulysses after the
mythological hero who, in Dante's ``Inferno,'' engaged in a quest to 
``venture the uncharted distances ... of the uninhabited world behind
the Sun ... to follow after knowledge and excellence.''
	``The Ulysses mission is the only way to answer questions essential
to our understanding of how the sun works, how this solar system,
including our Earth, has evolved and how the sun controls and influences
the environment and climate of the Earth,'' said George Gloeckler, a
physics professor at the University of Maryland.
	Willis Meeks, NASA project manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena, Calif., was more succinct, saying simply that ``Ulysses is
probably the most important (space) mission remaining in this century.''
And that includes high-priority missions to Saturn and a comet.
	Sending Ulysses directly into a polar orbit around the sun is not
possible because no available rocket has enough power to cancel out
Earth's orbital velocity of some 48 miles per second around the sun's
equator.
	Instead, Ulysses will first journey to mighty Jupiter so the probe
can use the planet's titanic gravity to bend its trajectory down, out of
the plane of the solar system and back toward the south pole of the sun.
	Putting the convoluted trajectory to good use, Ulysses' science
instruments will study Jupiter along the way as well as cosmic rays from
interstellar space, dust particles from old comets and other phenomena
to gain a more complete understanding of Earth's space environment.
	More important, it will give scientists their first three-dimensional
view of the sun, its powerful magnetic field and the supersonic ``solar
wind,'' a stream of electrically charged particles blasted away from the
sun.
	``We're going to measure electromagnetic radiation, solar X-rays and
energetic particles bursting off the sun in explosive events,'' said
European Space Agency project scientist Peter Wenzel. ``We're looking at
the distribution of cosmic dust in the heliosphere.
	``But we're not only investigating phenomena that has its origin at
the sun, we are also looking at constituents of our environment that
have their origins outside our solar system.''
	After zooming past Jupiter, Ulysses will be in an orbit around the
sun with a high point of about 500 million miles and a low point of some
120 million miles, farther from the sun than Earth is in its orbit. But
it is the vantage point, not the distance, that is important.
	If all goes well, the spacecraft will pass 200 million miles above 70
degrees south solar latitude on May 25, 1994, to begin a four-month pass
over the southern regions of the sun.
	Ulysses, continuing on in its orbit, will cross the sun's equator
around Feb. 1, 1995, before starting a four-month pass over the star's
north polar region around May 26. The five-year mission is scheduled to
end Sept. 30.
 ------
	Given the vast distances involved, the Ulysses mission will end long
before the spacecraft can complete a single orbit around the sun, but
not before it beams back priceless data about the single most important
influence on Earth's environment.
	The sun is the nearest star to Earth and the only one that is
accessible to detailed study.
	While average by galactic standards, the sun dominates Earth's solar
system with a diameter of some 864,000 miles. Earth circles the sun at
an average distance of 92,955,630 miles, taking one year to complete one
orbit.
	The sun spins on its axis much like Earth, taking 27 days to complete
one solar ``day.'' And like Earth, it too orbits another more massive
object, in this case, the center of the Milky Way galaxy, taking about
220 million years to complete one revolution.
	Like all stars, the sun is a massive ball of gas that remains stable
by balancing the inward gravitational forces that would cause it to
collapse on itself with the outward energy produced by nuclear fusion in
its core, where temperatures reach 15 million degrees.
	But astronomers cannot look into the core because the gases below an
outer layer of the sun called the photosphere are opaque. It is the
photosphere that marks the sharply defined disk of the sun when viewed
from Earth.
	Above the photosphere is a thin, transparent layer called the solar
chromosphere and the outermost layer is called the corona, visible
during solar eclipses.
	Heat is a measure of molecular motion and temperatures in the solar
corona reach 1 million degrees, producing atomic collisions that strip
negatively charged electrons away from their atoms, creating
electrically charged ``ions.'' The result is a hot, charged gas called a
``plasma.''
	``Ions and electrons, normally bound to the sun by gravity, overcome
this gravitational attraction at the high coronal temperatures and burst
away at supersonic speeds,'' write three Ulysses project scientists in a
European Space Agency paper.
	This stream of particles is called the solar wind. While the solar
wind blows continuously, its density and velocity are variable and
apparently are in some way related to ``holes'' in the corona where X-
rays from the interior of the sun are absent.
	The coronal holes are typically located at high latitudes and Ulysses
will provide the first detailed study of such features, along with
measuring the wind's composition, structure and latitude-dependent behavior.
	``Near the ecliptic plane, the solar wind is emitted in both high-
and low-speed streams,'' the ESA project scientists write. ``As the sun
rotates, the high-speed streams overtake the slow ones and complex ...
interactions dominate the solar-wind flow.
	``Over the sun's poles, the flow is expected to be ... less complex
and therefore easier to understand.''
	Ulysses also will study high-energy atomic particles blown away from
the sun, along with making unprecedented observations of the sun's
magnetic field.
	Another high-priority topic for the boxy probe is the study of cosmic
dust in the solar system. Dust from dead comets, asteroid collisions and
even from beyond the solar system will help scientists understand more
about the origin and concentration of such material.
	In addition, Ulysses will study radio waves from the sun and
radiation from beyond the solar system.
	Finally, Ulysses will be used to help scientists on Earth pinpoint
the locations of mysterious high-energy gamma ray bursts from beyond the
solar system and perhaps even help confirm a prediction of Einstein's
theory of relativity by proving the existence of gravity waves.
	Gravity waves are ``ripples in the curvature of space-time that
propagate through space at the speed of light,'' the ESA scientists write.
	Such waves presumably are created in especially violent events like
stellar explosions, but none have ever been detected. Ulysses' motion
through space, however, would be subtly affected by such waves and if
any pass, scientists should be able to detect them by closely monitoring
the spacecraft's distance from Earth.
	``Ulysses is a mission bound to a region of space never explored
before,'' Wenzel said. ``We are really going to do some new things and
greatly improve our understanding of the sun's environment.''
	With the possible exception of the highly successful Giotto probe
that took historic photos of Halley's Comet, Ulysses is the most
ambitious mission ever mounted by the European Space Agency.

 _a_d_v_ _s_u_n_ _o_c_t_ _7_ _o_r_ _t_h_e_r_e_a_f_t_e_r

Date: 11 Oct 90 18:50:13 GMT
From: (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/10/90
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 10, 1990
 
     Four days after launch, the Ulysses spacecraft is being tracked
continuously by the NASA/JPL Deep Space Network (DSN) in order to make
an extremely precise determination of its current flight path in
space.  Using that information, ground controllers will command
Ulysses to fire its onboard thrusters in a trajectory correction
maneuver Monday and Tuesday, October 15-16, to fine-tune its course
toward Jupiter. 
 
     As Ulysses moves outward from the orbit of Earth, its speed in
relation to Earth has been gradually slowing to about 25,380 miles per
hour at 12 noon Pacific Daylight Time today.  The craft's speed in
relation to the Sun, on the other hand, has been steadily increasing
to 91,850 miles per hour.  Distance from Earth is about 3.07 million
miles.  All onboard systems were operating normally. 
 
     The next significant event scheduled will be the pointing of
Ulysses's high-gain antenna dish toward Earth on Thursday through
Saturday, October 11-13. 
 
     Shortly after a trajectory correction maneuver October 15-16, the
craft's nine instruments will be turned on over a period spanning
about 6-1/2 weeks. 
 
     The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar
space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by NASA/JPL and the
European Space Agency. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |
 

Date: 11 Oct 90 18:16:58 GMT
From: (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/11/90
  
                       Ulysses Status Report
                          October 11, 1990
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is now 3,070,740 miles from Earth.  It is
traveling 91,700 mph relative to the Sun, and 25,367 mph relative to
Earth.  The spacecraft is spinning at 4.7 rpm with a solar aspect angle
of 86.56 degrees.  The telemetry bit rate is at 1024 bits/second, and
the RTG power output is at 283 watts and stabilized.  Thermal
configuration is within a few degrees of the expected thermal model. 
 
     The spacecraft continues to be kept in a quiescent dynamic state.
Tracking has been carried out continuously and the acquired data is
being used to further refine the orbit determination.  The on-board
data recording devices together with the AOCS (Attitude and Orbital
Control System) and data handling redundant units have been checked
out successfully.  Earth acquisition maneuvres will commence this
morning at 8 AM PDT, and will continue until Saturday, October 13. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

 
Date: 11 Oct 90 21:32:25 GMT
From: (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update #2 - 10/11/90
  
                      ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 11, 1990
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft this morning began a complex series of
maneuvers continuing today and Friday, October 12, firing its
thrusters to turn the large dish of the spacecraft's high-gain antenna
toward Earth. 
 
     Since launch, the craft's high-gain antenna has been pointed
nearly 180 degrees away from Earth because of the way Ulysses was
mounted atop the booster rockets that sent it on its initial
trajectory.  Communication with Earth has been maintained through the
spacecraft's low-gain antennas.  Orienting the high-gain antenna
toward Earth will allow the spacecraft to use considerably higher data
rates in communicating with Earth. 
 
     Operations reorienting the high-gain antenna will conclude
Saturday, October 13, with tests to measure how accurately the antenna
pointing was completed and to calibrate the system which keeps the
antenna locked on Earth. 
 
     On Monday and Tuesday, October 15-16, Ulysses will again fire its
thrusters in a trajectory correction maneuver to fine-tune its flight
path toward Jupiter.  Shortly after that maneuver, the craft's nine
science instruments will be turned on over a 6-1/2-week period. 
 
     All onboard systems were operating normally.  At 12 noon Pacific
Daylight Time today, Ulysses was 3.68 million miles from Earth and
traveling at a velocity of 25,372 miles per hour in relation to Earth,
and at a velocity of 91,900 miles per hour in relation to the Sun. 
 
     The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar
space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by the European Space
Agency and NASA/JPL. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |
 

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/12/90
Date: 12 Oct 90 22:40:32 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 12, 1990
 
     Ulysses today is completing a two-day series of maneuvers that
will turn the large dish of the spacecraft's high- gain antenna toward
Earth.  On Saturday morning, October 13, communication will be
switched to the high-gain antenna; since launch the craft has been
using its low-gain antennas.  The high- gain antenna eventually will
permit Ulysses to send science data at rates of up to 8,192 bits per
second (bps).  Currently the craft is transmitting engineering data at
rates up to 1,024 bps. 
 
     The flight team has also been completing plans for a trajectory
correction maneuver next week, in which Ulysses will fire its
thrusters to fine-tune its course to Jupiter.  Beginning at about 9
a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) Monday, October 15, and ending at
about 3 a.m. PDT Wednesday, October 17, Ulysses will pulse thrusters
on and off firing for a total of 26 hours to speed itself up by 99
meters per second, or 222 miles per hour. This -- combined with the
slightly greater-than-expected velocity following launch last Saturday
-- will move Ulysses's Jupiter closest approach 60 hours sooner than
originally planned, now occurring at 12:00 Universal Time (UTC) (4
a.m. Pacific Standard Time (PST)) on February 8, 1992.  The earlier
arrival will enhance the mission's science objectives by giving the
spacecraft 235 days above 70 degrees solar latitude, instead of a
planned 228 days.  It will also allow Ulysses to reach a maximum solar
latitude of more than 80 degrees, instead of a planned 79 degrees. 
 
     The thrusters to be fired Monday through Wednesday to speed up
Ulysses are its radial thrusters, or small jets on the craft's line of
travel.  On Thursday, October 18, the trajectory maneuver will
conclude when Ulysses pulses its axial thrusters -- located on the
spacecraft's sides -- to adjust its aim point at Jupiter. 
 
    On Friday, October 19, flight controllers will begin to turn on
Ulysses's nine science instruments.  Including instrument tests, the
entire operation will span a 6-1/2-week period. 
 
     All onboard systems were operating normally.  At midday today
PDT, Ulysses was 4.29 million miles from Earth and traveling at a
velocity of 25,370 miles per hour in relation to Earth, and at a
velocity of 91,950 miles per hour in relation to the Sun. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/13/90
Date: 16 Oct 90 04:00:22 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                           Ulysses Mission Status
                             October 13, 1990
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is about 3.7 millions miles from Earth,
and traveling 91,714 mph relative to the Sun, and 25,367 mph relative
to Earth.  The first two days of a three day activity to calibrate the
hydrazine thrusters, accurately assess High Gain Antenna characteristics, 
and acquire Earth with the High Gain Antenna have been successfully 
completed. 
 
     There was a 5% under performance of thrusters on average measured
during calibration maneuvers in the AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control
Subsystem).  The solar aspect of the spacecraft changed from 91
degrees to 28 degrees during the Earth acquisition maneuver.  The
configuration of the power dumpers was changed to compensate for this.
Two experiment temperatures, however, in the GLG (Solar Wind Ion
Composition) instrument and the HUS (Solar X-rays/Cosmic Gamma Ray
Bursts) instrument, did show an increase due to increased solar input.
The temperature decreased as the maneuver slewed away from the Sun. 
 
     The final day of Earth Acquisition will take place on October 13.
The first trajectory correction maneuver will commence on October 15
and will be completed by 17 October. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

  Looks like the orbit of Ulysses takes it inside Earth's orbit for a while. I
don't understand the physics well enough to plot the orbit from the numbers but
the fact that the space craft has sped up to 90,000+ mph relative to the sun is
one indication that it's within Earth's orbit. 

  Also if you look at the dates,

>      Key Dates for the Ulysses Mission
>      ---------------------------------
>      10/06/90 - Launch from Space Shuttle
>      10/16/90 - TCM-1
>      11/03/90 - TCM-2
>      12/31/90 - First Opposition
>      08/21/91 - First Conjunction
>      02/08/92 - Jupiter Encounter
>      02/27/92 - Second Opposition
>      09/02/92 - Second Conjunction
>      03/01/93 - Third Opposition

it appears that there will be an Opposition in three months. There's no way
that the Earth can pull away from the space craft that fast unless we
speed up (which is pretty unlikely). It must move outside of Earth's orbit
some time late winter or early spring because we catch up to it (in degrees
relative to the sun) by next August. 

  I'd guess that it's trajectory is somewhat hyperbolic with a close point
to the sun somewhere around New Years. That's all speculation and deduction,
can anyone who understands the numbers verify or contradict this?

  George

Doesn't conjunction mean that the sun and the spacecraft are both on the same
line from us (superior would mean the spacecraft was first, inferior would mean
the sun was first), while opposition means that the sun and the spacecraft are
180 opposite each other as viewed from earth?  If I am right, opposition implies
that the spacecraft has to be outside of our orbit.

Burns

  Don't know. It seems that opposition should mean that we are on opposite
sides of the sun (opposed to each other) and conjunction should be the same
side. That would make sense wouldn't it?

  George

Conjunctions:

    x    S          E
         S   x      E


Opposition

         S          E      x


x = Whatever you are looking at
S = Sun
E = Earth


Examples:

  Venus (and Magellan) are currently going into conjunction (behind the
  Sun), while Mars is approaching opposition (sometime in the next couple
  of months).


  The two conjunctions are called inferior and superior.   It's too early
  in the morning for me to remember which is which.


- dave

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/16/90
Date: 17 Oct 90 00:30:45 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 16, 1990
 
     The Trajectory Correction Maneuver that Ulysses is executing this
week has been going so smoothly that the series of operations involved
in the maneuver have been simplified. 
 
     In the Trajectory Correction Maneuver, Ulysses is firing its
thrusters to adjust the aim point for its closest approach to the
planet Jupiter and to speed itself up by 99 meters per second (about
220 miles per hour).  When designing the maneuver -- originally
planned to span four days -- the flight team built in ample time to
readjust the spacecraft's spin rate after periods of thruster firing.
Ulysses spins at about 5 revolutions per minute (rpm) as it moves
through space. 
 
     As the trajectory maneuver has been executed, however, flight
controllers found that the spin rate was not affected as much by
thruster firing as originally thought possible.  Thus the number of
the spin rate adjustments could be reduced.  The trajectory maneuver
will conclude Thursday morning, October 18, Pacific Daylight Time. 
 
     On Friday, October 19, flight controllers will begin to turn on
Ulysses's nine science instruments.  All covers on the science
instruments will be released with the exception of the HISCALE
(Heliospheric Instrument for Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at
Low Energies) instrument.  The first instrument to be turned on will
be the Energetic-Particle Composition and Neutral Gas instrument. 
 
     All onboard systems were operating normally.
 
     The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar
space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by NASA/JPL and the
European Space Agency. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

  Ok, then looking at the dates again:

>      Key Dates for the Ulysses Mission
>      ---------------------------------
>      10/06/90 - Launch from Space Shuttle
>      10/16/90 - TCM-1
>      11/03/90 - TCM-2
>      12/31/90 - First Opposition
>      08/21/91 - First Conjunction
>      02/08/92 - Jupiter Encounter
>      02/27/92 - Second Opposition
>      09/02/92 - Second Conjunction
>      03/01/93 - Third Opposition

  Here's my guess as to what this should look like to the common layman.
Does this look right?

  In 3 months the Earth will be between the sun and the space craft.
That suggests to me that the space craft will have to first move inside
Earth's orbit to get ahead of Earth, which it's speeding up suggests is
true. 

  October:

    			.
    		         .
    			u .
    			   .
    		S	   e

  Then in about mid November, it should cross back outside Earth's
orbit as it slows down giving us a month and a half to catch up (degree
wise).

  November:

    		      .
    			u
    		         .
    			  e
    			   .
    		S	   .

  December:
    		   u
    	        .
    		    e 
    		       .
    		         .
    			  .
    			   .
    		S	   .

  January:
    		u

    	        e
    		    . 
    		       .
    		         .
    			  .
    			   .
    		S	   .

  Then for the next eight months, it will only advance about 60 degrees
relative to the sun while we go around the other side for the conjunction.

  March:
            u

                .
            .       . 
          .            .
         .               .
        .                 .
       .                   .
       e        S          .

  Aug:
        u



                .
            .       . 
         .             .
        .                .
       .                  .
      .                    .
      .         S          .
       .                   .
        .                .
         .             .
            .       e 
                .


  That look right?

  George

Well, I'd be happy to be shown wrong, but I don't see any need for U. to
have to go inside Earth's orbit.  This particular window was supposed to be
quite an efficient one.  The most efficient way to get from one place to
another is a Hohmann transfer orbit, which is simply an ellipse with its
perihelion at the innermost (in this case starting) point, and Aphelion at
the outermost (in this case ending) point.

I think everything can be explained.  If two things are in orbit at the same
location and instant in time (i.e. U at launch with the Earth), then the one
which is a (roughly) circular orbit will be going slower than the one
at the perihelion of an elliptical orbit.  So U starts out going a LOT faster
in a transfer orbit.  As it goes outward away from the sun, of course, it
slows down, the earth catches up, and you have opposition, as described
before.

Burns

  But it's speed relative to the sun is INcreasing. Check this out:

FROM:  
>                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
>                        October 10, 1990
 
>     As Ulysses moves outward from the orbit of Earth, its speed in
>relation to Earth has been gradually slowing to about 25,380 miles per
>hour at 12 noon Pacific Daylight Time today.  The craft's speed in	<<<
>relation to the Sun, on the other hand, has been steadily increasing	<<<
    							   ----------
>to 91,850 miles per hour.  Distance from Earth is about 3.07 million	<<<
>miles.  All onboard systems were operating normally. 
 
  Also, if it were a standard Holman type transfer, the space craft would
start to slow down and our 1st opposition would be shortly after launch,
not 3 months later. Somehow the thing is increasing speed and will slow
down such that our 1st opposition will be on DEC 31.

  The orbit must be hyperbolic with a close point to the sun somewhere
ahead of the earth launch point (in orbit degrees). Also, the 2 year time
to Jupiter suggests something faster than a holman transfer.

  Can anyone who understands the math verify this one way or the other?

  George

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/17/90
Date: 17 Oct 90 17:27:16 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 17, 1990
 
     Today the flight dynamics team is evaluating results of thruster
firings performed the past two days as part of the first Trajectory
Correction Maneuver for Ulysses.  A final thruster burn concluding
this week's maneuver will be performed Thursday, October 18, beginning
at about 11 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) (1800 Universal Time
(UTC)) and ending at about 9 p.m. PDT (0400 UTC October 19). 
 
     The second of Ulysses's two Trajectory Correction Maneuvers is
scheduled to be performed on Friday, November 2. That maneuver will
make final adjustments in the spacecraft's flight path on its way to
Jupiter encounter in February 1992. 
 
     On Friday, October 19, flight controllers will begin to turn on
Ulysses's nine science instruments.  All covers on the science
instruments will be released with the exception of the HISCALE
(Heliospheric Instrument for Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at
Low Energies) instrument.  The first instrument to be turned on will
be the Energetic-Particle Composition and Neutral Gas instrument.  In
addition, heaters for the Solar-Wind Ion-Composition Spectrometer will
be started in preparation for that instrument to be turned on
Saturday, October 20. 
 
     All onboard systems were operating normally.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

    Re. the discussion about Ulysses' orbit
    
    Remember that the spacecraft is not intended to rendezvous with
    Jupiter, but to use it to perform an orbit change with respect to  the
    Sun. In this case, a standard Hohmann transfer would not be
    appropriate, as this type of orbit is for rendezvous/orbit insertion.
    
    I would guess that Jupiter has to be approached with an unusually high
    velocity to achieve the desired orbit change, which represents a very
    large delta-V for the spacecraft. If this is the case, then maybe the
    spacecraft does need to be injected into an orbit taking it inside the
    Earth's orbit. I would guess (and this is only a guess) that this gives
    it a slightly shorter trip time to Jupiter, apart from any other
    considerations.
    
    Dave Hazel

    Re:.49
    	Good explanation for Ulysses' orbit except for the reason it is
    going slightly closer to the Sun than the Earth for a while. Part of it
    has to do with the speed; Ulysses must approach Jupiter at a certain
    speed to have its orbit changed by Jupiter into a Solar polar orbit.
    Unfortunately this ideal speed couldn't be reached with the IUS/PAM
    combination; a Centaur G' was needed but it isn't rated for the Shuttle.
    Still Ulysses will be put into a Solar orbit with and inclination of 80
    degrees.
    	In any case, Ulysses had to go as fast as possible; it also has to
    approach Jupiter at a certain angle for a given approach speed to get
    the intended change in its orbit. The only way for Ulysses to approach
    Jupiter as fast as possible with the proper approach angle for that
    speed was for Ulysses to use the orbit that it is presently in: An
    orbit that takes it slightly closer to the Sun the the Earth. This was
    the best trade off for a given Earth escape velocity to maximize its
    orbital inclination after its encounter with Jupiter.
    
    			Drew (the orbital mechanic)
    

BTW, the orbit can't be hyperbolic - that implies Solar escape velocity, I don't
believe any of our boosters have that kind of oompf (recall that Pioneer 10, 11,
Voyager 1, 2 didn't reach Solar escape until AFTER encounters with Jupiter).
Besides, that would mean Jupiter would have to slow U. down or it would leave
the Solar system entirely after perihelion.     -Tom R.

  How about an elipes with a close point inside our orbit and a far
point just outside the orbit of Jupiter?

  George

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/18/90
Date: 18 Oct 90 23:01:43 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 18, 1990
 
     Today Ulysses will execute the final thruster firings in its
trajectory correction maneuver this week.  Flight controllers are
sending the spacecraft commands to execute a main burn of about 48
minutes, followed several hours later by a "touch-up" burn of about 6
to 7 minutes. 
 
     A second trajectory correction maneuver is scheduled to be
performed on Friday, November 2.  A final trajectory correction will
then be made shortly before the spacecraft's February 8, 1992,
encounter with Jupiter. 
 
     Plans are on schedule to begin turning on Ulysses's nine science
instruments beginning Friday, October 19.  All covers on the science
instruments will be released with the exception of the HISCALE
(Heliospheric Instrument for Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at
Low Energies) instrument.  The first instrument to be turned on will
be the Energetic-Particle Composition and Neutral Gas instrument.  In
addition, heaters for the Solar-Wind Ion-Composition Spectrometer will
be started in preparation for that instrument to be turned on
Saturday, October 20. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/19/90
Date: 19 Oct 90 22:34:38 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 19, 1990
 
     Ulysses today is beginning the process of turning on and checking
out each of its nine science instruments.  All covers on the science
instruments will be released today, with the exception of the HISCALE
(Heliospheric Instrument for Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at
Low Energies) instrument. 
 
     The first instrument to be turned on will be the
Energetic-Particle Composition and Neutral Gas instrument. In
addition, heaters for the Solar-Wind Ion-Composition Spectrometer will
be started in preparation for that instrument to be turned on
Saturday, October 20. 
 
     Also on October 20, after the Solar-Wind Ion-Composition
Spectrometer is turned on, it will be checked out for thermal
conditions and then switched off.  A calibration test will be running
on the neutral-gas portion of the Energetic-Particle Composition and
Neutral Gas experiment.  Finally, the Cosmic Dust instrument will also
be switched on for checkout. 
 
     Plans call for relatively quiet weekend monitoring of the
spacecraft Sunday and Monday, October 21-22.  Instruments will
continue to be turned on and checked out for several weeks. 
 
     The trajectory correction maneuver of this week concluded
successfully Thursday, October 18.  The flight dynamics team is
evaluating the results of the maneuver in order to plan a second
trajectory maneuver on Friday, November 2. 
 
     The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar
space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by the European Space
Agency and NASA/JPL. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update #2 - 10/19/90
Date: 19 Oct 90 23:44:34 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                          Ulysses Mission Status
                            October 19, 1990
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is now 7,172,766 miles (11,543,435 km)
from Earth and 498,753,202 miles (802,665,473 km) from Jupiter.  It is
traveling 91,503 mph (147,261 kph) relative to the Sun, and 24,752 mph
(39,834 kph) relative to Earth. 
 
     The first TCM (Trajectory Correction Maneuver) was successfully
completed on the October 18.  Detailed evaluation of the resulting
change in trajectory has commenced. The spin rate was adjusted to 5
rpm after the completion of TCM-1. 
 
     The purpose of the radial manuever of TCM-1 was to correct the
direction of track of the initial trajectory.  Radial thrusters on the
spacecraft were activated in pulsed mode for a period of twenty three
hours.  Intermediate spin rate corrections were made to maintain the
spin rate of the spacecraft within pre-determined limits around 5 rpm.
 
     The cross coupling effects which cause a change to the spin rate
during the radial thrusters firing was less than predicted and this
therefore led to a reduction in the overall duration of the radial burn. 
 
     The purpose of axial maneuver of TCM-1 was to increase the
velocity of the spacecraft along the direction of track.  Axial
thrusters were activated for a total of about one hour, the burns
being split into two separate manuevers. The first longer manuever was
interrupted on-board forty seconds after commencement due to a higher
than expected spin rate change caused on-board protection logic
criteria to be exceeded. The AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control
Subsystem) was configured for on-board spin rate control during the
manuever and was re-started. The manuever was completed without
incident. 
 
     KEP (Energetic Particle and Interstellar Neutral Gas) experiment
switch-on and GAS (Neutral Gas experiment) cover release commands were
uplinked  to the spacecraft as time-tagged commands for execution on
October 19. 
 
     The initial switch-on will be almost immediately followed by the
release of all protective experiment covers (with the exception of the
LAN experiment). The LAN experiment measures low energy charged particles. 
The LAN cover will not be released until the TCM-2 has been completed. 
 
     Thermal reconfigurations have been carried out to maintain the
desired thermal environment.  A special thermal reconfiguration was
utilized during the first TCM to maintain the thruster block
temperatures within limits. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

  Aviation Week had an interesting description to the deployment and launch of
Ulysses from Discovery in Low Earth Orbit. 

  Basically, there were 3 solid fuel stages, two from the IUS and a PAM
booster. The large IUS fired 1st (44,000 lb's thrust) speeding the space craft
up to about 22,000 mph. Then the small IUS fired (about 14,000lb?) to speed the
space craft up to 25,000. 

  Next, small thrusters on the side of the PAM fired to speed the rotation of
the space craft to 7 RPM (at one point the article said 70 RPM but that
contradicted other information and was probably a mistake). After that, the
band holding the thrusters was released and the PAM fired to speed the craft up
to 34,000 MPH. 

  The next part was really strange (to me anyway). Large weights on the PAM
were deployed on long cables which had the effect of reducing the spin by 10%
from 7 RPM to 6.3 RPM. Wire cutters then cut the cables releasing the weights
and the space craft separated from the PAM. 

  Eventually the space craft was slowed to 4.7 RPM which is it's cruising
spin.

  George

    re despin
    
    That despin technique is used quite often on sounding rockets. There is
    a specific term for it ('yo-yo despin', I think). Its a fairly cheap
    way to reduce the spin rate without using lots of propellant, and
    rocket sondes may not have any attitude control system (ACS).
    
    The PAM-S, like the PAM-D, is dumb. It has no ACS and relies on spin
    stabilisation to cancel out disturbances from a slightly uneven burn.
    
    I don't know why they added spinup motors rather than use the IUS ACS
    to spin the PAM-S though.
    
    gary

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/23/90
Date: 23 Oct 90 22:26:23 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 23, 1990
 
     This week the Ulysses team is continuing to switch on science
instruments aboard the spacecraft, a process that began late last week. 
 
     On Friday, October 19, the first instrument to be turned on was
the Energetic-Particle Composition and Neutral Gas instrument. 
Saturday, October 20, the Solar-Wind Ion-Composition Spectrometer was
turned on, checked out for thermal conditions and then switched off. 
 
     Plans originally called for the Cosmic Dust instrument also to 
be switched on Saturday.  Flight controllers decided to delay this
switch-on, at the experimenter's request, as the experiment sensor was
running slightly warm.  When the distance to the Sun has increased
sufficiently for the temperature to drop to an acceptable level, the
experiment will be switched on. 
 
     Today the Cosmic and Solar Particle instrument was being switched
on.  Thursday, October 25, the Magnetic Fields instrument will be
turned on. 
 
     Through the remainder of the week, calibration tests and routine
monitoring will continue on instruments currently powered up. 
 
     The flight dynamics team is currently collecting and evaluating
data on Ulysses's precise course to plan a second trajectory maneuver
to be carried out Friday, November 2. 
 
     Onboard systems were performing normally.  Today Ulysses is about
10 million miles from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 91,600 miles per hour. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

    	In an earlier reply someone asked if Ulysses was traveling fast
    enough to escape the solar system. Another noter correctly stated it
    was not. I've been trying to dig up Ulysses' orbital elements but have
    had no luck, so I did a calculation. If Ulysses had been launched
    directly towards the direction the Earth travels around the Sun
    (instead of slightly towards the Sun) it would have gotten the maximum
    assistance from the Earth's motion and traveled the furthest out from
    the Sun. In such a case, Ulysses would be in an orbit with a perhelion
    of 1 AU from the Sun, an apohelion of 11.5 AU (just beyond the orbit of
    Saturn), and have an orbital period of 15.7 years (i.e. it would reach
    apohelion in August, 1998). As it is, its apohelion will be slightly
    less than 1 AU, its perhelion won't be quite as far out, and its period
    would be shorter.
    
    				Drew
    

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update #2 - 10/23/90
Date: 24 Oct 90 16:29:57 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                         Ulysses Mission Status
                           October 23, 1990
 
     As of 9AM (PDT), Sunday, October 21, the Ulysses spacecraft is
8,944,797 miles (14,395,255 km) from Earth, and 492,882,103 miles
(793,216,855 km) from Jupiter.  These numbers are accurate to a
kilometer because Ulysses has a ranging instrument aboard.  The
spacecraft is traveling at 91,141mph (146,678 kph) relative to the
Sun, and 24,465 mph (39,393 kph) relative to Earth. 
 
     Following scheduled closure of the main switch, the experiment
switch-on phase commenced. The first experiment to be switched on was
the KEP experiment.  This experiment will investigate the properties
of energetic particles and interstellar neutral gas.  This operation
was immediately followed by the release of all protective experiment
covers, except the LAN instrument (Low Energy Charged Particles) which
will be released after the second Trajectory Maneuver. 
 
     Following these releases, the entrance aperture to the sensors of
the Solar Wind Plasma Experiment (BAM) was commanded to maximum.  The
detailed checkout of the KEP experiment then commenced.  This activity
will be spread out over several days. 
 
     Heaters for the Solar Wind Ion Composition experiment (GLG) were
scheduled to be switched on at this time but the thermal environment
was such that it was not necessary to do this.  The next scheduled
activity was the switch-on of the Cosmic Dust Experiment (GRU). 
However, the temperature of the channeltron sensor was slightly warmer
than desired and it was decided, at the request of the experimenter,
to delay this operation until the temperature reduces to a value which
permits the switch-on to take place.  A maximum delay of one to two
weeks is envisaged.  This activity will be integrated with other
switch-on activities and is not expected to give rise to any
re-scheduling problems. 
 
     On Tuesday,  October 23, the Cosmic Ray and Solar Particle
Experiment (SIM) will be switched on.  This will be followed on
October 24 by the switch-on of the Magnetic Field Experiment (HED). 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

    Re. .59 (Drew):
    
>   apohelion in August, 1998). As it is, its apohelion will be slightly
>   less than 1 AU, its perhelion won't be quite as far out, and its period
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    
    According to this, it won't even reach Jupiter! Should this have been
    "less than 11 AU"?
    
    Dave Hazel

    Re:.61
    
    	OK, you caught me :-) It should have read "its *perihelion* will be
    slightly less than 1 AU, its *apohelion* won't be quite as far out"  (as
    far out as 11.5 AU). I apologize for my neurons firing slightly out of
    sequence.
    
    					Drew
    

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Date: 26 Oct 90 06:41:53 GMT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.

In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Robert W Murphree) writes:
>Dear Ron Baalke:
>
>Could you comment, either by E-mail or in sci.space or sci.astro about the
>possibility of an extended mission for Ulyssess?  After 1995 comes and the 
>south pole of the sun is past, what's to stop Ulyssess from making the 
>trip again and again?  What does the orbit evolve too?  Also, will the 
>mission be limited by 1)expendables-attitude gas 2) power from the RTG
>etc. Is there political support at ESA for an extended mission?  Is JPL
>providing the communications and ESA the operations or what? Thanks..
>    
                                
     There are currently no official plans for an extended mission for
Ulysses after 1995.  However, that doesn't mean there will not be one.
The main contraints on an extended mission will be the power output from
the RTG's and available hydrazine fuel.  At launch, Ulysses was receiving
285 watts from the RTG's, and was carrying 33 kg of hydrazine.  At the
end of its primary mission in 5 years, the power output from the RTG's
will have dropped to 250 watts, which is enough to fully power Ulysses, but
will continue to dwindle as time goes on.  The amount of hydrazine left at
that time is unknown as that is dependent on how much is used for trajectory
course corrections.
 
     After 1995, Ulysses will be undoubtedly be tracked by the Deep Space
Network for as long as possible, such as what is being done with the Pioneers
and Voyagers.  After a gravity assist from Jupiter in 1992, Ulysses will be
in a highly eccentric solar orbit with a period of 6 years, extending from
the orbit of Jupiter to about 1.4 AU from the Sun.  When Ulysses loops back
around for another solar pass in 1999-2000,  the power available from the
RTG's will not be sufficient of support a fully functional spacecraft; however,
a limited mission is possible to make further measurements of the Sun. Also,
with Ulysses having an orbital period of 6 years, and Jupiter having an orbital
period of 11.9 years, the two will come in close proximity of each other in
the year 2004.  If enough hydrazine is still left, a course maneuver burn
could possibly be performed to get the spacecraft close enough to Jupiter for
another gravity assist.  If this is possible, then this opens the door to
a number of possibilities of where to send the spacecraft next.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Date: 27 Oct 90 00:05:07 GMT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.

                           Ulysses Status Report
                              October 26, 1990
 
     As of 9AM (PDT), Thursday, October 25, the Ulysses spacecraft is
11,091,000 miles (17,850,000 km) from Earth, and 490,735,424 miles
(789,762,110 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecarft is traveling 90,667 mph
(145,914 kph) relative to the Sun, and 24,074 mph (38,743 kph) relative
to the Earth.
 
     The KEP (GAS) Platform Calibration 2 was carried out as the first
operational activity on the October 23.  The KEP instrument will be used to
measure energetic particles and interstellar neutral gas.  This was then
followed by the initial switch on and check out of the Cosmic Ray and Solar
Particle Experiment (SIM).  Following the end of the days experiment
activities, a Conscan Earth pointing maneuver was carried out.  This required
that the X-band downlink was switched on to carry out measurements at this
frequency.  The X-band system performed nominally during the maneuver and was
switched off again as per the operations planning.  The X-band downlink will
be activated permanently on the November 3.
 
     Also on October 23, command system problems at the DSN (Deep Space
Network) station in Spain caused some delay in the scheduled experiment
commanding.
 
     Activities on the October 24 consisted of continuing the SIM checkout.
At the end of the day, the experiment team declared SIM to be fully
operational.
 
     The final activity on this day was to uplink time-tagged commands to
start the KEP (GAS) - HV Test.  The actual operation was initiated as the
first activity on Thursday, October 25.  This was followed by the switch-on
of the Magnetic Field Experiment (HED).  Initial performance of the experiment
is nominal.
 
     Monitoring and control of the SIM and HED experiments will continue,
together with the KEP (GAS) + HV Test.  On Saturday, October 27, further KEP
(GAS) tests will take place.  It is also anticipated that the initial
switch-on of the Cosmic Dust Experiment (GRU) will take place.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/02/90
Date: 2 Nov 90 22:19:09 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                        ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                          November 2, 1990
 
     As of 10AM (PST), Thursday, November 1, the Ulysses spacecraft is
15,300,000 miles (24,600,000 km) from Earth and 486,540,000 miles
(783,012,000 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at 89,717
mph (144,386 kph) relative to the Sun, and 23,291 mph (37,483 kph)
relative to Earth.  The Sun-Probe-Earth angle is at 66.5 degrees and
Ulysses is spinning at 5 rpm. 
 
     On October 30, activities continued with the monitoring of the
HED (magnetic field), SIM (cosmic rays and solar particles), and KEP
(energetic particles and interstellar neutral gas) experiments. 
Following the initial switch-on of the GRU (cosmic dust) experiment on
October 27, further tests took place.  The final activity of the day
was the uplinking of KEP test sequences for execution on October 31. 
 
     Following the KEP tests on the October 31, activities were
limited to the continued monitoring of experiments which had been
previously switched on. On November 1, further GRU and KEP tests were
carried out. 
 
     Today, the second Trajectory Correction Maneuver will take place.
The KEP experiment will be switched off prior to the maneuver.  This
will be followed on November 3 with the switch off of the HED and SIM
experiments in preparation for the release of the cover of the Low
Energy Charged Particle Experiment (LAN). 
 
     Following cover release, the initial switch-on of the Radio and
Plasma Wave Experiment (STO) will commence.  This will involve the
deployment of the wire booms which have a tip-to-tip length of 72
meters.  The X-band transmitter will be turned on immediately prior to
the wire boom deployment. On Sunday, November 4, the axial boom will
be deployed.  Following completion of these deployment activities, the
KEP, HED, and SIM experiments will be switched on again. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/05/90
Date: 6 Nov 90 01:38:14 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                           ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                              November 5, 1990
 
     Today, the Ulysses spacecraft is about 18 million miles from
Earth, and traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 88,000 miles
per hour. 
 
     With the completion of the spacecraft's second trajectory
correction maneuver last week, instrument switch-ons and tests are the
chief scheduled events for the Ulysses mission in the days ahead.  In
the trajectory maneuver, on Friday, November 2, the spacecraft fired
its thrusters for 1 hour, 43 minutes to adjust the aim point for its
flyby of Jupiter in February 1992. 

     On Sunday, November 4, the spacecraft's 7.5-meter (24.3-foot)
axial boom -- which serves as an antenna for Ulysses's Unified Radio
and Plasma-Wave experiment -- was deployed.  Following that
deployment, flight controllers noticed a slight wobble in the
spacecraft as it rotated on its spin axis. Small wobbles are expected
to result when onboard equipment is activated, and generally are
minimized by a system called a nutation damper.  Nevertheless flight
controllers were investigating the condition and possible corrective
actions.  The motion -- totaling 0.4 degree -- does not affect
spacecraft operation or radio communication. 
 
     Today, plans call for the Solar Wind Ion-Composition Spectrometer
to be turned on.  On Thursday and Friday, November 8-9, tests of the
spacecraft's tape recorder will be conducted. On Friday, November 9,
the Solar X-ray and Cosmic Gamma Ray experiment will be turned on. 
Instrument tests will continue Saturday, November 10, followed by
relatively quiet monitoring Sunday and Monday, November 11-12. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/06/90
Date: 6 Nov 90 20:51:50 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                            ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                              November 6, 1990
 
     As of 10AM (PST), Sunday, November 4, 1990, the Ulysses
spacecraft is 16,960,000 miles (27,300,000 km) from Earth and
484,863,000 miles (780,312,000 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is
traveling at 89,081 mph (143,362 kph) relative to the Sun, and 22,900
mph (36,853 kph) relative to Earth. 
 
     On November 2 the Second Trajectory Correction Maneuver was
carried out. The maneuver was a pulsed radial delta-V maneuver with a
duration of one hour and forty three minutes.  The absolute value of
delta-V imparted to the spacecraft was 3.784 meters/second. 
 
     On November 3, the first activity of the day was to switch off
the SIM (Cosmic Rays and Solar Particles) experiment prior to the
deployment of the wire booms.  This was followed by the release of the
protective covers of the Low Energy Charged Particle Experiment (LAN).
The initial switch-on of the Radio and Plasma Wave Experiment (STO)
then took place.  The experiment was then configured to monitor the
deployment.  The on-board X-band downlink was then switched on to also
provide further data on the dynamics of the wire boom deployment. 
Deployment then took place. The deployment procedure lasted for a
total of fifty seven minutes.  Confirmation of a succesful deployment
of both booms was received from the STO experiment team.  Following
the deployment, some reconfigurations of the STO experiment were
carried out. A re-adjustment to the spin rate of the spacecraft was
then carried out. 
 
     The final activity of the day was to switch off the X-band
downlink to maintain a desired thermal environment on board.  The
X-band downlink will be restored on November 15. 
 
     On November 4, the first activity was to configure the STO
experiment to monitor the axial boom deployment.  The axial boom was
then deployed. The deployment procedured lasted for eleven minutes. 
The STO experiment reported a full deployment of the axial boom.  The
HED (Magnetic Field) experiment was then switched off to enable the
STO experiment to measure background environment with HED switched off. 
 
     Switch-on of the experiments then re-commenced.  The first
switch-on to occur was the KEP (Energetic Particles and Interstellar
Neutral Gas) experiment.  This activity was followed by the HED
experiment which in turn was followed by the SIM experiment. 
 
     Several hours after the axial boom deployment had been carried
out, the build-up of a nutation-like motion was observed.  The motion
finally stabilised at an amplitude of approximately 0.4 degrees.  The
phenomena is under investigation. 
 
     Today, the Solar Wind Ion Composition Experiment (GLG) switch-on
will take place.  This will be interleaved with the monitoring and
control of the experiments which have already been switched on.  The
GLG checkout will continue on through tomorrow.  On November 8,
on-board tape recorder tests will commence.  On November 9, the Solar
X-rays and Cosmic-ray Bursts Experiment (HUS) switch-on will take place. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/09/90
Date: 10 Nov 90 04:44:55 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                          ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                             November 9, 1990
 
     As of 10AM (PST), Friday, November 9, 1990, the Ulysses
spacecraft is 19,671,570 miles (31,658,323 km) from Earth, and
455,840,687 miles (733,604,474 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is
traveling at a heliocentric velocity of 87,017 mph (140,040 kph), and
22,593 mph (36,360 km) relative to Earth. 
 
     On Monday, November 5, some further passive monitoring of the
nutation phenomena took place.  As this had been scheduled as a
monitoring only day, no further activities took place. 
 
     On Tuesday, November 6, the Solar Wind Ion Composition Experiment
(GLG) switch-on took place.  In addition to the originally scheduled
activities, the GRU Channeltron was switched on. It was then followed
by the reconfiguration of the GRU experiment.  Following this, some
further reconfiguration of the STO experiment took place.  On November
7, further GLG and STO experiments reconfiguration and testing was
carried out. 
 
     At the conclusion of the day's scientific operations activities,
a dynamics test was conducted to introduce a small thruster impulse
which aimed to produce an observable short term reduction in the
nutation.  This was followed on November 8 by two further tests using
a larger thruster impulse. The result was that the nutation was
reduced by about 20%.  However, the dynamic system re-stabilised
itself as expected at the nutation value measured prior to the
maneuvers after a few hours.  Further dynamic tests will be conducted
on November 13. 
 
     Today, the initial switch-on of the Solar X-Rays and Cosmic Ray
Bursts Experiment (HUS) commenced.  The on-board tape recorder tests
foreseen for November 8-9 have been delayed to allow more dynamic
testing time.  On November 13, the day will be devoted to carrying out
further tests in the evaluation of the nutation phenomena.  The X-band
downlink will also be switched on.  As a result this will delay the
switch-on of the Low Energy Ions and Electrons Experiment (LAN) by one
day.  Following the LAN switch-on, it is expected to be able to switch
on the Solar Wind Plasma Experiment (BAM) on the originally foreseen
date of Friday, November 16. 
 
     The DSN (Deep Space Network) support has greatly improved.  A
communications system reconfiguration took place at the DSN Madrid
complex. This has significantly reduced the number of data dropouts
experienced over the reporting period. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/13/90
Date: 14 Nov 90 21:59:53 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        November 13, 1990
 
     Today, the Ulysses spacecraft is about 22 million miles from
Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 86,000 miles per
hour.  Switch-ons of science instruments will conclude this week as
the last of the nine experiments onboard the Ulysses spacecraft are
activated. 
 
     On Wednesday, November 14, the Heliospheric Instrument for
Spectra, Composition and Anisotropy at Low Energies (HISCALE) will be
turned on.  On Friday and Saturday, November 16-17, various segments
of the final science experiment, the Solar-Wind Plasma instrument,
will be activated.  Both of these instruments study ions in the solar
wind streaming away from the Sun. 
 
     In other spacecraft activities, today a pair of maneuvers were
being performed with the craft's thrusters which will point the large
dish of Ulysses's high-gain antenna more closely at Earth.  Also
today, the X-band radio transmitter has been turned on.  Tentatively
the spacecraft on November 15 will begin transmitting its data to
Earth with the X-band transmitter through the high-gain antenna; until
now it has sent radio telemetry with its S-band transmitter.  X band
is at a higher frequency and permits data to be sent at faster rates. 
 
     Ground controllers have continued to study a slight wobble which
has been noticed in the spinning spacecraft since the deployment of
its axial boom nine days ago.  The motion -- just under 1/2 degree
from side to side -- does not affect spacecraft operations or radio
communication.  The mission team nonetheless was considering possible
corrective action. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/16/90
Date: 17 Nov 90 06:28:45 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                        ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                         November 16, 1990
 
     At the end of yesterday's science operations, a maneuver was
performed on the Ulysses spacecraft to increase the spacraft's
spinrate from 5 to 5.1 rpm and measure the effect on the nutation
motion.  The increased spinrate did slightly decrease the nutation,
and further analysis will be required before any more actions are
taken.  Today's activities includes the switch-on of the Solar Wind
Plasma instrument and a mode change on the Solar Wind Ion Composition
instrument. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/17/90
Date: 19 Nov 90 02:48:22 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                        ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                         November 17, 1990
 
     As of 9AM (PST), Saturday, November 17, the Ulysses spacecraft is
23,928,063 miles (38,508,485 km) from Earth, and 440,606,271 miles
(709,087,058 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at a
heliocentric speed of 84,935 mph (136,689 kph) and a speed of 22,821
mph (36,727 kph) relative to Earth. 
 
     On Saturday November 10, the switch-on of the Solar X-Rays and
Cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst experiment (HUS) continued.  Further testing of
the Radio and Plasma Waves (STO) experiment continued.  The Energetic
Particles and Interstellar Neutral Gas (KEP-GAS) experiment continues
to gather data successfully. 
 
     The nutation of the spacecraft has continued to grow in
amplitude, and by November 13 it has reached 4 degrees, peak-to-peak. 
It was decided to delay the Low Energy Ion and Electrons Experiment
(LAN) turn-on one day in order to perform a precession maneuver to
point the high gain antenna towards Earth and perform a spacecraft
spin change to try to reduce the nutation. The X-band transmitter was
also turned-on.  The precession maneuver was successfully completed
without perturbing the nutation.  A spin down maneuver was performed
to slow the spin rate from 5.0 to 4.9 RPM.  This was done and within a
short time the nutation amplitude had grown to nearly 4.5 degrees. A
spin-up maneuver back to 5.0 was performed, and the nutation amplitude
reduced to 3.1 degrees.  The spacecraft telemetry remained in the
engineering mode until the following morning.  The X-band transmitter
had to be turned off because of increasing temperatures. 
 
     On Wednesday, November 14, the LAN turn-on was started.  The
Solar Wind Ion Composition (GLG) experiment high voltage was raised to
15.4 kv.  The checkout continued the following day.  Since the
nutation amplitude has been slowly increasing since November 13,
another spin-up maneuver was done, raising the spin rate to 5.1 RPM. 
Again there was a dramatic decrease in the nutation amplitude to 3.1
degrees, followed by a slow increase to 3.3 degrees. 
 
     On Friday, November 16, the Solar-Wind Plasma Experiment turn-on
was started.  Another spin-up was accomplished, with the telemetry in
science mode. Again the nutation amplitude decreased 2.6 degrees.  The
GLG high voltage was raised to 17.9 kv.  All experiments are now
powered on. 
 
     On November 20, a precession maneuver is planned.  The remainder
of the week will be devoted to monitoring experiments.  The nutation
amplitude will continue to be closely monitored. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/20/90
Date: 21 Nov 90 00:33:10 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                       ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                         November 20, 1990
 
     Today, Ulysses is about 41 million kilometers (26 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 135,000
kilometers per hour (84,000 miles per hour). 
 
     Ground controllers are continuing to study a wobble in the
Ulysses spacecraft's rotation and consider possible corrective action.
The wobble was first detected on November 4 after the deployment of
Ulysses's 7.5-meter (24.3-foot) axial boom, used as an antenna for the
mission's Unified Radio and Plasma-Wave experiment.  Initially the
wobble was estimated to total about 0.4 degree in side-to-side motion.
Since then, however, it has grown to as much as 4.5 degrees. 
 
     Ground controllers have varied the spacecraft's spin rate from
its normal 5 revolutions per minute (rpm) in order to study the wobble
in detail.  Currently Ulysses has been spun up to 5.2 rpm; the
wobble's intensity has lessened and is now about 2.6 degrees. 
 
     In order to use X-band radio through Ulysses's high gain dish
antenna, ground controllers believe it is necessary to reduce the
wobble later in the mission to less than about 1.4 degree
side-to-side.  (X-band radio permits a faster rate of sending data
than the currently used S-band transmitter.) 
 
     Currently the Ulysses Project is evaluating how science
experiments would be affected by going to a higher spin rate, which
may reduce the wobble by the needed amount.  Ground controllers also
believe the wobble may decrease as the spacecraft travels farther from
the Sun and the axial boom is shaded more by the spacecraft. 
 
     In other activities, all science experiments on Ulysses are now
turned on.  Relatively quiet experiment monitoring and housekeeping
functions are planned for the week ahead.  A precession maneuver -- a
thruster firing to correct the spacecraft's pointing at Earth -- was
scheduled for today. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Date: 22 Nov 90 03:03:29 GMT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
 
                        ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                          November 21, 1990
 
     Today, the Ulysses spacecraft performed a precession maneuver of 1.6
degrees to keep the high gain antenna pointing at Earth.  The peak-to-peak
nutation level of the spacecraft is between 2.2 and 3.2 degrees.  The trend
is downward since the spin was increased to 5.2 degrees on November 17.  There
is an unexplained variation of approximately 1 degree that has a period of
approximately 20 hours.  The next planned activities for Ulysses are scheduled
for November 26.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/26/90
Date: 27 Nov 90 01:40:02 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                       ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                         November 26, 1990
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), Monday, November 26, the Ulysses spacecraft is
28,893,339 miles (46,499,322 km) from Earth, and 424,134,037 miles
(682,577,568 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at 82,133
mph (132,180 kph) relative to the Sun, and 24,727 mph (39,794 kph)
relative to Earth. 
 
     A precession maneuver of 1.6 degrees was conducted on Tuesday,
November 20, to keep the High Gain Antenna pointed towards Earth for
S-band. The next precession maneuver is planned for Monday, November 26. 
 
     Routine experiment housekeeping was performed during the week.  
A Radio and Plasma Waves Sounder Experiment interference test was
conducted with the Cosmic Dust Experiment.  The investigators are
currently evaluating the data. Currently the Sounder duty cycle is
every three hours, with the experiment on for two minutes. 
 
     The spacecraft nutation remains a concern.  No further maneuvers
were conducted to reduce the nutation.  Analysis of the data is
continuing.  The remainder of the week will be devoted to monitoring
experiments.  On board tape recorder operations will begin.  The
nutation amplitude will continue to be closely monitored.  The
possibility of performing a spin-up maneuver is being studied. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/27/90
Date: 28 Nov 90 18:31:42 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                     ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                        November 27, 1990
 
     Today Ulysses is about 47 million kilometers (30 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 131,000
kilometers per hour (81,500 miles per hour). A relatively quiet week
is planned for the Ulysses mission, with routine housekeeping of
science experiments the main planned activity. 
 
     Ground controllers are continuing to study a wobble in the
spacecraft's rotation that first appeared on November 4 after the
deployment of Ulysses's 7.5-meter (24.3-foot) axial boom, used as an
antenna for the mission's Unified Radio and Plasma Wave experiment. 
 
     In order to use X-band radio through Ulysses's High Gain Antenna,
ground controllers believe it is necessary to reduce the wobble later
in the mission.  (X-band radio permits a faster rate of sending data
than the currently used S-band transmitter.) 
 
     In other activities, a precession maneuver -- a thruster firing
to correct the spacecraft's pointing at Earth -- was performed Monday,
November 26. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

                    ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 14

PERIOD:  18 November to 25th November

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

        The spacecraft nutation remains a concern.  No further
        manoeuvres were conducted to reduce the nutation.
        Analysis of the data is continuing.

        A precession manoeuvre of 1.6 degrees was conducted on
        Tuesday, November 20, to keep the high gain antenna earth
        pointed for S-band.  The next precession manoeuvre is
        planned for Monday, November 26.

        Routine experiment housekeeping was performed during the
        week.  A Radio and Plasma Waves Sounder Experiment
        interference test was conducted with the Cosmic Dust
        Experiment.  The investigators are currently evaluating
        the data.  Currently the Sounder duty cycle is every
        three hours, with the experiment on for two minutes.


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

        POWER

            Nominal.
            RTG power 283 watts.

        AOCS

            Nutation full cone 2.4 deg. full cone at spin rate
            of 5.2 RPM.


        TTC

            X-band not possible because of nutation.

        Received downlink level     -140 dbm.(34 meter).
        Received uplink level       -100 dbm.

ULYSSES MISSION REPORT
PAGE 2


        DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.


        THERMAL

        Thermal reconfigurations have been carried out to
        maintain the desired thermal environment.


3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS

        Solar Aspect           35.5
        Angle (deg.)

        Sun-Probe-Earth        35.35
        Angle (deg.)

        Spin Rate (rpm.)        5.2


4.      ORBITAL ELEMENTS

        Data taken at 9 AM PST on 26th November.
        Distance from Earth            46,499,322 km.
        Distance from Jupiter         682,577,568 km.
        Velocity relative to the Sun      132,180 km./hr.
        Velocity relative to the Earth     39,794 km./hr.

        The orbital elements were quoted in report No 8.


5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS

        On 26th November, a precession maneouvre is planned. The
        remainder of the week will be devoted to monitoring
        experiments.  On board tape recorder operations will
        begin.  The nutation amplitude will continue to be
        closely monitored.  The possibility of performing a
        spin-up maneouvre is being studied.

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        December 4, 1990
 
          Relatively quiet housekeeping and collection of data
from science instruments is planned for the Ulysses mission this
week.
 
          The wobble in the spacecraft's rotation that has been
present since November 4 has steadily decreased during the past
week as a greater percentage of the spacecraft's axial boom moves
into the shade and as the spacecraft's distance from the Sun
increases.  The 7.5-meter (24.3-foot) boom is used as an antenna
for the mission's Unified Radio and Plasma-Wave experiment. 
During the past week the wobble has decreased from a high of
about 6 degrees side-to-side to a current value of about 3
degrees side-to-side.  Project officials believe that solar
heating of the axial boom exacerbates the wobble.  They do not
anticipate any immediate actions to attempt to reduce the wobble,
but rather plan on watching its behavior over the next weeks as
the axial boom moves into more complete shade.
 
          In other activities, a precession maneuver -- a
thruster firing to correct the spacecraft's pointing at Earth --
is scheduled for Thursday, December 6.
 
          Today Ulysses is about 54 million kilometers (34
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of about 128,000 kilometers per hour (79,500 miles per hour).
 
          The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and
interstellar space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by
NASA/JPL and the European Space Agency.
 
                              #####

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/03/90
Date: 11 Dec 90 04:08:38 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                         ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                            December 3, 1990
 
     As of 10 AM (PST), Monday, December 3, the Ulysses spacecraft is
33,066,892 miles (53,216,005 km) from Earth, and 411,796,739 miles
(662,722,612 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at 80,203 mph
(129,074 kph) relative to the Sun, and 26,908 mph (43,304 kph) relative to
Earth.
 
     The Solar Aspect Angle has reduced from 35.6 degrees on November 26 to
26.3 degrees on December 3.  The Sun-Probe-Earth angle has also reduced to
35.3 degrees to 27.1 degrees.  The spacecraft is currently spinning at 5.2
rpm, with a small increase of spin rate noted during the past week.
 
     A precession manuever was performed on November 26 to maintain the
on-board antenna to be Earth-pointing for S-band communications.  A further
precession manuever was carried out on November 30.  The observed
nutation-like motion has been closely monitored.  The general trend is for
the motion to decrease in amplitude.
 
     The first tape recorder operations were carried on November 29 and 30.
However, in order to acquire the maximum of real-time data, continuous 34 meter
has been obtained until December 10.  A further request has been submitted for
maximum coverage until the end of the year.
 
     Following more data analysis, it has been determined that the
nutation-like motion is more complex than was originally assumed.  There is a
nutation of the spacecraft of the order of 1.5 degrees half cone but this
nutation is precessing about the angular momentum on a circle of about 1.5
degrees radius.  This produced an effective overall nutation of between 2-3
degrees half cone.  However, as the week progressed a systematic reduction of
nutation has been observed.  The current value of effective nutation is
centered around 1.7 degrees half cone.
 
     The stepper motor for the axial boom was turned for a period of 30
minutes on November 29 as a further experiment in the investigation of the
nutation-like motion.  A 20% decrease in the nutation level was observed,
which built up again to a new level, still slightly lower than the level
existing prior to the stepper motor turn-on.
 
     On Monday, December 3, the X-band downlink was switched on.  The ground
station successfully acquired the downlink and telemetry routed over this link
has been successfully processed.
 
     Tape recorder operations will continue for several days.  On December 5,
the KEP (Energetic Particles and Interstellar Neutral Gas experiment) EPAC RAM
load will take place.  On December 7, the GLG (Solar Wind Ion Composition
experiment) PAPS will be increased to 22.87 KV.
 
     The ground segment performance remains nominal. The incidence of data
dropouts is less than in previous weeks.  The switchover to routine operations
has been delayed until the end of the month.  The DSN (Deep Space Network)
is providing tracking passes to fill existing tracking gaps, including the
holiday period.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/04/90
Date: 11 Dec 90 04:14:53 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                     ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                        December 4, 1990
 
     Today Ulysses is about 54 million kilometers (34
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of about 128,000 kilometers per hour (79,500 miles per hour).
Relatively quiet housekeeping and collection of data from science
instruments is planned for the Ulysses mission this week.
 
     The wobble in the spacecraft's rotation that has been
present since November 4 has steadily decreased during the past
week as a greater percentage of the spacecraft's axial boom moves
into the shade and as the spacecraft's distance from the Sun
increases.  The 7.5-meter (24.3-foot) boom is used as an antenna
for the mission's Unified Radio and Plasma-Wave experiment.
During the past week the wobble has decreased from a high of
about 6 degrees side-to-side to a current value of about 3
degrees side-to-side.  Project officials believe that solar
heating of the axial boom exacerbates the wobble.  They do not
anticipate any immediate actions to attempt to reduce the wobble,
but rather plan on watching its behavior over the next weeks as
the axial boom moves into more complete shade.
 
     In other activities, a precession maneuver -- a
thruster firing to correct the spacecraft's pointing at Earth --
is scheduled for Thursday, December 6.
 
     The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and
interstellar space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by
NASA/JPL and the European Space Agency.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/10/90
Date: 11 Dec 90 20:04:03 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                         ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                           December 10, 1990
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), Monday, December 10, the Ulysses spacecraft is
37,695,997 miles (60,665,827 km) from Earth, and 399,892,460 miles
(643,564,532 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at 77,765 mph
(125,006 kph) relavtive to the Sun, and 30,805 mph (49,576 kph) relative to
Earth.
 
     On December 4, the X-band downlink was switched off to maintain a safe
thermal environment.  On December 5, the KEP (Energetic Particles and
Interstellar Neutral Gas experiment) EPAC RAM load took place.  Five hours of
playback data were lost due to a ground station failure.
 
     On December 6, a routine slew maneuver was carried out.  Also on this day,
as a part of the continuing investigation into the nutation-like motion, the
axial boom stepper motor was switched on for a period of 3 minutes, 3 times
with an interval of 1 hour between each switch-on.  No noticeable reduction in
nutation was observed from this series of tests.
 
     On December 7, the GLG (Solar Wind Ion Composition experiment) PAPS was
increased to 22.87 KV.  This was followed by a further test of the axial boom
stepper motor.  The motor was activated for a period of 2 hours.  The
nutation-like motion reduced from 1.3 degrees half cone to 0.85 degrees half
cone.  However, within a short period, the motion had built up to a half cone
angle of 1.1 degrees.  In the period from the December 7 to December 10, there
has been no degradation of the nutation angle.  In fact, avery small increase
has been observed.
 
     The 3rd meeting of the Nutation Investigation Team will take place on
December 11 to discuss future strategy.  On December 10, the X-band downlink
was switched on.  Data acquired via this downlink are being processed
successfully.  It is now expected that the thermal environment will permit the
X-band downlink to remain on.
 
     On December 12, a matrix re-configuration of the BAM (Solar Wind Plasma
experiment) will occur.  Some further nutation investigation operations may be
carried out.  These will arise from decisions taken by the 3rd meeting of the
Nutation Investigation Team.  Thermal re-configurations will be carried out as
necessary.
 
     The performance of the DSN (Deep Space Network) was nominal except for a
long duration outage at the Australia station due to antenna mechanical
failure.  Five hours of playback data were lost.  It has also been noted that
when data are being acquired from the Spain station, the frequency of data
dropouts between the station and JPL is higher than from other stations.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/17/90
Date: 18 Dec 90 00:49:17 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                            ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                              December 17, 1990
 
     On December 11, the 3rd meeting of the Nutation Investigation
Team took place to review the current situation and to discuss future
strategy.  The major output of this meeting was to commence Conscan
operations and to observe its effect on the nutation-like behavior. 
The Conscan system on board the spacecraft is designed to keep the
High Gain Antenna pointed at Earth. It is an optional system which 
can be switched in and out of use as desired operationally.  The
successful use of Conscan for reducing nutation-like motion was
therefore a very important element in planning future operational
strategies. 
 
     Following the meeting, a slew manuever was carried out which
placed the antenna pointing such that on December 12 center-of-Earth
pointing would be achieved.  On December 12 Conscan was switched on
for 20 minutes and reduced the nutation-like motion to within the
deadband which had been set on board prior to the operation (0.23
degrees).  Since Conscan had been so successful in reducing the
nutation, it was decided to further reduce the deadband by one half
and to leave Conscan for an extended period. 
 
     This operation was done and the nutation-like motion was reduced
to within the deadband set (0.125 degrees).  After 2 hours Conscan was
switched off.  The nutation then built up until after 8 hours, it had
reached a value of 1 Degree half-cone. 
 
     On December 14 Conscan was switched on again but with an
Earth-pointing offset of 0.8 degrees which had occurred by natural
drift since the last manuever.  Once again the system was able to
correct for the offset and reduce the nutation to within the deadband.
After Conscan was switched off the nutation increased over a period
of 12 hours to a new stable value of 0.75 degrees half-cone. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |


From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses article
Date: 17 Dec 90 23:15:30 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
 
Associate Press -- 12/14/90
By Lee Siegal
 
"The Ulysses spacecraft is wobbling like an off-balance washing
machine, threatening to cripple the $750 million U.S. - European
mission to study the sun's poles." 
 
Officials hope they can work around the malfunction so it doesn't
disrupt the five-year mission by preventing the dish-shaped main
antenna from pointing at Earth according to Siegal. 
 
Said the European Space Agency's Edgar Page, "If we can't do anything
about it, it's very serious."  The loss of data could range from 20
percent to 90 percent. 
 
JPL Ulysses project manager Willis Meeks is quoted in the wire service
story, "Gloom is something I don't feel -- I'm sure that somehow
during the next four years we'll find a way to learn to live with this
problem."  Repeated firing of the craft's thrusters was one
possibility offered. 
 
Ulysses problem is yet another in a series for NASA. (Hubble, fuel
leaks, Astro-1, recounted)  The slow wobble began Nov. 4, upon
extension of a 24 1/2 foot-long antenna boom.  The wobble is expected
to diminish then increase as the probe nears the Sun polar latitudes,
says AP. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

  What is ment by:

    - nutation-like motion 
    - deadband 
    - half-cone. 
 
  George

Nutation is the motion that occurs when you ponk a spinning gyroscope.  Think of
a kids gyroscope that you start up with a string.  If you get it balancing up-
right and then give it a nudge with your finger, the top of the axis follows
a circle, and thus the entire axis of the 'scope traces out a cone in 3-D.
If you measure the size of that cone in angles, you can either measure the
angle from one side to the other (the total angular width of the cone), or
you can measure the distance from the center.  The latter is more useful,
since it describes the maximum distance from the ideal that the axis points.
I assume that is what is meant by half-cone angle.

The motion of U is nutation-like, because it is thought not to be caused by
actual nutation, but rather by something to do with the magnetometer boom
(off center?  heating as it rotates in/out of shadow??).

Deadband:  A control system is designed to bring the spacecraft back into
line with the earth if it exceeds a certain tolerance.  Within that tolerance,
the control system does not act (i.e. it is dead).  This tolerance is called
the deadband.

Burns

    Does anyone know how the "Conscan" system reduces the nutation?
    Thrusters, maybe? If it is thrusters, how long can the Conscan
    remain operational? 
    
    Thanks!
    
    John B.
    
     
    

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/18/90
Date: 19 Dec 90 18:56:18 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                          ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                            December 18, 1990
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), December 17, 1990, the Ulysses spacecraft is
42,947,521 miles (69,117,336 km) from Earth, and 388,420,334 miles
(625,101,935 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at 75,539 mph
(121,568 kph) relative to the Sun, and 34,970 mph (56,278 kph) relative
to Earth.
 
     On December 17, a further Conscan operation was carried
out in telemetry Engineering Mode to make an accurate assessment of the
actual hydrazine fuel usage.  As Ulysses approaches Opposition, the Solar
Aspect Angle is reducing which is in turn reducing the solar energy acting on
the axial boom which is thought to be inducing the nutation-like motion.  The
axial boom will fall into complete shadow on about December 21.
 
     Routine operations have continued, with experiment monitoring and on
December 12 a matrix re-configuration of the BAM (Solar Wind Plasma experiment)
took place.  Since the DSN (Deep Space Network) was able to provide virtually
complete 24 hour coverage during this reporting period, no tape recorder
operations have taken place.
 
     On December 18, further radio science testing will be carried out.  On
December 19-20, a GRU (Cosmic Dust) noise test will take place.  Also on
December 20, a STO (Radio and Plasma Wave) PFR command uploading together
with radio science testing and KEP (Energetic Particles experiment)
re-configuration will occur.
 
     KEP re-configuration will continue on December 21.  The decision may be
taken to switch off the S-band downlink on December 21.  This will place the
spacecraft in the foreseen routine downlink configuration.
 
     Following the Nutation Investigation Team meeting on December 18 further
tests may be carried out to investigate the nutation-like behaviour.
 
     Since the DSN is able to supply almost complete telemetry coverage during
the next reporting period, tape recorder operations are not foreseen.  The
DSN performance has been nominal during the reporting period.  Extra support
has been provided to maximize on the amount of real-time data acquired.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/21/90
Date: 7 Jan 91 21:47:03 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                              ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                                December 21, 1990
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), December 21, the Ulysses spacecraft is 46,282,517 miles
(74,484,407 km) from Earth, and 382,054,766 miles (614,857,624 km) from
Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling 74,760 mph (120,315 kph) relative to
the Sun, and 37,558 mph (60,444 kph) relative to Earth.
 
     Following the Conscan maneuver on the December 17, nutation was reduced
to within the deadband set (0.23 degrees) and has not returned. The current
level of nutation is now below the measurement accuracy of the system.  An
assessment has been made of the extra fuel usage that will arise if regular
Conscan maneuvers are required at later stages of the mission.  The quantity of
hydrazine fuel remaining on board is more than sufficient to cater for this
additional requirement.
 
     On December 18, the 4th meeting of the Nutation Investigation Team took
place. Since the nutation has now disappeared, no operational activities were
planned for the immediate future.
 
     On December 19, a spurious event of unknown origin corrupted the on-board
spin rate measurement which caused errors to be flagged in the GLG (Solar Wind
Ion experiment).  At the same time, data transfer from the GLG bubble to its
DPU was disturbed, the BAM-I (Solar Wind Plasma experiment) switched to
internally generated sun reference pulses and the STO (Radio and Plasma Waves
experiment) radio astronomy receiver changed operating mode.  Within less than
an hour of the above spurious event, the KEP (Energetic Particles) GAS
experiment experienced corruption of its command register and two counters.
The anomalies are under investigation and all instruments have been returned 
to nominal operation. 
 
     Also on December 19, the spin rate of the spacecraft was reduced from 5.2
rpm to 5.0 rpm to place the spacecraft back at its design value and to prepare
for the Opposition operations due to commence during the week of the December
24 to 29.  No nutation-like motion was observed during this maneuver or
thereafter.  The actual spin rate obtained was 4.997 rpm.
 
     Since both S and X-band downlink are required during the week when
Opposition operations are taking place, it has been decided that the S-band
downlink will remain on for the immediate future.
 
     A slew maneuver will be carried out on December 24.  Preparations for
Opposition 1 will commence on December 27 and will continue on December 28.
On December 29 the Solar Aspect Angle will have reduced to 3.51 degrees.
Special slew maneuvers will be carried out on this day to assess spacecraft
dynamic behaviour during a period of low Solar Aspect Angle.
 
     Some tape recorder operations will take place on Christmas Day to ease
the manning requirements at the ground stations.
 
     The performance of the DSN (Deep Space Network) was nominal during this
reporting period with extrion support being provided. However, on
December 18 a wind storm in the Mojave Desert, with winds gusting to 100 kph,
caused the Goldstone station to have to stow its antennas.  Four hours of data
were lost as a result.
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/31/90
Date: 7 Jan 91 22:19:08 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                          ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                            December 31, 1990
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), December 30, the Ulysses spacecraft is 54,858,059 miles
(88,285,488 km) from Earth, and 368,360,798 miles (592,819,241 km) from
Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at 71,799 mph (115,459 kph) relative
to the Sun, and 43,786 mph (70,466 kph) relative to Earth.
 
     The first days of the period were relatively quiet with passive spacecraft
and experiment monitoring being carried for the majority of the time.
 
     On December 24, a routine slew maneuver was carried out.  On December 27,
a new version of the Spacecraft Monitoring and Control System (SCMS) was
delivered.  This included fixes to bugs found since launch and system
enhancements.  At this time it was also discovered that the BAM-E (Solar Wind
Plasma) instrument had been in "sleep mode" for more than 2 weeks, resulting
in complete loss of data during that period.  The experiment was successfully
reset on December 28.
 
     On December 27 and 28, preparations commenced for a series of maneuvers
to be carried out during Opposition 1 on December 29.  During this Opposition
the Solar Aspect Angle reduced to 3.51 degrees which is still within the
threshold of the AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem) measuring system.
However, during Opposition 2 in February 1992, the Solar Aspect Angle will
reduce below the system threshold.  Consequently, maneuvers were made on
December 29 to slew the spacecraft below this threshold (SAA=1.25x) to test
out procedures which will be used during Opposition 2.  These operations were
completed successfully.
 
     Tape recorder operations took place on December 25 and 31 to minimize the
ground station requirements on these days.  There was one radio science pass on
December 29.
 
      The STO (Radio and Plasma Waves) experiment team report interference at
9.6 kHz (+ harmonics) whenever TWTA 2 (Traveling Wave Tube) is powered.
This is under investigation.
 
      Radio science passes will occur during the first days of 1991.  Routine
experiment commanding will continue.  Following termination of radio science
activities it is planned to turn off the S-band downlink and revert to the
nominal configuration of X-band downlink only.  A build-up in tape recorder
usage will occur and will lead to an 8 hour pass per day for spacecraft
operations.
    
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/07/91
Date: 8 Jan 91 23:53:29 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                           ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                             January 7, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), January 6, 1991, the Ulysses spacecraft is
62,489,683 miles (100,567,396 km) from Earth, and 358,047,896 miles
(576,222,234 km) from Jupiter.  The spacecraft is traveling at a velocity
of 69,888 mph (112,474 kph) relative to the Sun, and 48,721 mph (78,409 kph)
relative to Earth.
 
     A four day period of full ground station coverage commenced on January 1
to support the Radio Science tests.  The telemetry modulation of the S-band
downlink was switched off on January 2 to improve the ranging signal-to-noise
ratio.  The S-band downlink was switched off on January 7.  Now only X-band
telemetry is available.
 
     A SIM (Cosmic Rays and Solar Particles instrument) HET calibration and a
GRU (Cosmic Dust instrument) Noise Test were performed on January 2, and a KEP
(Energetic Particles instrument) GAS LiF Evaporation on January 3.  On
January 4, a STO (Radio and Plasma Waves instrument) FES RAM load was
performed.  A major power reconfiguration was carried out at the time of
the S-band switch-off.  Normal routine phase operations (one 8 hour pass per
day) began on January 5.
 
     An Earth pointing maneuver will be performed on January 8.  A test of the
onboard SPIN program using pseudo sun pulses will be carried out on January 10.
 
     There were some problems on January 1 and 7 causing data loss
(approximately 10 hours) and intermittent data and command link.  The impact
has been large because it happened during the playback where the non coverage
period is time compressed.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/15/91
Date: 16 Jan 91 18:06:03 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                        ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                          January 15, 1991
 
     The following data was taken at 9AM (PST), January 14, 1991 on the
Ulysses spacecraft:
 
        Distance from Earth              72,188,104 miles (116,175,492 km)
        Distance from Jupiter           346,548,247 miles (557,715,343 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun         67,976 mph       (109,396 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth           54,393 mph       (87,537 kph)
 
     On January 8, a nominal slew maneuver was performed.  On January 9, a
BAM (Solar Wind Plasma instrument) matrix I reconfiguration was carried out.
On January 10, Pseudo Spin scheduling tests were carried out.
 
     The Solar Aspect angle increased from 6.5 degrees on January 8 to 9.9
degrees on January 14.  The Sun-Probe-Earth  angle increased from 7.1 degrees
on January 8 to 10.4 degrees on January 14 when Opposition occurred. The angle
is now increasing again.
 
     A series of DSN (Deep Space Network) problems/errors occurred during this
first week of routine operations.  The data return was less than required.
Actions have been taken to reduce the operator errors but some degree of
station system failures must be expected in the future.  Operations since
January 11 have improved.
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together with experiment
reconfigurations as required.  Tape recorder operations based on recovering
data acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a
routine scheduled basis.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/21/91
Date: 22 Jan 91 16:51:20 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                             ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                               January 21, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), Monday, January 21, 1991, the following data
was taken on the Ulysses spacecraft: 
 
        Distance from Earth             81,720,857 miles (131,516,971 km)
        Distance from Jupiter          336,977,589 miles (542,312,861 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun        66,223 mph      (106,756 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth          59,425 mph      ( 95,637 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis.  Experiment reconfigurations are carried out as required.  The
24th Science Working Team meeting took place on January 15, 16, and 17
at JPL. 
 
     No special operations are planned during the next week.  However,
it is possible that the nutation will return since the Solar Aspect
Angle has now increased to the value which sustained nutation prior to
Opposition 1.  A close watch is being kept on the situation and
procedures are available to control the nutation if it should occur. 
Routine data gathering operations will continue together with
experiment reconfiguratons as required. 
 
     The ground segment has been nominal during the past week.  Heavy
rain in Spain degraded performance during one tracking pass.  Other
than that pass, there were no significant anomalies. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   Jet Propulsion Lab | [email protected]
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  M/S 301-355        |
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/   Pasadena, CA 91109 |

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/28/91
Date: 29 Jan 91 18:28:15 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                           ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                             January 28, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), January 28, 1991, the following orbital elements
were taken on the Ulysses spacecraft:
 
        Distance from Earth              92,104,568 miles (148,227,934 km)
        Distance from Jupiter           327,720,429 miles (527,414,907 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun         64,802 mph       (104,288 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth           64,318 mph       (103,510 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis. Experiment reconfigurations are carried out as required.  An
average of 99% data recovery has been achieved. 
 
     An incorrect command was transmitted on January 25 to the STO
(Radio and Plasma Waves) experiment.  The operational effect was
minimal causing the sounder time interval to be altered.  The interval
was reset to the correct value. 
 
     No detectable nutation has been observed during this reporting
period. However, a close watch is being kept for the possible return
of nutation and procedures are available to control it should it occur. 
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together with
experiment reconfiguratons as required.  The ground segment has been
nominal during the past week.  Further investigation revealed that the
rain at the Madrid station had not been the cause of the degraded pass
referred to in the last report. The data were recovered from ground station 
records and were played into the real time and data records systems. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | It's 10PM, do you know
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is?
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | We do!

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/31/91
Date: 31 Jan 91 21:44:21 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                     ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                        January 31, 1991
 
     Today, Ulysses is about 153 million kilometers (95 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 104,000
kilometers per hour (64,400 miles per hour). 
 
     The Ulysses mission is in a routine operations phase as the
spacecraft travels through the ecliptic plane on its way to Jupiter. 
Ulysses will reach Jupiter around Feb. 8, 1992, at which time the
spacecraft will use the gravity of the giant planet to bend its
trajectory and dive downward, out of the ecliptic plane. 
 
     Mission operations teams have not detected any recurrence of the
wobble which Ulysses experienced in December 1990.  They are keeping a
close watch on the situation and have operations procedures available
to stabilize the spacecraft if the wobble recurs.  The project office
said the motion may resume at any time through March 1991. 
 
     All science instruments are on and no anomalies or failures have
been reported.  Controllers are currently receiving real-time
telemetry from Ulysses about eight to ten hours each day and using the
spacecraft's tape recorder to acquire data during the remaining
16-hour intervals when Ulysses is out of view. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | It's 10PM, do you know
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is?
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | We do!

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/04/91
Date: 5 Feb 91 17:58:48 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                            ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                               February 4, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), February 4, 1991, the following data was taken
on the Ulysses spacecraft: 
 
        Distance from Earth               103,283,902 miles (166,219,328 km)
        Distance from Jupiter             318,755,081 miles (512,986,577 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun           63,353 mph      (101,956 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth             69,108 mph      (111,218 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis.  Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 
 
     An average of 93% data recovery was achieved during this
reporting period due to the problem reported below.  On January 29, a
data loss occurred while the spacecraft was being tracked by the DSN
(Deep Space Network) station at Madrid.  Since the station was not
aware at the time of any ground problem, it was feared that nutation
had commenced again and was the cause of the data loss.  Consequently,
a Conscan maneuver was initiated which removed the small Earth
pointing error which existed by design at that time (the spacecraft
antenna is permitted to off point by small amounts to minimize the
number of required corrections). 
 
     As a result of this maneuver the link was re-established.  No
evidence of nutation existed in the telemetry data received on the
ground; therefore, the Madrid station was requested to check again if
anything was non-nominal on the station.  Further investigation has
shown that a procedural error at the ground station gave rise to a
ground antenna off pointing which was just sufficient to give rise to
this data loss but which was brought within the threshold by optimizing 
the spacecraft Earth pointing.  Steps are being taken to avoid a 
repetition of this error. 
 
     On February 1, problems were experienced with uplinking block
commands to the spacecraft to configure for tape recorder operations
for February 2 and 3.  Following some diagnostic analysis the other
onboard command decoder was selected and the block commands were
transmitted successfully.  The problem is currently under investigation. 
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
prime unit fed via the High Gain Antenna and with receiver 1 as backup
fed through the Low Gain Antenna (LGA-F).  However at the uplink power
of 20KW currently being radiated, receiver 1 is locking on to one of
the command sub-carriers.  This could result in a randomly generated
but legal command  passing through to the command decoders.  Consequently, 
the uplink power has been reduced to 10KW to prevent receiver 1 from 
locking up on this sub-carrier.  As the spacecraft distance from Earth 
increases this phenomena will eventually cease to be a problem. 
 
     A close watch is being kept for the possible return of nutation
and procedures are available to control it should it occur. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | It's 10PM, do you know
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is?
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | We do!


From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/05/91
Date: 5 Feb 91 18:00:44 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                           ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                              February 5, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is not responding to commands transmitted
over the 34 meter antenna in Madrid yesterday.  The station performed
a manual tune last night with 18 kw transmitter output.  The Project
then transmitted commands to the Low Gain Antenna on the spacecraft.
The commands are hitting the spacecraft, but the CDU (Command Decoder
Unit) is not executing.  The station then swapped from CPA-2 (Command
Processor Assembly - 2) to CPA-4 and commands were again sent, but
there is still no executing by the spacecraft.  The 34 meter antenna
at Goldstone also provided support last night, but again there is
still no command execution by the spacecraft.  The Project will make 
a formal annoucement later today. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | It's 10PM, do you know
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is?
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | We do!

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/06/91
Date: 6 Feb 91 15:36:37 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                           ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                             February 6, 1991
 
     On February 5 at 11:35 AM (PST), the Ulysses project declared a
spacecraft emergency for the Ulysses spacecraft.  It was confirmed
that the spacecraft was responding to command at 3:55 PM the same day,
so the project lifted the spacecraft emergency.  The uplink command
subcarrier freqency was modified to 16001.600 Hz, and the change
appears to have rectified the problem. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | It's 10PM, do you know
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | where your spacecraft is?
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | We do!

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/12/91
Date: 13 Feb 91 00:00:36 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                            ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                              February 12, 1991
 
     The following orbital data was taken on the Ulysses spacecraft as of
9AM (PST), February 11, 1991:
 
        Distance from Earth               115,207,284 miles (185,408,151 km)
        Distance from Jupiter             310,061,044 miles (498,994,881 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun           61,985 mph        (99,756 kph)
        Velocity relative to the Earth         73,783 mph       (118,742 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during the 16
hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled basis.
Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.  An average of
97% data recovery was achieved during the past week.
 
     On February 4, analysis and testing continued to resolve the commanding
problem which had first appeared on February 1.  The problem had worsened and
it was no longer possible to obtain command acceptance on either decoder.
Many combinations of on-board systems were selected but there was no success.
 
     On February 5, the investigation continued. In order to make the 70 meter
antenna site available for further testing, a spacecraft emergency was declared
which released it from its scheduled support.  Following the declaration a
suggestion was received from a JPL telecommunications expert that it may be
necessary to apply a Doppler correction to the command sub-carrier uplink
frequency due to the current velocity of the spacecraft relative to the Earth
(69,108 mph on February 4). A Doppler off-set of 1.6 hz. was introduced making
the new radiated uplink frequency 16001.6 hz.
 
     The command sequences scheduled for this day were then transmitted.  The
command sequences were successful with the exception of one block which was
rejected on board due to 2 missing frames.  However, the daily tape recorder
operations commands were successful and no data loss occurred as a result of
command problems.
 
     On February 6, normal daily commanding yielded a 5% rejection rate and
caused several commands to be re-transmitted.  Since command acceptance had up
to this point not been a problem it was felt that optimization of the
sub-carrier frequency was required and the actual frequency was therefore
varied in steps of 0.4 hz. to try and establish a pattern of success rate
against frequency.  This testing is very time-consuming due primarily to the
two way light time which is currently in the order of 20 minutes.  The
investigation is continuing in parallel with the daily transmission of mission
related commands.  The effect on the mission is to significantly increase
overall uplink times due to the need to re-transmit commands frequently.
 
     During the playback of on-board data on February 6, bad quality data were
experienced at the Madrid ground station causing several hours of the data to
be lost.  The problem was believed to have been in the ground station.  There
has been no reoccurance of this problem since this date.
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the prime unit
fed via the High Gain Antenna and with receiver 1 as backup fed through the Low
Gain Antenna (LGA-F).  Received downlink level is at -124 dbm (34 meter)
X-band.  Variations of up to 20 db. can be expected as a result of station in
use, local weather conditions, and spacecraft antenna off-pointing.  Received
uplink level is at -110 dbm.
 
     A close watch is being kept for the possible return of nutation and
procedures are available to control it should it occur.  No detectable
nutation has been observed during the past week.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | Is it mind over matter,
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | or matter over mind?
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | Never mind.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | It doesn't matter.

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/19/91
Date: 20 Feb 91 02:27:45 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                        February 19, 1991
 
     Today, the Ulysses spacecraft is approximately 132 million miles
(212 million kilometers) from Earth.  The spacecraft is traveling at
approximately 60,300 miles per hour (97,100 kilometers per hour) with
respect to the Sun as it journeys through the ecliptic plane on its
way to Jupiter. 
 
     The mission remains in the routine operations phase.  A
precession maneuver was conducted on February 7 to improve the
Earth-pointing of the spacecraft's High Gain Antenna. 
 
     On February 1, controllers found that some commands were being
rejected by the spacecraft.  On February 4, all commands were being
rejected by the spacecraft.  The reason for the command rejection was
traced to doppler shifts in the command subcarrier channel. 
 
     The doppler effect is the change in frequency of a received
signal caused by motion between the source of the signal and the
receiver.  Doppler shifts are commonly illustrated by the whistle of a
passing locomotive.  In Ulysses' case, the spacecraft is moving away
from Earth at a relative speed of nearly 80,000 miles per hour,
lowering the frequency of the signal Ulysses receives from the ground.
 
     Small adjustments were made to the subcarrier frequency and the
channel's command bit rate, at the tracking station, to compensate for
the doppler effects caused by Ulysses' velocity. By Februrary 11,
commanding was again normal. 
 
     Data collection from the science experiments is now continuing on
a normal basis.  Ulysses is tracked eight hours each day, during which
time real-time data are acquired. Midway through each eight-hour pass,
controllers begin to play back data acquired while the spacecraft was
out of view. 
 
     The wobble caused recently by uneven solar heating of Ulysses'
axial boom has not returned, although flight operators caution that
the motion could recur at any time well into April of this year. 
 
     The five-year mission to study the Sun's poles and interstellar
space beyond the poles is conducted jointly by NASA/JPL and the
European Space Agency.  The Ulysses spacecraft is provided by ESA. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | Is it mind over matter,
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | or matter over mind?
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | Never mind.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | It doesn't matter.

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/20/91
Date: 21 Feb 91 02:22:31 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                              ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                                February 20, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), February 18, 1991, the following data was taken
on the Ulysses spacecraft: 
 
        Distance from Earth                127,812,847 miles  (205,694,838 km)
        Distance from Jupiter              301,619,125 miles  (485,408,929 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun            60,695 mph         (97,679 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth              78,224 mph        (125,890 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis. Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 
An average of 98.9% data recovery was achieved during the past week. 
 
     Commanding problems were resolved by adjusting the command bit rate to
subcarrier frequency ratio to exactly 1024.  All commanding was successful.
 
     The sun reference pulse (SRP) bias was loaded on February 13. 
This is an onboard constant which removes the discrepancy between the
sun crossing the sun reference pulse.  It is dependent on solar aspect
angle and moments of inertia.  The current error in SRP is about 0.3
degrees. 
 
     A test was conducted to determine the timing delay in the
spacecraft for the Solar X-ray/Cosmic Gamma Ray Burst Experiment. 
 
     No detectable nutation has been observed during the past week.  A
close watch is being kept for the possible return of nutation and
procedures are available to control it should it occur. 
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
prime unit fed via the High Gain Antenna and with receiver 1 as backup
fed through the Low Gain Antenna (LGA-F). 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | Is it mind over matter,
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | or matter over mind?
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | Never mind.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | It doesn't matter.

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/26/91
Date: 26 Feb 91 22:58:41 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                            ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                              February 26, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), Februray 25, 1991, the following data was taken on
the Ulysses spacecraft:
 
     Distance from Earth               139,731,169 miles  (224,875,519 km)
     Distance from Jupiter             294,177,243 miles  (473,432,381 km)
     Velocity relative to the Sun           59,610 mph         (95,933 kph)
     Velocity relative to Earth             79,974 mph        (128,706 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis. Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 
An average of 98.6% data recovery was achieved during the past week. 
 
     A STO (Radio and Plasma Waves) instrument load consisting of 120
commands, was performed on February 21 without any problems.  An Earth
pointing maneuver was also performed.  This did not cause any lasting
spacecraft nutation despite the fact that it was carried out during
the period where the forcing function was predicted to be at its
highest for 1991. 
 
     A close watch is being kept for the possible return of nutation
although it is believed that the forcing function is now decreasing. 
Procedures are available to control it should it occur. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | Is it mind over matter,
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | or matter over mind?
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | Never mind.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | It doesn't matter.

Date: 8 Mar 91 22:38:00 GMT
From: [email protected]  
      (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/04/91 
 
                            ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                               March 4, 1991
 
     As of 9 AM (PST), March 4, 1991, the following orbital data was
taken on the Ulysses spacecraft: 
 
        Distance from Earth               156,754,214 miles (252,271,454 km)
        Distance from Jupiter             284,293,580 miles (457,526,167 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun           58,167 mph        (93,610 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth             86,994 mph       (140,004 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis. Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 
An average of 96.2% data recovery was achieved during the past week. 
 
     An Earth pointing maneuver was performed on February 28.  The
slew caused a reduction in received signal strength since the
off-pointing of the spacecraft antenna was changed from 0.2 degrees
trailing to 1 degree ahead of the center of Earth point.  This factor,
combined with a low elevation pass (less than 30 degrees and
descending) and rain at the ground station, reduced the level of
received signal to below the threshold of the ground receiving system.
The result was that during the period of playback, poor quality data
were received resulting in some data losses. 
 
     Command equipment problems at Madrid on March 1 caused a delay in the
daily commanding activity.  No data were lost as a result of these problems.
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
prime unit fed via the High Gain Antenna and with receiver 1 as backup
fed through the LGA-F (Low Gain Antenna). 
 
     A close watch is being kept for the possible return of nutation.
Procedures are available to control it should it occur.  A slew
maneuver will be carried out on March 7.  Routine data gathering
operations will continue together with experiment reconfigurations as
required. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | Is it mind over matter,
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | or matter over mind?
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | Never mind.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | It doesn't matter.
 
Date: 8 Mar 91 22:46:27 GMT
From: rex!wuarchive!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!mars.jpl.nasa.gov!baalke@g.ms.
      uky.edu  (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/06/91
  
                      ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                          March 6, 1991
 
     Today the spacecraft is 344 million kilometers (214 million
miles) from the Sun, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of 93,400
kilometers per hour (58,000 miles per hour).  Its distance from Earth
is 256 million kilometers (159 million miles).  Routine science
observations and spacecraft housekeeping remain the main activities as
Ulysses continues to venture away from the Sun.  
 
     All systems and science instruments are functioning normally. 
Flight controllers have seen no return of the wobble in the spacecraft's 
rotation that occurred several weeks after launch last fall. 
 
     In February 1992 Ulysses will fly by Jupiter, where the gravity
of the giant planet will send the spacecraft into an orbit over the
north and south poles of the Sun.  The five-year mission to study the
Sun's poles and interstellar space beyond the poles is conducted
jointly by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA/JPL. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | Is it mind over matter,
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | or matter over mind?
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | Never mind.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | It doesn't matter.
 

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/12/91
Date: 13 Mar 91 01:24:34 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                               ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                                  March 12, 1991
 
     The following orbital data was taken on the Ulysses spacecraft at
9AM (PST) on March 11, 1991: 
 
        Distance from Earth             168,952,727 miles  (271,903,057 km)
        Distance from Jupiter           277,630,590 miles  (446,803,124 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun         57,236 mph         (92,113 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth           90,216 mph        (145,188 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routine scheduled
basis. Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 
An average of 98.2% data recovery was achieved during the past week. 
 
     An Earth pointing maneuver was performed on March 6. A very small
nutation was observed which damped out after about 16 hours.  Heater
#3 on the Solar Wind Ion Composition experiment (GLG) was switched on
March 5. 
 
     A close watch is being kept for the possible return of the
nutation. Procedures are available to control it should it occur. 
However, the period of maximum forcing has now passed and it is
considered unlikely to return during this period of the mission.  The
next period of solar forcing will occur when the spacecraft is in the
region of the South Solar Pole in 1994. 
 
     A slew maneuver will be carried out on the March 13.  Routine
data gathering operations will continue together with experiment
reconfigurations as required. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | Change is constant. 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | 
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | 

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/15/91
Date: 16 Mar 91 01:11:32 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA.
  
                     ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                         March 15, 1991
 
     Today, the Ulysses spacecraft is approximately 282 million
kilometers (175 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric
velocity of about 91,400 kilometers per hour (56,800 miles per hour).
The spacecraft has approximately 442 million kilometers (274 milion
miles) to travel before reaching Jupiter in February 1992. 
 
     Ulysses flight controllers performed routine spacecraft
operations and science data collection last week as the spacecraft
continued its journey to Jupiter. 
 
     Weekly precession maneuvers to improve the Earth-pointing of the
spacecraft's high-gain antenna were performed on schedule on March 6
and March 13. 
 
     A low level of wobble was detected during each precession
maneuver.  During the March 6 maneuver, the wobble lasted about 16
hours before subsiding.  On March 13, the motion ceased after about
six hours.  Flight operators do not expect the wobble to return during
this phase of the mission because the period of greatest solar
activity has now passed.  The next period of solar activity will occur
when the spacecraft is in the region of the Sun's south pole in 1994. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | Change is constant. 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | 
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | 

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/21/91
Date: 22 Mar 91 01:47:21 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                         ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                           March 21, 1991
 
     The following orbital data was taken on the Ulysses spacecraft as
of 9 AM (PST), March 19, 1991: 
 
        Distance from Earth               185,654,657 miles (298,782,209 km)
        Distance from Jupiter             268,960,240 miles (432,849,549 km)
        Velocity relative to the Sun           56,058 mph        (90,216 kph)
        Velocity relative to Earth             94,197 mph       (151,596 kph)
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired during
the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a routinely
scheduled basis. Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
required.  An average of 97.5% data recovery was achieved during the
past week. 
 
     An Earth pointing maneuver was performed on March 13.  A very
small nutation was observed which damped out after about 24 hours.  
A close watch is being kept for the possible return of nutation. 
Procedures are available to control it should it occur.  However, the
period of maximum forcing has now passed and it is considered unlikely
to return during this period of the mission.  The next period of solar
forcing will occur when the spacecraft is in the region of the South
Solar Pole in 1994. 
 
     A slew maneuver will be carried out on March 21.  Routine data
gathering operations will continue together with experiment
reconfigurations as required. 
 
     On March 18, a failure occurred just prior to the start of the
pass at the 34 meter site at Madrid making it impossible to move the
antenna.  The station reacted promptly to make available a downlink
only antenna and then to replace the failed unit on the 34 meter
antenna.  The antenna was restored and the only serious impact to the
pass was a delay in commanding the spacecraft. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | Change is constant. 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | 
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | 


From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/22/91
Date: 22 Mar 91 17:33:23 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. 
 
                     ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                         March 22, 1991
 
     Today, the Ulysses spacecraft is approximately 306 million
kilometers (190 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric
velocity of 90,000 kilometers per hour (55,800 miles per hour).  By
April 14, the spacecraft will have completed half of its journey to
Jupiter.  Ulysses is approximately 429 million kilometers (267 million
miles) away from the giant planet. 
 
     Ulysses continued on a smooth course through the ecliptic plane
this week with routine spacecraft operations and science observations.
 Mission controllers performed a routine precession maneuver yesterday
to improve the Earth-pointing of the spacecraft's High Gain Antenna. 
The spacecraft remains in good condition.  No recurrence of the wobble
that was caused by uneven solar heating of the axial boom has been
detected.  Controllers do not expect a recurrence of the motion until
1994, when the spacecraft is in the region of the Sun's south pole. 

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|      Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |      Jet Propulsion Lab | 
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |___   M/S 301-355        | Change is constant. 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /|  Pasadena, CA 91109 | 
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                      | 

From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses Status for 04/05/91 (Forwarded)
Date: 10 Apr 91 23:01:46 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (USENET Administration)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          April 5, 1991
 
     [Eds: The following mission status report corrects paragraph
three of the April 5, 1991 report previously sent.  Pioneer 11,
not Voyager, flew by Jupiter at approximately 1.86 Jupiter radii.
Voyagers 1 and 2 flew by Jupiter at distances of approximately
4.89 Jupiter radii and 10.11 Jupiter radii respectively.]  
  
     Routine mission operations and data collection continued to
be the primary activities this week as the Ulysses spacecraft
cruised through the ecliptic plane on its way to Jupiter.  The
spacecraft's science experiments collected significant amounts of
data about 10 days ago during a major solar flare that caused a
huge outpouring of electrons and protons from the sun.
 
     Ulysses is approaching the halfway mark on its journey to
Jupiter.  Nine days from now, on Sunday, April 14, the spacecraft
will be 242 million miles from Earth and 242 million miles from
Jupiter.  Ulysses will reach the gaseous giant on Feb. 9, 1992.
 
     At nearest approach, the spacecraft will pass by Jupiter at
a distance of approximately 6.3 Jupiter radii -- 450,481
kilometers or about 279,300 miles -- from the center of the
planet. (By contrast, Voyager 1, Pioneer 11 and Galileo were
designed to pass by Jupiter at much closer ranges.  Voyager 1
passed by the planet at about 4.89 Jupiter radii.  Pioneer 11
flew by at about 1.86 Jupiter radii.  The Galileo spacecraft will
orbit Jupiter at an average distance of just over 3 Jupiter
radii, or within about 133,000 miles of the planet's center.) 
 
     The spacecraft remains in good condition.  No recurrence of
the wobble has been detected, or is expected, until Ulysses nears
the sun's south pole in 1994.
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 358 million kilometers (222
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of approximately 86,400 kilometers per hour (53,770 miles per hour).

From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.news.gov.usa,clari.tw.science,clari.news.top
Subject: Ulysses halfway to Jupiter
Date: 14 Apr 91 17:54:19 GMT
  
	PASADENA, Calif. (UPI) -- The Ulysses spacecraft, having
logged 242 million miles, began the second leg of its journey to
Jupiter Sunday, traveling at 53,000 miles per hour on a voyage that
will take it the Sun. 

	Deployed from the shuttle Discovery on Oct. 6, the boxy
Ulysses was to pass the halfway mark of its 484-million-mile trek at
10:40 a.m. PDT and was expected to reach the solar system's largest
planet Feb. 6, 1992. 

	Once it reaches the gaseous giant, Ulysses will use the planet's
gravity to propel it to the sun.

	Ulysses is expected to enter a polar orbit around the sun in June
1994, scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena said.

	The spacecraft's mission is to study the sun's poles and interstellar
space beyond them.

	While knowledge of the equatorial regions of the sun is
extensive, no instruments have ever been launched to look down on the
sun's polar regions because of the tremendous energy required to
overcome the gravitational bonds that hold the planets in equatorial
orbits around the giant star. 

	If all goes well, the tiny 850-pound instrument-loaded
Ulysses, which was built by the European Space Agency, will
revolutionize scientists' understanding of the sun and how it
influences Earth's fragile environment. 

	Sending Ulysses directly into a polar orbit around the sun was
not possible because no available rocket has enough power to cancel
out Earth's orbital velocity of some 48 miles per second around the
sun's equator. 

	When it reaches its destination, Ulysses will give scientists
their first three-dimensional view of the sun, its magnetic field and
the supersonic ``solar wind,'' a stream of electrically charged
particles blasted away from the sun. 

	Its five-year mission is scheduled to end Sept. 30.

	Given the vast distances involved, the Ulysses mission will
end long before the spacecraft can complete a single orbit around the
sun, but not before it beams back priceless data about the single most
important influence on Earth's environment. 

	The sun is the nearest star to Earth and the only one that is
accessible to detailed study.

	Ulysses will also help scientists pinpoint the locations of
mysterious high-energy gamma ray bursts from beyond the solar system and
perhaps even help confirm a prediction of Einstein's theory of
relativity by proving the existence of gravity waves.

	All 10 of the spacecraft's science experiments, as well as its
radio systems,are working well, JPL said, adding that scientists have
been receiving eight to 10 hours of ``quality'' data from Ulysses daily. 

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 36

PERIOD:   23th April to 29th April 1991



1.  MISSION OPERATIONS


         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
         continuing on a routine scheduled basis.

         Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
         required.

         An average of 97% data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.

         Two routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed, one
         on the 24th and one on the 29th April.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS


         POWER

            Nominal.
            Estimated S/C power consumption 270 watts.


         AOCS

            Nominal.


        TTC

         The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F).

         Received downlink level -140 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 20 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

         Received uplink level -123 dbm.












ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT
PAGE 2


        DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.


         THERMAL

             Nominal


3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 20.8 on

         Angle (deg.)   23th April to 19.0 on 29th April.


         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 20.7 on
         Angle (deg.)     23th April to 19.9 on 29th April

         Spin Rate               4.999 rpm.



4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 29th April.
         Distance from Earth                     2.942   AU.
         Distance from Jupiter                   2.477   AU.
         Velocity relative to the Sun            22.813  km./sec.
         Velocity relative to the Earth          48.411  km./sec.


5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         A slew manoeuvre will be carried out on the 3rd of May.

         Routine data gathering operations will continue together
         with experiment reconfigurations as required.


6.      GROUND SEGMENT

         The ground segment performed normally during the
         reporting period.
 

Article        30258
From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses Status for 05/03/91 (Forwarded)
Date: 6 May 91 22:34:37 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (USENET Administration)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
  
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                           May 3, 1991
  
     Routine spacecraft operations and data collection remain the
primary activities as Ulysses heads for Jupiter.  Today the
spacecraft is approximately 456 million kilometers (283 million
miles) from Earth, cruising at a heliocentric velocity of 79,200
kilometers per hour (50,500 miles per hour).
 
     Standard precession maneuvers to re-point the high-gain
antenna toward Earth are being conducted about every five days. 
One such maneuver was performed today.  Real-time operations and
recovery of tape recorder data during each daily eight-to-ten
hour pass over the Goldstone Deep Space Network facility are
being conducted from the mission control center at JPL.
 
     A command sequence to return various components of the
spacecraft to their normal thermal environment (prior to
occurrence of the wobble) was successfully carried out April 17. 
The sequence involved switching off the spacecraft's thruster
heaters and switching on other heaters to maintain specific
temperatures for various onboard electronics components.
 
     Ulysses is a five-year mission to study the sun's poles and
interstellar space beyond the poles.  The spacecraft, launched
Oct. 6, 1990, is managed jointly by the European Space Agency and
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 38

PERIOD: 7th May to 13th May 1991


1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
         continuing on a routine scheduled basis.

         Following discussions at the Science Working Team Meeting
         in Heidelberg, steps have been taken to schedule longer
         passes in order to permit the spacecraft real time link
         to operate at 1024 bps for the duration of the pass
         even when the on-board tape recorder is being played
         back.

         Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
         required.

         An average of 97.5% data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
         on the 7th May and 10th May.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

         POWER

            Nominal.
            Estimated S/C power consumption 269 watts.

         AOCS

            Nominal.

         TTC

         The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F).

         Received downlink level -141 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 20 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

         Received uplink level -125 dbm.

        DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.

         THERMAL

             Nominal

3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 19.1 on
         Angle (deg.)   6th May to 18.1 on 13th May.

         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 18.8 on
         Angle (deg.)     6th May to 17.8 on 13th May.

         Spin Rate               4.999 rpm.

4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 13th May.
         Distance from Earth                  491,090,828 km.
         Distance from Jupiter                345,419,721 km.
         Velocity relative to the Sun              79,671 km/hr.
         Velocity relative to the Earth           178,643 km/hr.

5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
         on the 14th, 16th and 20th of May.

         The strategy for Earth pointing manoeuvres will be
         progressively modified as the permitted off-pointing is
         reduced in order to maintain acceptable link margins.
         This will lead to an increase in the number of
         manoeuvres.

         Routine data gathering operations will continue together
         with experiment reconfigurations as required.


6.      GROUND SEGMENT

        The ground segment performed normally during the
        reporting period.

5/28/91: ULYSSES TO BEGIN JUPITER PHYSICS INVESTIGATIONS

RELEASE: 91-82

        Science teams on the Ulysses mission to the poles of the
sun are preparing to begin physics investigations during the
forthcoming encounter with Jupiter, European Space Agency
(ESA) and NASA Jet Propulsion Laborator (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.,
project officials reported Tuesday.

        Ulysses' science objectives at Jupiter and recent scientific
results were reviewed by Drs. Edward J. Smith of JPL and Klaus-
Peter Wenzel of the European Space Research and Technology
Centre (ESTEC) at the 1991 Spring Meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in Baltimore, Md.  Smith and Wenzel are the
NASA and European project scientists, respectively, for the joint
NASA-ESA mission.

        The Ulysses spacecraft is currently traveling in the ecliptic
plane -- the plane in which the planets of the solar system orbit
the sun -- on a trajectory that will use the gravity of Jupiter to
deflect Ulysses out of the ecliptic plane and onward to the polar
regions of the sun.

        The 809-pound spacecraft is expected to reach the Jovian
giant and its system of satellites on Feb. 8, 1992.  Once there,
Ulysses will make measurements of the Jovian magnetosphere
during a 2-week sweep past the planet, said Dr. Edgar Page of the
ESA Space Science Department.

        The encounter will yield new information on the
magnetosphere of Jupiter, its interaction with the solar wind and
the composition of energetic particles and positively charged
atoms (ions) in the region influenced by the planet.

        The spacecraft will fly past Jupiter at about 30 degrees
north Jovian latitude, said JPL Ulysses Project Manager Willis
Meeks.  At nearest approach, Ulysses will pass the planet at
approximately 6.3 Jupiter radii -- 450,480 kilometers or about
279,300 miles -- from the center.

        Immediately after encounter, the spacecraft will be in "solar
opposition," so that Earth is directly between the sun and the
spacecraft.  Scientists will use the spacecraft's radio transmitters
to search for gravitational waves.

        From there, Ulysses will use the extra acceleration gained
from the gravitational pull of Jupiter to swing itself out of the
ecliptic plane and onward to the southern solar pole.  In
June1994, Ulysses will reach 70 degrees south solar latitude and
begin its primary mission of exploring the polar regions of the sun
and space above the poles.  At closest approach, Ulysses will travel
within 1.3 astronomical units or about 120 million miles of the
sun.

        Ulysses is a 5-year mission managed jointly by NASA and the
European Space Agency.  ESA provided the spacecraft, half the
science instruments, ground control computer system and
spacecraft control personnel.  NASA provided the launch vehicle,
the power supply and the other half of the onboard science
instruments.  Tracking and data collection during the mission are
being provided by NASA's Deep Space Network, managed by JPL.

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          May 23, 1991

     Routine data acquisition and spacecraft operations continued
as Ulysses headed for a Feb. 8, 1992 encounter with Jupiter.
Today Ulysses is more than 330 million kilometers (205 million
miles) from the gaseous giant, traveling at a heliocentric
velocity of approximately 77,600 kilometers per hour (48,500
miles per hour).

     Ulysses' S-band transmitter was switched on yesterday to
permit simultaneous reception of the X-band and S-band signals.
The transmitter was turned on for the solar corona investigation,
a radio science experiment to measure the electron content of the
outer layer of the sun's atmosphere, called the corona.

     The six-month experiment will begin on May 26 and include an
August 1991 solar conjunction (when Ulysses passes behind
the sun as seen from Earth).

     Overall, the mission is proceeding well and the spacecraft
is performing normally.  Ground controllers expect to begin
tracking Ulysses over longer passes at the Goldstone and Madrid
Deep Space Network facilities in the next few weeks.  The 10-hour
passes were requested to allow the spacecraft's real-time link to
operate at a faster bit rate of 1024 bits per second, even when
the onboard tape recorder is being played back.

     Earth-pointing maneuvers also are being carried out more
frequently -- about every two days -- to minimize link
degradation and ensure nearly complete recovery of science data.
The maneuvers were performed yesterday, May 22, and were
scheduled for tomorrow, May 24, and Monday, May 27.

ULS MOS Rpt 39/21May91
ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 39

PERIOD: 14th May to 20th May 1991

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired
         during the 16 hours out of view periods are continuing on a
         routine scheduled basis.

         As reported in Mission Operations Report No. 38, steps are
         being taken to schedule longer passes in order to permit
         the spacecraft real time link to operate at 1024 bps for
         the duration of the pass even when the on-board tape
         recorder is being played back. These longer passes are not always
         available due to either conflicts with other project pass
         requirements or view period duration.  In such a case, a 70
         meter station may be requested which then enables the
         higher bit rates to be maintained without extending the pass
         length.  If neither of the above options is available, a reduction
         to 512 bps real time data during the period of the playback
         is unavoidable.

                 Also, in order to minimise the link degradation due to on-
                 board antenna off-pointing, manoeuvres are now being
                 carried out at approximately two day intervals. This keeps the
                 offpointing to within a limit of 0.4 degrees which is equiva-
                 lent to a reduction of 2 db below the value attainable for
                 perfect Earth pointing.

                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on the
                 14th, 17th and 20th May.

                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
                 required.

                 The Solar Wind Ion Experiment (BAM-I) was reconfigured on
                 15th May to select a new entrance aperture and data matrix.
                 These configurations are foreseen to take place as the
                 heliocentric distance changes.

                 An average of 97 % data recovery was achieved during this
                 reporting period.

















        MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT
        PAGE 2


        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

                 POWER

                    Nominal.
                    Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.

                 AOCS

                     Nominal.

                 TTC

                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).

                 Received downlink level -144 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

                 (Variations of up to 20 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

                 Received uplink level -125 dbm.

                 DATA HANDLING

                    Nominal.


                 THERMAL

                    Nominal

        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

                 Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 17.2 on
                 Angle (deg.)   14th May to 17.0 on 20th May.

                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 17.8 on
                 Angle (deg.)     14th May to 16.7 on 20th May.

                 Spin Rate               4.998 rpm.


















        MISSION OPERTIONS REPORT
        PAGE 3


        4.       ORBITAL DATA

        H        Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 20th May.
                 Distance from Earth                  514,813,709 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter                335,136,404 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun              78,574 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth           179,878 km/hr.

        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on the 22nd, 24th and 27th of May.

                 On 22nd May the S-Band transmitter will be switched on to
                 permit simultaneous reception of X-Band and S-Band
                 signals. This configuration is required for the Solar
                 Corona experiment which will commence on the 23rd May,
                 continue through the first Solar Conjunction in August

                 and will terminate approximately three months after Solar
                 Conjunction.

                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.

        6.      GROUND SEGMENT

                 The ground segment performed normally during the
                 reporting period.
 

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 41

PERIOD: 28th May to 3rd June 1991


1.  MISSION OPERATIONS


        Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
        acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
        continuing on a routine scheduled basis.

        Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
        on the 29th, 31st May and 3rd June.

        Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
        required.

        Data handling " Watchdog " back-up tables and the RFDU
        configuration were updated on 28th May.
        An average of 94.7 % data recovery was achieved during
        this reporting period.


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS


        POWER

            Nominal.
            Estimated S/C power consumption 271 watts.
            ( after S-Band transmitter switch-on).

        AOCS

            Nominal.

        TTC

        The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT
PAGE 2


       receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F).


        Received downlink level -141 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.


        (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
        of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
        spacecraft antenna off-pointing).


        Received uplink level -125 dbm.


        DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.


        THERMAL

            Nominal.


3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS

        Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 15.6 on
        Angle (deg.)   27th May to 14.3 on 3rd June.


        Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 15.6 on
        Angle (deg.)     27th May to 14.5 on 3rd June.


        Spin Rate               4.997 rpm.


4.      ORBITAL DATA

        Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 3rd June.
        Distance from Earth                  560,561,849 km.
        Distance from Jupiter                315,012,062 km.
        Velocity relative to the Sun              76,507 km/hr.
        Velocity relative to the Earth           180,918 km/hr.


5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS

        Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
        on the 5th, 7th and 10th June.
ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT
PAGE 3


        Routine data gathering operations will continue together
        with experiment reconfigurations as required.


6.      GROUND SEGMENT

        The UMCS received bad data for a 90 minute period on 1st June.
        The cause is as yet undetermined.

        Two hours of the DSS 61 pass on 2nd June were lost due to a
        spacecraft emergency on the ESA Olympus satellite.  The Ulysses
        on-board tape recorder schedule was replanned so that data
        continuity was maintained during this period although, because
        of this, real-time data rates over 2 passes were reduced.

        The DSS 12 antenna switched to `brake' (ie. stopped tracking)
        3 times during the pass on 3rd June.  A total of 2 hours of data
        (real-time and playback) was lost.

        At all other times during the reporting period, the ground
        segment performed nominally.


ULYSSES MISSION STATUS June 6, 1991

     The Ulysses mission to the poles of the sun is proceeding
well and the spacecraft is performing normally.  Routine Earth-
pointing maneuvers continue to be performed about three times a
week to minimize telecommunications link degradation and maximize
data recovery.  Precession maneuvers were performed yesterday,
June 5, and are scheduled for tomorrow, June 7, and Sunday, June
9.

     All science instruments are operational.  One of the
spacecraft's radio science experiments, the solar corona
investigation, began on May 26.  The six-month investigation to
measure the electron content of the sun's outer atmosphere will
take advantage of an August 1991 solar conjunction, when Ulysses
passes behind the sun's corona as seen from Earth.  During this
time, the experiment uses radio signals passing to and from the
spacecraft and the deep space tracking stations to measure the
density of electrons as the radio signals pass the sun.

     Today Ulysses is more than 566 million kilometers (354
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of approximately 75,500 kilometers per hour (47,000 miles per
hour).

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 42

PERIOD: 4th June to 10th June 1991


1.  MISSION OPERATIONS


        Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
        acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
        continuing on a routine scheduled basis.

        Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
        on the 5th, 7th and 10th June.

        Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
        required.

        An average of 97.1 % data recovery was achieved during
        this reporting period.
        The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
        rate is as follows:

        512 bps        55.9 %
        1024 bps       41.1 %


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS


        POWER

            Nominal.
            Estimated S/C power consumption 270 watts.


        AOCS

            Nominal.


        TTC

        The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with

        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F).


        Received downlink level -143 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.


        (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
        of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
        spacecraft antenna off-pointing).


        Received uplink level -127 dbm.


        DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.


        THERMAL

            Nominal.



3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS

        Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 14.32 on
        Angle (deg.)   4th June to 12.93 on 10th June.


        Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 14.3 on
        Angle (deg.)     4th June to 13.28 on 10th June.


        Spin Rate               4.997 rpm.




4.      ORBITAL DATA

        Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 10th June.
        Distance from Earth                  582,407,397 km.
        Distance from Jupiter                305,151,873 km.
        Velocity relative to the Sun              75,532 km/hr.
        Velocity relative to the Earth           180,828 km/hr.



5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS

        Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
        on the 12th, 14th and 17th June.

        Routine data gathering operations will continue together
        with experiment reconfigurations as required.



6.      GROUND SEGMENT

        The ground segment performed nominally during the
         reporting period.
    

Ulysses Mission Status 6-13-91

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          June 13, 1991

     Routine spacecraft operations and data collection continued
to be the primary activities as the Ulysses spacecraft headed for
an early February 1992 rendezvous with Jupiter.

     The spacecraft is performing normally and mission operations
are being carried out on a routine basis.  Earth-pointing
maneuvers are performed approximately every other day with three
planned during the next reporting period for June 12, 14 and 17.
Tracking passes have been increased from eight to 10 hours to
permit the spacecraft's real-time link to operate at a bit rate
of 1,024 bits per second when the on-board tape recorder is being
played back.

     A major solar flare of X-ray particles from the sun's outer
atmosphere occurred June 6 at 6:08 p.m. PDT.  Some of Ulysses'
science experiments specially designed to make measurements of
these energetic charged ions and electrons -- such as the Solar
Flare X-Ray and Cosmic Gamma-Ray Burst Experiment -- were
expected to acquire new data on the direction of the solar flare
as it spreads outward from the sun.  Scientists will spend
several weeks analyzing the data before issuing their results.

     Today Ulysses is approximately 591 million kilometers (367
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of approximately 72,000 kilometers per hour (44,500 miles per
hour).  The spacecraft will cross the Jovian magnetosphere on
February 3, 1992, and pass by the planet on Saturday, February 8.
Closest approach occurs at 4 a.m. PDT.




                 ULYSSES SPECIAL MISSION STATUS
                          June 14, 1991

     The X-band telemetry link from the Ulysses spacecraft was
lost for approximately two hours on Friday, June 14, beginning at
7:58 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

     After loss of the downlink telemetry, the spacecraft went
into a safing mode, which automatically switched off all nine
science experiments.  The telemetry link was reestablished at
10:01 a.m. PDT.  No scientific data have been acquired since the
link was lost.

     The mission operations team plans to restablize the
spacecraft's thermal environment and begin turning the
spacecraft's science instruments back on early next week.

     Cause of the incident is being investigated.

Article        32430
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses Update - 06/19/91
Date: 21 Jun 91 07:40:54 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Crossposted by Ron Baalke from the NASAMAIL P bulletin board
(All NASAMAIL board P items are O.K. for unlimited distribution per JPL PIO,
unless the postings indicate otherwise)
 
Posted: Wed, Jun 19, 1991   6:22 PM EDT              Msg: IJJB-2954-9131
From:   DAINSWORTH
To:     P, PAO.LOOP, 
        (C:USA,ADMD:TELEMAIL,PRMD:GSFC,O:GSFCMAIL,UN:L)
CC:     GYANOW
Subj:   Ulysses Mission Status 6-19-91
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          June 19, 1991
 
     Mission operations activities to restore the Ulysses spacecraft
to its normal operational configuration began Saturday, June 15,
following loss of the X-band telemetry link Friday, June 14, for a
two-hour interval. 
 
     Ground controllers obtained an extra eight-hour pass Friday
evening to begin a sequence of commands to bring the spacecraft out of
the safing mode.  Round-trip light time is presently about 67 minutes.
 
     The spacecraft was successfully returned to nearly normal
operational and thermal conditions by Saturday, June 15, at which time
the first of the science instruments was switched back on. All science
experiments were back on and operational by Tuesday, June 18.  The
S-band transmitter, used for radio science experiments, remains off
until further analysis of the incident is completed.  Shutdown of the
S-band link has temporarily interrupted the Solar Corona Experiment,
designed to measure the electron content of the Sun's outer atmosphere. 
 
     Cause of the incident remains unknown.  Following complete return
to normal operations of all experiments later this week, ground
controllers will monitor spacecraft subsystems to assess the behavior
of the Ulysses power system. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 609 million kilometers (378
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 72,000 kilometers per hour (46,000 miles per hour). 
 
                              #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Imagination is more
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | important than knowledge"
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Albert Einstein

ULYSSES MISSION OPS REPORT #43

PERIOD: 11th June to 17th June 1991

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

         On Friday 14th June at 0758 PDT, the downlink telemetry
         from the spacecraft was lost. At that time the X-band
         carrier was still present. The S-band carrier was absent.

         Action was taken to transmit the "X-band telemetry-on"
         command to the spacecraft. X-band telemetry was restored
         at 1001 PDT.

         Telemetry analysis revealed that a "Disconnect
         Non-Essential Loads" condition followed by a
         "Reconfigure" had occurred autonomously on board the
         spacecraft.

         Activities commenced to restore the spacecraft to its
         normal operational configuration. On Monday 17th June at
         the end of the daily station pass, the configuration was
         as follows:

         X-band transmitter 2 on.
         S-band transmitters off.

         Radio and Plasma Waves experiment (STO) switched on. Not
         yet configured for measurements.

         Solar X-rays/Cosmic Gamma Ray Bursts experiment (HUS)
         returned to normal configuration.

         Solar Wind Ion Composition experiment (GLG) low voltages
         on.

         Cosmic Ray/Solar Particles experiment (SIM) returned to
         the normal configuration.

         Low Energy Ions and Electrons experiment (LAN) returned
         to normal configuration.

         Energetic Particle Composition and Interstellar Gas
         experiment (KEP) has been switched on. Not yet in the
         normal configuration.

         Solar Wind Plasma experiment (BAM) returned to normal
         configuration.


         Magnetic Field experiment (HED) switched on. Not yet in
         normal configuration.

         Cosmic Dust experiment (GRU) is switched off.

         The Solar Corona experiment is interrupted until the
         S-band transmitter is restored.

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
         continuing. The above anomaly has disturbed the routine
         nature of this activity and has caused a low average data
         recovery during this reporting period.

         An average of 95.1 % data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.

         The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
         rate is as follows:

         512 bps    56.24 %
         1024 bps   38.76 %

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
         on the 12th, 14th and 17th June.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

         POWER

         A "Disconnect Non-Essential Loads" condition occurred.

         Estimated S/C power consumption 270 watts.

         AOCS

         All units switched to the back-up mode when "REC"
         occurred. They have been restored to their prime
         units.

         TTC

         The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F).

         Received downlink level -144 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).


         Received uplink level -127 dbm.

         The S-band transmitters are off.

         DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.

         THERMAL

         A thermal reconfiguration was carried out as a result
         of the switch-off of all payload units.

3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 13.12 on
         Angle (deg.)   11th June to 12.36 on 17th June.

         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 13.10 on
         Angle (deg.)     11th June to 12.02 on 17th June.

         Spin Rate               4.998 rpm.

4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 17th June.
         Distance from Earth                  603,431,879 km.
         Distance from Jupiter                295,414,606 km.
         Velocity relative to the Sun              74,592 km/hr.
         Velocity relative to the Earth           180,133 km/hr.

5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
         on the 19th, 21st and 23rd June.

         The Cosmic Dust experiment (GRU) will be switched on on
         Tuesday 18th June.

         Switch on of the high voltages for the GLG experiment
         will be carried out during the next reporting period.

         Following the return to nominal operation of all
         experiments, a period of system monitoring will take
         place to assess the behaviour of the power system.



         The S-band transmitter will not be switched on until
         analysis of the power system behaviour is complete.

6.       GROUND SEGMENT

         The ground segment performed nominally during the
         reporting period.

         Other Projects cooperated during the anomaly period by
         releasing station view time, thus allowing the Operations
         Team to gain extra pass time for commanding. Their
         cooperation was greatly appreciated.






ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 44

PERIOD: 18th June to 24th June 1991

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS


         On Tuesday 18th June the following activities took place.

         The Cosmic Dust experiment (GRU) was switched on.

         The Solar Wind Ion Composition experiment (GLG)
         configuration continued with the high voltages being
         raised to 11.5 kV.

         The Magnetic Field experiment (HED) was configured for
         normal operations.

         The Radio and Plasma Waves experiment (STO) was
         configured for normal operations.

         The Energetic Particle and Neutral Interstellar Gas
         experiment (KEP) configuration continued. The operational
         configuration is now:
         The Neutral Interstellar Gas experiment data off.
         The Energetic Particle experiment making measurements.

         At the end of this day all experiments were in their
         required configuration with the exception of GLG.

         On 19th June the GLG high voltage was increased in steps
         to 17.9 and then 20 kV.

         On 21st June the GLG high voltage was increased to 23 kV.

         This has now restored all experiments to their nominal
         configuration.

         The S-band transmitter has not yet been switched on.

         The Solar Corona experiment is interrupted until the
         S-band transmitter is restored.

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
         continuing on a routine basis.




         An average of 97.4 % data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.
         The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
         rate is as follows:

         512 bps    44.03 %
         1024 bps   52.96 %

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
         on the 19th, 21st and 23rd June.


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

         POWER

         Nominal.

         Estimated S/C power consumption 269 watts.

         AOCS

         Nominal.

         TTC

         The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F).

         Received downlink level -144 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

         Received uplink level -129 dbm.

         The S-band transmitters are off.

         DATA HANDLING

         Nominal.

         THERMAL

         Nominal.





3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 11.32 on
         Angle (deg.)   18th June to 10.13 on 24th June.

         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 11.84 on
         Angle (deg.)     18th June to 10.75 on 24th June.

         Spin Rate               4.998 rpm.

4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 24th June.
         Distance from Earth                  623,540,620 km.
         Distance from Jupiter                285,792,167 km.
         Velocity relative to the Sun              73,656 km/hr.
         Velocity relative to the Earth           178,970 km/hr.

5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
         on the 25th, 27th and 29th June.

         Routine data gathering operations will continue together
         with experiment reconfigurations as required.

         Following the return to nominal operation of all
         experiments, a period of system monitoring will continue
         to assess the behaviour of the power system.

         The S-band transmitter will not be switched on until
         analysis of the power system behaviour is complete.

6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          June 26, 1991

     All science experiments on board the Ulysses spacecraft were
restored to normal operations last week following an incident in
which ground controllers lost the spacecraft's X-band telemetry.
The two-hour lapse in downlink telemetry occurred on Friday, June
14.

     The S-band transmitter, used for radio science experiments,
remained off while engineers fine-tuned the science instruments
and began to monitor the Ulysses power system.  The S-band link
will not be switched back on until a thorough investigation of
the incident has been completed.  The Solar Corona Experiment
will resume once the S-band link is restored.

     Routine precession maneuvers during this reporting period
were performed Tuesday, June 25, and scheduled for Thursday, June
27, and Saturday, June 29.

     Today Ulysses is more than 628 million kilometers (390
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of more than 72,000 kilometers per hour (45,000 miles per hour).
 

RELEASE: 91-106   (7/8/91)

     The Ulysses spacecraft fired two small thrusters today to set
the final course for its early February 1992 rendezvous with
Jupiter.

     The trajectory correction maneuver, conducted by the mission
operations team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena,
Calif., was the last change to the spacecraft's flight path before Ulysses
completes its 484-million-mile journey to Jupiter.  The 10-minute
maneuver began at 8:38 a.m. EDT.

     NASA and European Space Agency officials said the maneuver
was minor and was designed to alter the spacecraft's trajectory by
less than 1 foot per second.  The trajectory correction will trim
approximately 4 minutes off Ulysses' arrival time at Jupiter.

     Ulysses is presently traveling in the sun's ecliptic plane --
the plane in which the planets of the solar system orbit -- at a
heliocentric velocity of approximately 44,000 miles per hour.  The
spacecraft is slowing as it nears Jupiter, but is still closing on
the planet at a little more than 832,000 miles per day.

     The 810-pound spacecraft is expected to enter the Jovian
magnetosphere about Feb. 3, 1992, and begin making measurements
of the Jovian magnetosphere during a 10-day sweep past the planet.
The magnetosphere is the region of space dominated by the magnetic
field of the planet.

     Ulysses, on its approach, will fly through a previously
unexplored region of Jupiter's magnetosphere at about 30 degrees
north latitude on the morning side of the planet.  Closest
approach of 6.3 Jupiter radii (279,300 miles) from the center of the planet
will occur at 7 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Feb. 8, 1992.

     Approximately a week later, the spacecraft will exit the
magnetosphere at high southern latitudes on the evening side of
the planet.

     Many of the Ulysses science experiments are expected to yield
new information about Jupiter's magnetic field and particle
environment.  Ulysses will determine the composition of energetic
particles trapped in the magnetic field, look for X-ray emissions
and investigate the properties of the solar wind in the region
influenced by the planet.

     After the encounter, the momentum gained from the
gravitational pull of Jupiter will swing Ulysses out of the ecliptic plane and
onto a trajectory leading over the southern solar pole.  In June
1994, the spacecraft will reach 70 degrees south solar latitude
and begin its primary mission of exploring the polar regions of the
sun.

     Ulysses is a 5-year mission managed jointly by NASA's Office
of Space Science and Applications and the European Space Agency.
Tracking and data collection are provided by NASA's Deep Space
Network, which is managed by JPL.

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 45

PERIOD: 25th June to 1st July 1991


1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
         continuing on a routine basis.

         On Friday 28th June at 0744 PDT an earthquake occurred,
         strength 6.0, with the epicentre  about 12 miles from
         JPL. There was no damage to the Ulysses ground segment
         or personnel but buildings were closed to staff while
         site engineers checked for structural damage and other
         hazards.

         As a result of this incident some tape recorder and
         bit-rate change time-tag commands were not transmitted.
         The mission impact has been a reduction in the amount of
         1024 bps data acquired and a short data gap on 1st July.

         The manoeuvre scheduled for 30th June, was carried out on
         1st July.

         Also, a routine switchover from on-board recorder 1 to
         recorder 2 was carried out on 1st July.

         The S-band transmitter has not yet been switched on.

         The Solar Corona experiment is interrupted until the
         S-band transmitter is restored.

         An average of 97.4 % data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.

         The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
         rate is as follows:

         512 bps  61.45 %
         1024 bps 35.54 %

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
         on the 26th June and the 1st July.


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

         POWER

         Nominal.

         Estimated S/C power consumption 269 watts.

         AOCS

         Nominal.

         TTC

         The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F).

         Received downlink level -144 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

         Received uplink level -129 dbm.

         The S-band transmitters are off.

         DATA HANDLING

         Nominal.

         THERMAL

         Nominal.

3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 10.26 on
         Angle (deg.)   25th June to 9.70 on 1st July.

         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 10.56 on
         Angle (deg.)     25th June to 9.45 on 1st July.

         Spin Rate               4.998 rpm.



4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 1st July.
         Distance from Earth                  642,661,047 km.
         Distance from Jupiter                278,985,077 km.
         Velocity relative to the Sun              72,810 km/hr.
         Velocity relative to the Earth           177,638 km/hr.


5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
         on the 3rd, 5th and 7th July.

         A Trajectory Correction Manoeuvre (No.3A) will be carried
         out on Monday 8th July. Prior to the manoeuvre, high
         voltages on the Solar Wind Plasma and Solar Wind Ion
         Composition experiments will be switched off. The
         Energetic particle Composition and Interstellar Gas
         experiment will be switched off completely.

         The S-band transmitter will be switched on on 9th July.

         Routine data gathering operations will continue together

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          July 11, 1991


     Ground controllers switched the Ulysses S-band transmitter
back on Tuesday evening, July 9, fully restoring the spacecraft
to normal operations after a brief loss of telemetry about three
weeks ago.  The Solar Corona Experiment to study the electron
content of the sun's outer atmosphere resumed after the S-band
link was restored.  Flight controllers have not identified the
cause of the problem yet from investigations of the spacecraft's
power, computer and electronics systems.  The European Space
Agency formed an investigation board recently to further
investigate the problem.

     On Monday, July 8, the third and final trajectory correction
maneuver before Ulysses reaches Jupiter was performed, altering
the spacecraft's flight path slightly.  The 8-1/2-minute maneuver
began at 6:24 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time and put Ulysses on
target for an early February rendezvous with the gaseous giant.
High voltages on two of the science experiments -- the Solar Wind
Plasma Experiment and the Solar Wind Ion Composition Experiment -
- were switched off during the maneuver, while the Energetic
Particle Composition Experiment was switched off completely.  The
instruments were later returned to normal operations.

     In other activities, data gathering and precession maneuvers
to keep the spacecraft pointed at Earth continued on a routine
basis.  The June 28 earthquake 12 miles east of JPL's Pasadena
Mission Control Center temporarily interrupted recovery of
science data and resulted in a short data gap on July 1.

     Today Ulysses is approximately 665 million kilometers (413
million miles) from Earth, closing in on Jupiter at a little more
than 1 million kilometers (832,000 miles) per day.  The
spacecraft is slowing as it nears Jupiter, but still traveling at
a brisk heliocentric velocity of about 68,400 kilometers per hour
(44,500 miles per hour).

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 46

PERIOD: 2nd July to 8th July 1991


1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
         continuing on a routine basis.

         The third Trajectory Correction Manoeuvre took place on
         Monday 8th July. The manoeuvre was just in excess of
         eight minutes in duration and introduced a radial
         correction to the trajectory. Prior to the manoeuvre,
         high voltages on the Solar Wind Plasma and Solar Wind Ion
         Composition experiments were switched off. The Energetic
         Particle Composition and Interstellar Gas experiment was
         switched off completely.

         The S-band transmitter has not yet been switched on.

         The Solar Corona experiment is interrupted until the
         S-band transmitter is restored.

         An average of 98.1 % data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.

         The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
         rate is as follows:

         512 bps  51.2 %
         1024 bps 46.8 %

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
         on the 4th and 7th July.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

         POWER

         Nominal.

         Estimated S/C power consumption 269 watts.

         AOCS

         Nominal.


        TTC

        The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F).

         Received downlink level -145 dbm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

         Received uplink level -124 dbm.

         The S-band transmitters are off.

         DATA HANDLING

         Nominal.

         THERMAL

         Nominal.

3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 8.66 on
         Angle (deg.)   2nd July to 7.72 on 8th July.

         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 9.27 on
         Angle (deg.)     2nd July to 8.15 on 8th July.

         Spin Rate               4.998 rpm.

4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 8th July.
         Distance from Earth                  660,717,911 km.
         Distance from Jupiter                266,861,894 km.
         Velocity relative to the Sun              71,968 km/hr.
         Velocity relative to the Earth           175,428 km/hr.

5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
         on the 10th, 13th and 15th July.

         The S-band transmitter will be switched on on 9th July.

         On 10th July the Solar Wind Plasma, the Solar Wind Ion
         Composition and the Energetic Particle Composition and
         Interstellar Gas experiments will be returned to normal
         operation.

         Routine data gathering operations will continue together
         with experiment reconfigurations as required.

6.

Article        33457
From: [email protected] (Bev Freed)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses sets course for Jupiter flyby
Date: 17 Jul 91 05:56:10 GMT
Organization: The NSS BBS, Pittsburgh PA (412) 366-5208
 
12 July 1991
 
ESA PRESS RELEASE #26
 
ULYSSES SETS COURSE FOR JUPITER FLYBY
 
On Monday 8 July 1991, the Ulysses spacecraft, developed by the 
European Space Agency (ESA), fired two small thrusters to set the 
final course for its early February 1992 rendezvous with Jupiter.  
The Jupiter flyby will swing Ulysses into its ultimate orbit over 
both poles of the Sun.  
 
The trajectory correction maneouvre, conducted by ESA's controllers 
at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, USA, was the last change 
to the spacecraft's flight path before Ulysses completes its 775 
million km journey to Jupiter.  
 
ESA and NASA officials said the maneouvre was minor and was designed 
to alter the spacecraft's trajectory by about 0.29 metres per second.  
The trajectory correction will trim approximately four minutes off 
Ulysses' arrival time at Jupiter.  
 
Ulysses is presently travelling in the ecliptic plane - the plane in 
which the planets of the solar system orbit - at a heliocentric 
velocity of approximately 68,000 km per hour.  The spacecraft is 
slowing as it nears Jupiter, but is still closing on the planet at a 
little more than one million km per day.  
 
Ulysses, on its approach, will fly through the late morning region of 
Jupiter's magnetosphere at about 30 degrees north latitude.  Closest 
approach of 6.3 Jupiter radii (499.000 km) from the centre of the 
planet will occur on Saturday, 8 February 1992.  
 
The spacecraft will exit the magnetosphere on the previously 
unexplored evening side of the planet at high southern latitudes.  
Ulysses will be on the Jupiter magnetosphere for more than a week.  
 
Many of the Ulysses science experiments are expected to yield new 
information about Jupiter's magnetic field and particle environment.  
Ulysses will determine the composition of ions energetic particles in 
the region influenced by the giant planet, look for X-ray emissions 
and investigate the properties of the Jovian radio emissions.  
 
After the encounter, the momentum gained from the gravitational pull 
of Jupiter will swing Ulysses out of the ecliptic plane and into a 
trajectory leading first over the southern solar pole.  In June 1994, 
the spacecraft will reach 70 degrees south polar latitude and begin 
its primary mission of exploring the polar regions of the sun.  In 
1995 Ulysses will pass over the northern pole of the Sun.  
 
Ulysses is a five-year mission managed jointly by ESA and NASA.  The 
spacecraft was designed and built by ESA and all spacecraft operations 
are carried out by the ESA team based in JPL.  Tracking and data 
collection are provided by NASA's Deep Space Network, which is managed 
by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  
  
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Article        15394
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/24/91
Date: 25 Jul 91 09:03:21 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from NASAMAIL P
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          July 24, 1991
 
     Data gathering and precession maneuvers to keep the Ulysses
spacecraft pointed at Earth are continuing on a routine basis. 
All science instruments are operating normally while the
spacecraft heads for an early February rendezvous with Jupiter.
 
     The traveling wave tube amplifier, which is part of the
spacecraft's radio transmitter, automatically switched to the
redundant unit on July 21 while Ulysses was recording data out of
view of the Deep Space Network.  The tube amplifies the X-band
link, Ulysses' main science data channel.  The redundant unit,
which is still being used, requires about 3 watts more power.  
 
     Although automatic switch-overs to the other amplifier were
expected during the mission, ground controllers have not been
able to identify the cause of the incident.  
 
     The S-band transmitter was switched off in part to provide
the required power margin for spacecraft operations. The Solar
Corona Experiment was consequently interrupted.  The S-band
downlink will be reestablished in early August, prior to an
August 21 solar conjunction.  The Solar Corona Experiment uses
the spacecraft's own radio transmitter to study the electron
content of the sun's atmosphere, known as the corona.  Scientists
expect to acquire new data on the density, velocity and
turbulence of the corona and the solar wind emanating from the
sun's atmosphere when the spacecraft passes behind the sun on
August 21.
 
     The European Space Agency investigation team formed to
analyze the loss of telemetry on board Ulysses on June 14 has
concluded its investigation after a thorough examination of all
spacecraft subsystems likely to have caused the incident.  No
specific cause was identified in the report.
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 697 million kilometers (434
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of about 68,400 kilometers per hour (43,000 miles per hour).  
 
                           #####     
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Computers are useless.
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 |  They can only give you
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |  answers."  Pablo Picasso

Article        15401
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/22/91
Date: 26 Jul 91 01:27:25 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  
        FROM:      Nigel Angold/Donald Meyer
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 48
 
        PERIOD: 16th July to 22nd July 1991
 
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
                 continuing on a routine basis.
 
                 A test of the onboard conjunction program was loaded on
                 19th July.  This consists of 2 small manoeuvers which
                 will execute on 23rd and 24th July.
 
                 An autonomous Electrical Power Conditioner
                 (EPC)/Travelling Wave Tube Amplifier (TWTA) switch-
                 over occurred on 21 July.  EPC1/TWTA1 are currently
                 configured.
 
                 The S-band transmitter was switched off on 22nd July to
                 increase the IPD power margin to acceptable levels (the
                 EPC1/TWTA1 configuration is 3W less efficient).
 
                 An average of 88% data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
                 rate is as follows:
 
                 512 bps  49.15%
                 1024 bps 38.76%
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
                 on the 18th, 20th and 22nd July.
 
                 The Anomaly Investigation Board formed to investigate the
                 circumstances leading to the switch-off on 14th June has
                 issued its final report. No evidence in the data has been
                 found which positively identifies the cause of the
                 incident. The spacecraft is operating in the
                 pre-switch-off configuration and all systems and payload
                 are nominal.
 
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 269 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
                 The S-band transmitter was switched off on 22nd July.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 6.66 on
                 Angle (deg.)   15th July to 5.07 on 23rd July.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 6.83 on
                 Angle (deg.)     15th July to 5.24 on 23rd July.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.986 rpm.
 
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 22nd July.
                 Distance from Earth                  693,303,396 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter                248,305,779 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun              70,362 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth           169,945 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on the 24th, 26th and 28th July.
 
                 The on-board Conjunction program will be tested on 23rd
                 and 24th July. This program will be utilised to provide
                 periodic Earth pointing manoeuvres during the Conjunction
                 1 period late in August when command access to the
                 spacecraft is not possible due to Solar Corona
                 interference with uplink propagation.
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The low data recovery over the reporting period was due
                 to the following events:
 
                 On 17th July, DSS 42 was unable to track for 46 minutes,
                 resulting in a loss of real-time data.
 
                 On 20th July, 16 minutes of real-time data were lost due
                 to false decoder lock at DSS 42.
 
                 On 21st July, a hard disk failure at DSS 60 resulted in a
                 loss of 4 hours 10 minutes of real-time data and 8 hours
                 20 minutes of playback data.
 
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Computers are useless.
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 |  They can only give you
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |  answers."  Pablo Picasso

Article        15679
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/29/91
Date: 3 Aug 91 03:15:36 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
  
        FROM:     Nigel Angol/Donald Meyer
 
        SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 49
 
        PERIOD: 23rd July to 29th July 1991
 
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods are
                 continuing on a routine basis.
 
                 A test of the onboard conjunction program was performed
                 on 23rd and 24th July.  This consisted of 2 small
                 manoeuvres which executed 24 hours apart.  The test was
                 completely successful.
 
                 A SIM HET calibration was performed on 24th July and a
                 KEP GAS sequence to search for Jovian neutrals was
                 completed in the reporting period.
 
                 An average of 97.4% data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
                 rate is as follows:
 
                 512 bps  51.30%
                 1024 bps 46.10%
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
                 on the 24th, 26th and 28th July.
 
                 The autonomous switchover of the EPC/TWTA on 21st July
                 has been analysed and is not considered a cause for
                 concern.  Before launch during the deployment phase,
                 the frequency of occurrence of switchover was determined
                 to be several times per year.  The current configuration
                 of EPC1/TWTA1 will be maintained at least until after
                 the conjunction period.  The switchover logic remains
                 enabled.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.
 
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
                 The S-band transmitter is off.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 5.07 on
                 Angle (deg.)   23rd July to 3.94 on 29th July.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 5.24 on
                 Angle (deg.)     23rd July to 4.22 on 29th July.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.986 rpm.
 
        4.  ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 29th July.
                 Distance from Earth                  707,703,961 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter                239,152,532 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun              79,499 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth           166,583 km/hr.
 
        5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on the 30th July, 1st, 3rd and 5th August.
 
                 The load of the on-board configuration program will be
                 performed on 5th August.  This program will provide
                 periodic Earth pointing manoeuvres during the Conjunction
                 1 period in August when command access to the spacecraft
                 is not possible due to Solar Corona interference with
                 uplink propagation.
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.  Tape
                 recorder operations will be suspended for a 1 month
                 period, starting on 5th August.  This is to save enough
                 power to allow the S-band transponder to be switched on
                 for the Solar Corona investigation.  The average view
                 period per day over the month will, however, be greater
                 than 13 1/2 hours.
 
        6.  GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Computers are useless.
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 |  They can only give you
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |  answers."  Pablo Picasso

Article        15691
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/01/91
Date: 3 Aug 91 07:52:46 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from NASAMAIL P
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 1, 1991
 
     All science instruments on the Ulysses spacecraft are operating
normally and collecting data. 
 
     Plans for data collection during the August 21 solar conjunction
have been finalized.  The Solar Corona Experiment will begin on August
6, when the S-band transmitter is activated, and continue through
September 5. 
 
     Ground controllers will begin to uplink command sequences on
August 5 to allow the spacecraft to operate autonomously during the
solar conjunction.  These automatic command sequences will be
operational while the spacecraft passes behind the sun on August 21
and is out of communication with Earth.  The last of the computer
sequences will be uplinked August 9. 
 
     The spacecraft will begin executing daily conjunction maneuvers
on August 14.  The conjunction maneuvers are designed to offset the
spacecraft's Earth-pointing slightly so that the spacecraft does not
point any closer than 1.25 degrees to the sun while it, the sun and
Earth are aligned during conjunction.  The maneuvers protect the
spinning spacecraft's ability to generate sun reference pulses while
it is pointing almost directly at the sun.  Reference pulses are used
by the spacecraft's attitude control system and the experiments as a
reference point in space.  The last of these conjunction maneuvers
will take place on August 28.  Normal commanding activities will
resume on August 30. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 713 million kilometers (443
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 68,500 kilometers per hour (43,000 miles per hour). Ulysses is
on its way to Jupiter, where it will use the planet's gravity to gain
momentum and swing itself out of the ecliptic plane.  From there,
Ulysses will be on its way to the poles of the sun.  Closest approach
occurs at 4 a.m. Pacific Standard Time on Feb. 8, 1992. 
 
                             #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Computers are useless.
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 |  They can only give you
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |  answers."  Pablo Picasso

Article        15774
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/05/91
Date: 7 Aug 91 23:21:11 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
  
        SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 50
 
        PERIOD: 30th July to 5th August 1991
  
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the 16 hours out of view periods
                 continued on a routine basis until the tape recorders
                 were switched off on 5th August. The tape recorders will
                 remain off until 5th September in order to conserve
                 enough power on board the spacecraft to permit the Solar
                 Corona Radio Science experiment to be performed during
                 the Solar Conjunction period. The Solar Corona experiment
                 requires that the S-band transmitter is on.
 
                 The load of the on-board conjunction program was
                 performed on 5th August.  This program  provides
                 periodic Earth pointing manoeuvres during the Conjunction
                 1 period when command access to the spacecraft is not
                 possible due to Solar Corona interference with
                 uplink propagation.
 
                 An average of 98.55 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit
                 rate is as follows:
 
                 512 bps  46.12 %
                 1024 bps 52.42 %
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
                 on the 30th July,and 1st, 3rd, and 5th August.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -124 dBm.
  
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 4.10 on
 
                 Angle (deg.)   30th July to 2.95 on 5th August.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 4.03 on
                 Angle (deg.)     30th July to 2.92 on 5th August.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.986 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 5th August.
                 Distance from Earth                  720,772,040 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter                230,074,940 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun              68,857 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth           162,907 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on the 7th and 9th August. The 9th August manoeuvre will
                 be the last one before the on-board conjunction program
                 will take over the spacecraft manoeuvring. The last daily
                 conjunction manoeuvre will take place on 28th August.
 
                 Tape recorder operations are suspended until 5th September.
 
                 The average view period per day over the month will,
                 however, be greater than 13 1/2 hours.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Computers are useless.
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 |  They can only give you
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |  answers."  Pablo Picasso

Article        15823
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/08/91
Date: 9 Aug 91 06:47:52 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from the JPL Public Information Office
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 8, 1991
 
     Tape recorders on board the Ulysses spacecraft were switched off
August 5 to conserve enough power to permit the solar corona radio
science experiment to operate during the solar conjunction period. 
Tape-recorder operations will be suspended until September 5. 
 
     The on-board conjunction program was uplinked August 5 and ground
controllers activated the spacecraft's S-band transmitter for use
during the solar corona experiment the following day. The spacecraft
will begin executing daily conjunction maneuvers on August 14.  The
conjunction maneuvers are designed to offset the spacecraft's
Earth-pointing slightly so that the spacecraft does not point any
closer than 1.25 degrees from the sun while it, the sun and Earth are
aligned during conjunction.  The maneuvers protect the spinning
spacecraft's ability to generate sun reference pulses while it is
pointing almost directly at the sun.  Reference pulses are used by the
spacecraft's attitude control system and the experiments as a
reference point in space. 
 
     Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers continued on August 5 and August
7.  The last of these maneuvers will be performed Friday, August 9,
after which the automatic on-board conjunction program will take over
spacecraft maneuvering. The program will continue to operate through
August 28. 
 
     Solar conjunction occurs on August 21 when the spacecraft passes
behind the sun as seen from Earth.  Flight controllers expect
extremely degraded or complete loss of communications with the
spacecraft as the radio signal passes through the dense corona near
the surface of the sun for about two days during the conjunction.  The
solar corona radio science experiment will study the dense lower solar
atmosphere. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 726 million kilometers (451
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 68,400 kilometers per hour (42,600 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft is on its way to an encounter with Jupiter in early
February 1992. 
 
                             ##### 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | "Computers are useless.
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 |  They can only give you
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |  answers."  Pablo Picasso

Article        15970
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/12/91
Date: 14 Aug 91 22:23:55 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 51
 
        PERIOD: 6th August to 12th August 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations were suspended on 6th August.
                 The tape recorders will remain off until 5th September in
                 order to conserve enough power on board the spacecraft to
                 permit the Solar Corona Radio Science experiment to be
                 performed during the Solar Conjunction period. The Solar
                 Corona experiment requires that the S-band transmitter is
                 on.
 
                 An average of 54.21 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 All real time data were acquired at 1024 bps.
 
                 On 9th August critical commands were loaded into the
                 buffer on board the spacecraft prior to Conjunction.
 
                 On 10th August some further commands were loaded on board.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
                 on the 7th, 9th, and 10th August.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -122 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 2.52 on
                 Angle (deg.)   5th August to 1.79 on 12th August.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 2.74 on
                 Angle (deg.)     5th August to 1.64 on 12th August.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.986 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 12th August.
                 Distance from Earth                 732,443,976 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter                221,067738 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun             68,141 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          158,702 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out
                 on the 13th August. This manoeuvre will be the last one
                 before the on-board conjunction program takes over the
                 spacecraft manoeuvring.
 
                 The last daily conjunction manoeuvre will take place
                 on 28th August.
 
                 Tape recorder operations are suspended until 5th September.
 
                 Dummy commands will be transmitted periodically to check
                 the availability of the uplink during the conjunction
                 period.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
                 However, on 11th August, a short period of data was lost
                 at the Goldstone station when a passing raven descended
                 and activated the "antenna emergency stop" button
                 causing the receivers to drop lock. Station personnel
                 reset the antenna system and tracking continued.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

Article        16023
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/15/91
Date: 16 Aug 91 06:00:07 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from the JPL Public Information Office
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 15, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is now using an autonomous program that
allows it to maneuver automatically and carry out pre-programmed
computer instructions necessary to maintain on-board operations.  The
spacecraft will rely on this automatic conjunction program while it
passes nearly behind the sun (August 21) and communications become
seriously degraded or possibly lost. 
 
     Tape-recorder operations were suspended August 6 to conserve
enough power on board the spacecraft to conduct the solar corona radio
science experiment during the conjunction period.  The recorders will
remain off until September 5. 
 
     Data recovery was expected to diminish during this solar
conjunction period.  A planned data recovery gap of approximately
eight hours per day poses no problem for the science teams. 
 
     Solar conjunction will occur when the spacecraft and Earth are on
opposite sides of the sun.  Flight controllers expect extremely
degraded or complete loss of communications with the spacecraft as the
radio signal passes through the dense corona near the surface of the
sun.  The solar corona radio science experiment will study the dense
lower solar atmosphere. Although the spacecraft will be relying on its
automatic conjunction program, dummy commands will be transmitted
periodically to check the availability of the uplink during conjunction. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 737 million kilometers (458
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 66,600 kilometers per hour (42,000 miles per hour).  The spacecraft 
is on its way to an encounter with Jupiter on February 8, 1992. 
 
                              #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

RELEASE: 91-131 (8/16/91)
 
        Investigations of the sun's fiery outer atmosphere will intensify when
the Ulysses spacecraft passes behind the sun on Wednesday, Aug. 21.
 
        "Ulysses, which is slightly above the plane of Earth's orbit, will
appear to pass just above the sun," said Dr. Edward J. Smith, Project Scientist
for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., which is managing the
mission jointly with the European Space Agency (ESA). "At conjunction, radio
waves transmitted from the spacecraft will travel through and become distorted
by the inner-most region of the corona."
 
        Conjunction will occur when the spacecraft and Earth are on opposite
sides of the sun.  While interference from the conjunction will temporarily
degrade communications with the spacecraft, the alignment will create an ideal
situation for radio science experiments, added Dr. Edgar Page, ESA science
coordinator.
 
        "The radio signals from Ulysses will pass close to the sun's surface
and travel through the dense lower solar atmosphere," Page said.  At closest
approach, the signals will cross through the sun's corona at four solar radii,
1.8 million miles from the center of the sun.
 
        Scientists are interested in studying the inner-most layers of the
corona, where gases are particularly thick and dense.  Subtle changes in the
character of the radio waves reaching Earth from the spacecraft will provide
information on the hot gases through which the waves have passed.
 
        The Solar Corona Experiment, one of two radio science experiments using
the spacecraft's two radio transmitters, will study the density, velocity and
turbulence of the solar atmosphere.  Dr. Michael Bird of the University of
Bonn, Germany, is the experiment's Principal Investigator.
 
        "This radio probing of the corona provides an opportunity to obtain
information in solar regions where no spacecraft has flown," Smith said. "The
Ulysses flight path is particularly favorable scientifically because the radio
waves will travel through a region of the corona in which the solar wind is
thought to originate."
 
        The mission operations team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory said
routine maneuvering of the spacecraft will not be possible for about 15 days
during the solar conjunction. "The spacecraft will be placed in a mode to
operate autonomously during the conjunction," said Peter Beech, ESA mission
operations manager. "The automatic conjunction mode allows the spacecraft to
carry out pre-programmed computer instructions necessary to maintain on-board
operations."
 
        Once the spacecraft has moved away from the sun, ground controllers
will re-establish routine commanding and begin to acquire the new data.  The
Solar Corona Experiment will continue to operate for about 2 weeks after solar
conjunction.
 
        Ulysses is presently traveling just above the ecliptic plane -- the
plane in which the Earth and sun orbit -- on its way to Jupiter. On Feb. 8,
1992, the spacecraft will fly by the planet at a closest approach of about
235,000 miles above the cloud tops, using the gravitational pull of Jupiter to
swing Ulysses out of the ecliptic plane and onward to the poles of the sun.
 
        Ulysses, a 5-year mission to study the poles of the sun, is managed
jointly by NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications and the European
Space Agency. The spacecraft will begin its primary science objectives in June
1994, when it reaches 70 degrees south solar latitude.
 
        Tracking and data collection during the mission are provided by NASA's
Deep Space Network, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Article        16116
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/20/91
Date: 22 Aug 91 00:25:36 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 52
 
        PERIOD: 13th August to 19th August 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations were suspended on 6th August.
                 The tape recorders will remain off until 5th September in
                 order to conserve enough power on board the spacecraft to
                 permit the Solar Corona Radio Science experiment to be
                 performed during the Solar Conjunction period. The Solar
                 Corona experiment requires that the S-band transmitter is
                 on.
 
                 Commencing on Friday 16th August, a progressive
                 degradation of received telemetry quality was observed as
                 the spacecraft moved behind the solar corona as viewed
                 from Earth.  Some improvement in received telemetry
                 quality was obtained by increasing the ground receivers
                 tracking loop bandwidth.
 
                 On 17th August the telemetry downlink was switched to 128
                 bps by pre-stored commands on board the spacecraft. some
                 short term improvement in downlink telemetry occurred as
                 a result.
 
                 On 19th August the received telemetry data quality at all
                 ground sites was very poor and the decision was taken to
                 further reduce the downlink bit rate to 64 bps. This
                 resulted in a significant improvement in data quality
                 although at this bit rate only engineering telemetry data
                 are available.
 
                 The radio science team have reported good results from
                 the data acquired so far.
 
                 An average of 48.6 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 27.1 %
                  128 bps  9.8 %
                   64 bps 11.2 %
 
                 The command uplink has remained stable during the period.
 
                 Earth pointing manoeuvres controlled by the autonomous
                 on-board Conjunction program were performed daily from
                 14th August.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 70 meter ground stations are currently in use to
                 support TTC operations during the Conjunction period.
 
                 Received downlink level -143 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -124.1 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 1.88 on
                 Angle (deg.)   13th August to 1.57 on 18th August.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 1.47 on
                 Angle (deg.)     13th August to 0.61 on 18th August.
                 Spin Rate               4.985 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 19th August.
                 Distance from Earth                 742,670,169 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               212,125,952 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun             67,446 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to Earth              154,112 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Daily Conjunction Manoeuvres are continuing to minimise
                 antenna off-pointing.
 
                 The last Conjunction manoeuvre will be carried out on
                 28th August.
 
                 Tape recorder operations are suspended until 5th September.
 
                 Dummy commands will be transmitted periodically to check
                 the availability of the uplink during the Conjunction
                 period.
 
                 On 20th August the conditions for the worst propagation
                 are expected due to the Conjunction alignment.
 
                 On 23rd August the telemetry downlink bit rate will be
                 increased to 1024 bps.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

Article        16161
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/22/91
Date: 23 Aug 91 22:23:25 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from the JPL Public Information Office
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 22, 1991
 
     Ulysses' radio science experiment to study the fiery outer
atmosphere of the Sun, known as the corona, probed the solar
atmosphere at close range on Wednesday, August 21, when the spacecraft
passed nearly behind the Sun as seen from Earth. 
 
     Radio signals passed through the corona at closest approach of
about four solar radii -- 2.9 million kilometers or 1.8 million miles
-- from the center of the Sun at 12:38 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. 
The radio experiment was able to probe a region of the Sun's corona in
which the solar wind is thought to originate. 
 
     The mission operations team was pleased with the quality of the
radio science data received Wednesday from the spacecraft's two radio
transmitters.   Signals from the spacecraft will continue to be
distorted for several more days as the spacecraft moves away from the
Sun.  Ground controllers will monitor the signal until it is clear
enough to begin returning other science data.  They expect to begin
switching the other science instruments back on sometime in the next
five days. 
 
     The spacecraft, however, will continue to operate on an
autonomous flight program that allows it to maneuver automatically and
carry out pre-programmed computer instructions necessary to maintain
on-board operations.  The spacecraft will not be returned to normal
maneuvering until September 5. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 745 million kilometers (463
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 65,000 kilometers per hour (42,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft is on its way to a February 8, 1992 rendezvous with
Jupiter. 
 
                             #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

Article        16363
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/26/91
Date: 28 Aug 91 21:08:50 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 53
 
        PERIOD: 20th August to 26th August 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations were suspended on 6th August.
                 The tape recorders will remain off until 5th September in
                 order to conserve enough power on board the spacecraft to
                 permit the Solar Corona Radio Science experiment to be
                 performed during the Solar Conjunction period. The Solar
                 Corona experiment requires that the S-band transmitter is
                 on.
 
                 On 20th August the most precise alignment for Conjunction
                 occurred. However the data quality at 64 bps was such that
                 more than 50 % of the available data were acquired
                 successfully.
 
                 On 21st August the data quality was generally poor.
 
                 On 22nd August the data quality was poor initially but
                 improved significantly when ground station changeover
                 occurred. This pattern had been observed some days before
                 but no reason for the difference in data quality had been
                 found.
 
                 On 23rd August the downlink bit rate was increased to
                 1024 bps by pre-stored on-board command. Initially the
                 data quality at this increased bit rate was poor and it
                 was decided to reduce the bit rate to 128 bps. The
                 appropriate commands were transmitted but were not
                 accepted on board the spacecraft due to unfavourable
                 propagation conditions. A further ground station
                 changeover occurred and the quality of the 1024 bps data
                 improved significantly. It was therefore decided to
                 maintain the higher bit rate.
 
                 An analysis of the data quality patterns shows a reduced
                 data return from the 70 meter site at Madrid. Ground
                 personnel carried out an investigation which led to the
                 discovery that the antenna sub reflector Z-axis
                 alignment was not totally optimised.
 
                 The necessary corrections have been made and on the last
                 day of the reporting period data quality has been very good.
 
                 The radio science team have reported good results from
                 the data acquired so far.
 
                 An average of 41 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 25 1%
                   64 bps 15.5 %
 
                 The above statistics are approximate and have been
                 computed manually due to the large number of bad or
                 missing frames recorded in the system.
 
                 The command uplink has remained stable during the period,
                 except for one occasion when the command was not accepted
                 on board the spacecraft.
 
                 Earth pointing manoeuvres controlled by the autonomous
                 on-board Conjunction program were performed daily from
                 14th August.
 
                 The on-board Conjunction program utilisation was
                 terminated on 26th August 2 days earlier than foreseen.
                 The program was descheduled by ground command.
 
                 A slight thruster over performance, coupled with a
                 centroid error resulted in the spacecraft attitude
                 returning to the Earth path 2 fewer manoeuvres earlier
                 than expected. Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres have
                 recommenced. The thruster over performance is currently
                 being analysed.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Thruster over performance during the utilisation of the
                 Conjunction Program is being analysed.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 70 meter ground stations are currently in use to
                 support TTC operations during the Conjunction period.
 
                 Received downlink level -134 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -122.6 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle varied between 1.67 on
                 Angle (deg.)   20th August to 1.44 on 26th August.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle varied between 0.34 on
 
                 Angle (deg.)     20th August to 0.94 on 26th August.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.985 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 26th August.
                 Distance from Earth                 751,426,789 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               203,244,874 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun             66,769 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          149,152 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 On 2nd September routine experiment reconfigurations will
                 resume.
 
                 Tape recorder operations are suspended until 5th September.
 
                 70 meter ground station support will be maintained until
                 5th September.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period with the exception of the problem at
                 Madrid with sub-reflector Z-axis alignment.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355        | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

Date: 7 Sep 91 01:04:48 GMT
From: (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/02/91

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager

        SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 54

        PERIOD:   27th August to 2nd September 1991

        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

            Tape recorder operations were suspended on 6th August.
            The tape recorders will remain off until 5th September in
            order to conserve enough power on board the spacecraft to
            permit the Solar Corona Radio Science experiment to be
            performed during the Solar Conjunction period. The Solar
            Corona experiment requires that the S-band transmitter is on.

            The radio science team have reported good results from
            the data acquired so far.

            The qX wing heaters were switched off on 27th August to
            evaluate the possibility of switching them off at Jupiter
            encounter to save power.

            An average of 56% data recovery was achieved during
            this reporting period, all at 1024 bps.

            The above statistics are approximate and have been
            computed manually due to the large number of bad or
            missing frames recorded in the system.

            Routine phase operations recommenced with a KEP EPAC IFC on
            2nd September.

            Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 29th
            and 31st August.

        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

            POWER

            Nominal.

            Estimated S/C power consumption 268 watts.

            AOCS

            Nominal.

            TTC

            The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
            the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
            receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
            (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.

            The 70 meter ground stations are currently in use to
            support TTC operations during the Conjunction period.

            Received downlink level -133 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.

            (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
            of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
            spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

            Received uplink level -122.7 dBm.

            DATA HANDLING

            Nominal.

            THERMAL

            Nominal.

        3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS

            Solar Aspect        The angle varied between 1.46 on
            Angle (deg.)        26th August to 1.85 on 2nd September.

            Sun-Probe-Earth     The angle varied between 0.94 on
            Angle (deg.)        26th August to 2.12 on 2nd September.

            Spin Rate           4.984 rpm.

        4.  ORBITAL DATA

            Data taken at 05:00 PDT. on 2nd September.
            Distance from Earth                 758,461,204 km.
            Distance from Jupiter               194,626,830 km.
            Velocity relative to the Sun             66,128 km/hr.
            Velocity relative to the Earth          144,058 km/hr.

        5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS

            Routine operations will continue with a SIM HET
            calibration on 4th September and STO PFR/FES daily
            commanding will commence on 5th September.

            A HED test sequence will be performed on 3rd September.

            The S-band transponder will be switched off on 5th
            September and tape recorder operations will begin again.

            Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
            on 3rd and 9th September.

        6.  GROUND SEGMENT

            The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

Date: 7 Sep 91 01:06:25 GMT
From: (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/06/91

Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        September 6, 1991

     The Ulysses spacecraft was returned to normal maneuvering on
August 26 after a week of data acquisition while the spacecraft passed
behind the sun as seen from Earth.  Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers
have commenced and will be performed about every six days while
70-meter antenna coverage continues.  The last precession maneuver was
performed Tuesday, Sept. 3.  The next is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 9. 

     On Sept. 5, the spacecraft subsystems were back in routine
operations configuration with the tape recorders switched on. The tape
recorders had been turned off during the solar conjunction period to
conserve enough power to use the spacecraft's S-band transmitter
during the Solar Corona Experiment.  The S-band transmitter was turned
off with conclusion of the experiment. Ulysses has returned to its
normal data acquisition schedule of storing data 14 hours each day
while it is not passing over a deep space tracking station and playing
the data back during the next 10-hour daily tracking pass. 

     The radio science team reported good results from data they
acquired and have analyzed so far on the sun's corona.  Complete
analysis of the data will take several more weeks. 

     The spacecraft continues to be in excellent condition as it heads
for a Feb. 8, 1992 rendezvous with Jupiter. 

     Today Ulysses is approximately 762 million kilometers (475
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 64,800 kilometers per hour (41,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft has about 1.9 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) to
travel before reaching Jupiter. 

                         #####         
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Good judgement comes from
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | experience.  Experience
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | comes from bad judgement.

Article        16815
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/13/91
Date: 13 Sep 91 23:57:27 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                       September 13, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is in excellent condition and is
performing normally as it begins the final approach to Jupiter. 
 
     Ground controllers are performing routine Earth-pointing
maneuvers every six days.  The next set of maneuvers are scheduled for
Sunday, Sept. 15 and Monday, Sept. 23. 
 
     Science experiments were returned to routine operations following
the solar conjunction period, which concluded Thursday, Sept. 5.  Data
recovery has increased to approximately 75 percent since tape-recorder
operations were resumed and the Solar Corona Experiment was
terminated. The 70-meter ground antennas will provide coverage of the
spacecraft through Sunday, Sept. 15, after which time controllers will
return to use of the 34-meter antennas. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 767 million kilometers (476
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 64,800 kilometers per hour (41,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft has about a million miles to travel before reaching Jupiter
in early February 1992. 
 
                            #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Beware of programmers who
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | carry solder irons.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article        16957
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/16/91
Date: 18 Sep 91 19:31:45 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 56
 
        PERIOD: 10th September to 16th September 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 On 10th September a RAM load of the Energetic Particle
                 Composition portion of the Energetic Particle and Neutral
                 Interstellar Gas experiment (KEP) took place.
 
                 On 11th September a health check of the GAS portion of
                 the experiment took place.
 
                 On 11th September a sounder mode change in The Radio and
                 Plasma Waves experiment (STO) failed. A Data Processing
                 Unit autonomous failure was detected in the telemetry
 
                 On 12th September following a critical command request
                 from the STO team, a Data Processing Unit reset was
                 transmitted to the spacecraft. This was successful and
                 sounder operations are continuing normally. No reason for
                 this failure has been discovered. An Anomaly Report is
                 being raised against this incident.
 
                 Also on 12th September a thermal reconfiguration took
                 place. The External Power Dumpers are now configured to
                 10 watts.
 
                 On 13th September a Solar X-rays/Cosmic Gamma-Ray Bursts
                 experiment (HUS) burst reference value change took place.
 
                 An average of 97.8 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 32.8 %
                  512 bps 64.9 %
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 15th
                 September.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 70 meter ground stations are currently in use to
                 support TTC operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -134 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -120.7 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal. A spacecraft thermal reconfiguration took place
                 on 12th September.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 4.13 on
                 Angle (deg.)   10th September to 5.17 on 16th September.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 3.45 on
                 Angle (deg.)     10th September to 4.41 on 16th September.
                 Spin Rate               4.985 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 16th September.
                 Distance from Earth                768,643,327 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              176,922,433 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            64,862 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth         132,350 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 21st and 23rd September.
 
                 34 meter ground station coverage will be resumed on 23rd
                 September.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Beware of programmers who
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | carry solder irons.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article        16970
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/18/91
Date: 19 Sep 91 03:49:06 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                       September 18, 1991
 
     Routine spacecraft operations and data collection continued to be
the primary activities on board the Ulysses spacecraft, which is
traveling just above the ecliptic plane on its way to Jupiter. 
 
     The 70-meter ground antennas are providing coverage of the
spacecraft through Sept. 23, at which time tracking by the 34-meter
antennas will be resumed.  Earth-pointing maneuvers to keep the
high-gain antenna pointed at Earth are being performed periodically. 
The next set of maneuvers will take place on Saturday, Sept. 21 and
Monday, Sept. 23.  Data acquisition has been returned to normal
recovery levels of about 98 percent during each reporting period. 
 
     Today Ulysses is about 770 million kilometers (479 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of approximately
65,000 kilometers per hour (40,000 miles per hour). The spacecraft
will reach Jupiter in early February 1992, where it will gain enough
momentum from Jupiter's gravity to swing itself out of the ecliptic
plane and onward to the poles of the Sun. 
 
                            #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Beware of programmers who
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | carry solder irons.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article        17152
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/26/91
Date: 26 Sep 91 19:31:04 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                       September 26, 1991
 
     Ground controllers resumed tracking of the Ulysses spacecraft
with the 34-meter antennas on Monday, Sept. 23, after using the
70-meter dishes for science experiments that were performed during a
solar conjunction in late August.  All ground operations and data
acquisition are proceeding normally. 
 
     Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers are being performed about every
three days.  The next set of maneuvers are scheduled for Friday, Sept.
27 and Sunday, Sept. 29. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 772 million kilometers (480
million miles) from Earth, closing in on Jupiter at a heliocentric
velocity of about 64,000 kilometers per hour (40,000 miles per hour). 
The spacecraft has about 100 million miles to travel before reaching
Jupiter in early February 1992. 
 
                              #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Beware of programmers who
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | carry solder irons.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article        17169
From: [email protected] (Daniel Fischer)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses RTG crisis in progress??? (Re: Ulysses Update - 09/26/91)
Date: 27 Sep 91 11:11:14 GMT
Organization: Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Bonn
 
In article <[email protected]>
[email protected] writes: 

>                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
>                       September 26, 1991
>
>[...] All ground operations and data acquisition are proceeding normally.
 
But what about the spacecraft health?  A coinvestigator of the Ulysses
radio science (Solar Corona Experiment) gave a talk here last evening
in which he indicated a that a severe mistake has been made with the
RTG power cells of Ulysses:  Their power output is significantly lower
than expected at this point, he said, which made it necessary already
to turn off one experiment for some time (the S-Band transmissions for
dual-frequency radio science).  Since the power output of the RTG's should 
follow a strictly known law, this could only mean that some major blunder 
has occured in the mission management.  Anyone knowing details?  What does 
that mean for the rest of the mission (4 years to go)? 
 
+- [email protected] --- Daniel Fischer --- [email protected] -+
| Max-Planck-Institut f. Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, W-5300 Bonn 1,FRG |
+----- Enjoy the Universe - it's the only one you're likely to experience -----+

Article        35989
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/23/91
Date: 26 Sep 91 01:39:15 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 57
 
        PERIOD: 17th September to 23rd September 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 An average of 97.93 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 53.15 %
                  512 bps 44.74 %
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 21st
                 and 23rd September.
 
                 34 meter ground station coverage was resumed on 23rd September.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 70 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations until 23rd September.
 
                 Received downlink level -135 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -129.0 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 5.05 on
                 Angle (deg.)   17th September to 6.07 on 23rd September.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 4.57 on
                 Angle (deg.)     17th September to 5.49 on 23rd September.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 23rd September.
                 Distance from Earth                771,337,941 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              168,241,804 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            64,260 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth         115,290 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 25th, 27th and 29th September.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Beware of programmers who
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | carry solder irons.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

    "The best way to protect your liberty is to protect the liberty of others.
  Liberty is not a pie; it's an insurance program." - Carl Kadie

Article        17152
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/26/91
Date: 26 Sep 91 19:31:04 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                       September 26, 1991
 
     Ground controllers resumed tracking of the Ulysses spacecraft
with the 34-meter antennas on Monday, Sept. 23, after using the
70-meter dishes for science experiments that were performed during a
solar conjunction in late August.  All ground operations and data
acquisition are proceeding normally. 
 
     Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers are being performed about every
three days.  The next set of maneuvers are scheduled for Friday, Sept.
27 and Sunday, Sept. 29. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 772 million kilometers (480
million miles) from Earth, closing in on Jupiter at a heliocentric
velocity of about 64,000 kilometers per hour (40,000 miles per hour). 
The spacecraft has about 100 million miles to travel before reaching
Jupiter in early February 1992. 
 
                              #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Beware of programmers who
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | carry solder irons.
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article        17169
From: [email protected] (Daniel Fischer)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses RTG crisis in progress??? (Re: Ulysses Update - 09/26/91)
Date: 27 Sep 91 11:11:14 GMT
Organization: Max-Planck-Institut fuer Radioastronomie, Bonn
 
In article <[email protected]>
[email protected] writes: 

>                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
>                       September 26, 1991
>
>[...] All ground operations and data acquisition are proceeding normally.
 
But what about the spacecraft health?  A coinvestigator of the Ulysses
radio science (Solar Corona Experiment) gave a talk here last evening
in which he indicated a that a severe mistake has been made with the
RTG power cells of Ulysses:  Their power output is significantly lower
than expected at this point, he said, which made it necessary already
to turn off one experiment for some time (the S-Band transmissions for
dual-frequency radio science).  Since the power output of the RTG's should 
follow a strictly known law, this could only mean that some major blunder 
has occured in the mission management.  Anyone knowing details?  What does 
that mean for the rest of the mission (4 years to go)? 
 
+- [email protected] --- Daniel Fischer --- [email protected] -+
| Max-Planck-Institut f. Radioastronomie, Auf dem Huegel 69, W-5300 Bonn 1,FRG |
+----- Enjoy the Universe - it's the only one you're likely to experience -----+

Article: 17314
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/04/91
Date: 4 Oct 91 20:29:17 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         October 4, 1991
 
     All ground operations, tracking and science experiment commanding
of the Ulysses spacecraft are proceeding normally. Routine
Earth-pointing maneuvers continue to be performed about every other
day.  The next set of maneuvers are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 5 and
Monday, Oct. 7. 
 
     The spacecraft is about 772 million kilometers (480 million
miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
approximately 61,000 kilometers per hour (39,000 miles per hour).
Ulysses is on a direct course to Jupiter, with about 96 million miles
to travel before reaching the gaseous giant in early February 1992. 
 
                              #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | For every rule, there is 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | an exception. There is no
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | exception to this rule.

Article: 17390
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/07/91
Date: 9 Oct 91 20:02:37 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 59
 
        PERIOD: 1st October to 7th October 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 An average of 95.40 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 49.17 %
                  512 bps 45.39 %
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 1st,
                 3rd, 5th and 7th October.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -130.0 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 7.09 on
                 Angle (deg.)   1st October to 7.47 on 7th October.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 6.65 on
                 Angle (deg.)     1st October to 7.47 on 7th October.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 7th October.
                 Distance from Earth                772,272,446 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              150,998,633 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            63,104 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth         113,026 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 10th, 13th and 16th October.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
                 However on Wednesday 2nd October telemetry hardware
                 problems at the Canberra site gave rise to poor data
                 being received. This caused much of the data for this
                 pass to be rejected

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | For every rule, there is 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | an exception. There is no
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | exception to this rule.

Article: 17408
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/09/91
Date: 10 Oct 91 03:49:38 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 9, 1991
 
     All tracking and science experiment commanding of the Ulysses
spacecraft continued on a routine basis this week. Standard
Earth-pointing maneuvers will be performed on a slightly less frequent
basis during this reporting period.  One precession maneuver was
conducted today.  The next set of maneuvers will be performed on
Sunday, Oct. 13 and Wednesday, Oct. 16. 
 
     Ulysses is about 772 million kilometers (480 million miles) from
Earth, making the round-trip communication time about one hour and 26
minutes.  The spacecraft is traveling in the ecliptic plane at a
heliocentric velocity of approximately 61,000 kilometers per hour
(39,000 miles per hour) and has about 90 million miles to go before
reaching Jupiter in early February 1992. 
 
                             #####
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | For every rule, there is 
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | an exception. There is no
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | exception to this rule.

Article: 17554
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/14/91
Date: 17 Oct 91 21:53:08 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 60
 
        PERIOD: 8th October to 14th October 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 A power/thermal reconfiguration was performed on 14th
                 October.  No power is now dissipated via the external
                 power dumpers (EPDs).
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 An average of 96.0% data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 46.66 %
                  512 bps 49.18 %
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 10th
                 and 13th October.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -133 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 7.78 on
                 Angle (deg.)   8th October to 8.42 on 14th October.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.60 on
                 Angle (deg.)     8th October to 8.35 on 14th October.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 05:00 PDT. on 14th October.
                 Distance from Earth                770,578,632 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              142,556,771 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            62,564 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth         106,290 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 16th, and 19th October.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Everything should be as
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | simple as possible, but no
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | simpler. --Albert Einstein

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 18, 1991

     Tape-recorder operations based on recovering science data
acquired while the Ulysses spacecraft is not in view of the Deep
Space Network tracking stations proceeded on a routine basis.

     A routine power and thermal reconfiguration to warm internal
temperatures in the spacecraft as it recedes from the sun was
performed on Monday, Oct. 14.  The spacecraft will remain in this
reconfiguration through its encounter with Jupiter in February
1992.  Earth-pointing maneuvers also continued on a routine
basis.  The last maneuver was carried out on Wednesday, Oct. 16.
The next is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 19.

     Today Ulysses is approximately 770 million kilometers (480
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of about 61,000 kilometers per hour (39,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft has about 85 million miles to travel before reaching
Jupiter.

                              #####

ULS MOS RPT 60/16OCT91
ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 60

PERIOD: 8th October to 14th October 1991

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

         Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
         acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
         a routine scheduled basis.

         A power/thermal reconfiguration was performed on 14th
         October.  No power is now dissipated via the external
         power dumpers (EPDs).

         Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
         required.

         An average of 96.0% data recovery was achieved during
         this reporting period.

         The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
         is as follows:

         1024 bps 46.66 %
          512 bps 49.18 %

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 10th
         and 13th October.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

         POWER

         Nominal.

         Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.

         AOCS

         Nominal.

         TTC

         The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.

         The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
         operations.

         Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

         (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
         of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
         spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

         Received uplink level -133 dBm.

         DATA HANDLING

         Nominal.

         THERMAL

         Nominal.

3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS

         Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 7.78 on
         Angle (deg.)   8th October to 8.42 on 14th October.

         Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.60 on
         Angle (deg.)     8th October to 8.35 on 14th October.

         Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.

4.       ORBITAL DATA

         Data taken at 05:00 PDT. on 14th October.
         Distance from Earth                770,578,632 km.
         Distance from Jupiter              142,556,771 km.
         Velocity relative to the Sun            62,564 km/hr.
         Velocity relative to the Earth         106,290 km/hr.

5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS

         Routine data gathering operations will continue together
         with experiment reconfigurations as required.

         Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
         on 16th, and 19th October.

6.       GROUND SEGMENT

         The ground segment performed nominally during the
         reporting period.

         However on Thursday, 10th October, a link problem caused
         a data outage from DSS12.  An initial recovery from tape
         at the station after restoration of the link was
         unsuccessful.  A subsequent attempt to recover the data
         failed because the tape had been overwritten.  A total
         of 4 hours data was lost.
 

Article: 17787
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/21/91
Date: 24 Oct 91 20:42:05 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 61
 
        PERIOD: 15th October to 21st October 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                a routine scheduled basis.
 
                Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                An average of 98.0% data recovery was achieved during
                this reporting period.
 
                The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                is as follows:
 
                1024 bps 44.59 %
                 512 bps 53.41 %
 
                Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 16th
                and 19th October.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                POWER
 
                Nominal.
 
                Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.
 
                AOCS
 
                Nominal.
 
                TTC
 
                The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                operations.
 
                Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                Received uplink level -131 dBm.
 
                DATA HANDLING
 
                Nominal.
 
                THERMAL
 
                Nominal.
 
        3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 8.42 on
                Angle (deg.)   14th October to 9.26 on 21st October.
 
                Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 8.35 on
                Angle (deg.)     14th October to 9.15 on 21st October.
 
                Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.      ORBITAL DATA
 
                Data taken at 05:00 PDT. on 21st October.
                Distance from Earth                767,586,674 km.
                Distance from Jupiter              134,039,692 km.
                Velocity relative to the Sun            62,024 km/hr.
                Velocity relative to the Earth          99,302 km/hr.
 
        5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                on 22nd, 25th and 28th October.
 
        6.      GROUND SEGMENT
 
                The ground segment performed nominally during the
                reporting period.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Everything should be as
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | simple as possible, but no
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | simpler. --Albert Einstein

Article: 17948
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/28/91
Date: 31 Oct 91 01:48:32 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 62
 
        PERIOD: 22nd October to 28th October 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 An average of 84.18 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period. This lower than normal value was due
                 to unavailability of the Goldstone station due to local high
                 winds for almost the duration of one pass.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 35.56 %
                  512 bps 48.26 %
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 22nd, 25th
                 and 28th October.
 
                 Clocks in the United States were set back 1 hour on 26th
                 October. California is now on Pacific Standard Time.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 267 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 9.70 on
                 Angle (deg.)   22nd October to 9.83 on 28th October.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 9.26 on
                 Angle (deg.)     22nd October to 9.86 on 28th October.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 28th October.
                 Distance from Earth                763,239,237 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              125,378,773 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            61,488 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to Earth              92,225 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 1st and 4th November.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
                 period. However, on 23rd October, due to high winds in the
                 Mojave Desert it was necessary to stow the antenna thus
                 causing almost total loss of data for the scheduled pass.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | Everything should be as
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | simple as possible, but no
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | simpler. --Albert Einstein

Article: 18079
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/04/91
Date: 7 Nov 91 05:24:08 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 63
 
        PERIOD: 29th October to 4th November 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 On 31st October a STO Jupiter Encounter commanding
                 simulation was carried out.
 
                 An average of 96.48 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 43.44 %
                  512 bps 52.37 %
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 1st
                 and 4th November.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 266 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -129 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 10.26 on
                 Angle (deg.)   29th October to 10.49 on 4th November.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 9.95 on
                 Angle (deg.)     29th October to 10.46 on 4th November.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 4thNovember.
                 Distance from Earth                772,565,691 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              154,681,345 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            63,346 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth         115,920 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 9th and 13th November.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | The two hardest things to
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | handle in life are success
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and failure.

Article: 18163
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/07/91
Date: 8 Nov 91 23:34:26 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        November 7, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft continues to operate normally as it
travels onward to Jupiter. 
 
     Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers are being conducted about twice
a week.  The next set of maneuvers were scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 9
and Wednesday, Nov. 13. 
 
     Tape-recorder operations based on recovering science data
acquired while the spacecraft is not in view of the Deep Space Network
tracking stations were also proceeding on a routine basis.  The
34-meter ground antennas are being used to track the spacecraft and
recover data. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 750 million kilometers (470
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 61,000 kilometers per hour (38,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft has about 70 million miles to travel before reaching
Jupiter in early February 1992. 
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | The two hardest things to
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | handle in life are success
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and failure.

Article: 18312
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/11/91
Date: 15 Nov 91 02:15:25 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 64
 
        PERIOD: 5th November to 11th November 1991
  
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 An average of 97.11 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 48.99 %
                  512 bps 48.04 %
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 9th
                 November.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 266 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -129 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 10.90 on
                 Angle (deg.)   5th November to 11.10 on 11th November.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.54 on
                 Angle (deg.)     5th November to 10.95 on 11th November.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 11th November.
                 Distance from Earth                771,474,312 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter              146,097,930 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            62,787 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth         109,123 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out
                 on 13th and 17th November.
 
                 A Science Working Team meeting will take place in
                 Pasadena on 14th and 15th November.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.

      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | The two hardest things to
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | handle in life are success
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and failure.

Article: 18322
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/14/91
Date: 15 Nov 91 04:56:31 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        November 14, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft continues to operate normally.  Tape-
recorder operations based on recovering science data acquired while
the spacecraft is not in view of the Deep Space Network tracking
stations proceeded on a routine basis. 
 
     Standard Earth-pointing maneuvers continue to be performed about
twice a week.  One maneuver was performed Wednesday, Nov. 13.  Another
was scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17. 
 
     Today Ulysses is approximately 747 million kilometers (464
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 58,000 kilometers per hour (37,500 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft has about 64 million miles to travel before reaching
Jupiter in early February 1992. 
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | The two hardest things to
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | handle in life are success
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and failure.

Article: 18596
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/25/91
Date: 27 Nov 91 23:56:31 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 66
 
        PERIOD:    19th November to 25th November 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
                 An average of 98.56 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 55.84 %
                  512 bps 42.64 %
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 22nd
                 November.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 266 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 11.57 on
                 Angle (deg.)   19th November to 11.79 on 25th November.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 11.36 on
                 Angle (deg.)     19th November to 11.56 on 25th November.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 25th November.
 
                 Distance from Earth                735,799,425 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               91,545,848 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            59,533 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          65,919 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out
                 on 27th November.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
      ___    _____     ___
     /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
     | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
  ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 301-355 Telos  | The two hardest things to
 /___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | handle in life are success
 |_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | and failure.

Article: 18773
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/02/91
Date: 8 Dec 91 11:01:25 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 67
 
        PERIOD: 26th November to 2nd December 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
                 required.
 
                 An average of 91.91 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.  The lower than normal value was
                 due to the unavailability of the Goldstone station because
                 of X-band Maser problems and high winds during another
                 Goldstone pass.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 37.86 %
                  512 bps 53.64 %
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 27th
                 November.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 266 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F).  The downlink is currently via EPC1/TWTA1.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 11.73 on
                 Angle (deg.)   26th November to 11.63 on 2nd December.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 11.58 on
                 Angle (deg.)     26th November to 11.65 on 2nd December.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 04:00 PST. on 2nd December.
                 Distance from Earth                727,344,847 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               83,326,014 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            59,090 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          60,746 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 3rd
                 December.  This will be designed to eliminate the need
                 for further manoeuvres until 4th January.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment experienced several problems during
                 the reporting period.  Those of major concern were:
 
                 On 29th November, an X-band Maser failure resulted in
                 the loss of a complete DSS 12 pass.  The beginning of the
                 pass on 30th November was also lost.  The impact of this
                 was minimised by extending a DSS 61 pass, by taking data
                 from DSS 15 and DSS 63 during a VLBI pass, by shifting
                 the DSU playback period out of the lost pass and by
                 increasing the record period.  A total of approximately
                 6 hours of data were lost.
 
                 A power failure at DSS 12 on 30th November resulted in
                 in a loss of about 1 hours data (real-time and playback).
 
                 On 1st December the DSS 12 antenna was stowed due to high
                 winds.  2+ hours of data (real-time and playback) were lost.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3602 Telos | There's no limit to what
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | can be done if it doesn't
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | matter who gets the credit.

Article: 18784
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/06/91
Date: 8 Dec 91 11:28:07 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        December 6, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft continues to perform well.  Routine
data-gathering operations are being conducted along with the necessary
experiment reconfigurations. 
 
     An Earth-pointing maneuver was performed on Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Because of the current geometry of the spacecraft, Earth and sun, no
additional maneuvers will be performed until Saturday, Jan. 4, 1992. 
 
     High winds and rain in the Mojave Desert over the Thanksgiving
holiday forced the Goldstone tracking antennas to be stowed for
several hours.  The winds also caused a power outage. These events,
coupled with a failure of the antenna maser (which is a cooled,
low-noise amplifier mounted on the tracking antenna to amplify
signals), resulted in the loss of approximately 8.5 hours of data. 
 
    Today Ulysses is approximately 722 million kilometers (448 million
miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about
57,500 kilometers per hour (36,500 miles per hour).  The spacecraft
has about 48 million miles to travel before reaching Jupiter in early
February 1992. 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3602 Telos | There's no limit to what
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | can be done if it doesn't
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | matter who gets the credit.

Article: 18846
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/11/91
Date: 12 Dec 91 00:49:50 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 68
 
        PERIOD: 3rd December to 10th December 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
                 required.
 
                 An average of 98.12 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 49.02 %
                  512 bps 46.98 %
 
                 A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 3rd
                 December.
 
                 Switchover of the tape recorders occurred on 6th
                 December. This operation is carried out periodically to
                 ensure equal usage of both units.
 
                 Switchover to Travelling Wave Tube 2 occurred on 8th
                 December. The operation was conducted under ground
                 control and had been planned for this reporting period.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F). The downlink was switched to EPC2/TWTA2 during
                 the reporting period.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle was 11.57 on 3rd December
                 Angle (deg.)   and 9th December.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 11.65 on
                 Angle (deg.)     3rd December to 11.59 on 9th December.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 9th December.
                 Distance from Earth                718,282,720 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               74,715,232 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            58,644 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          56,264 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on
                 4th January.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | There's no limit to what
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | can be done if it doesn't
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | matter who gets the credit.

Article: 18916
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/13/91
Date: 14 Dec 91 01:42:55 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        December 13, 1991
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 57,500 kilometers per hour (36,000 miles per hour) on its way to
Jupiter.  The spacecraft is about 713 million kilometers (443 million
miles) from Earth and has about 43 million miles left to travel before
reaching the Jovian atmosphere in early February 1992. 
 
     All spacecraft operations and ground-support systems are
operating normally.  Tape-recorder operations based on recovering data
acquired while the spacecraft is not in view of the tracking stations
also are proceeding on a routine basis.  Data-gathering operations
continue to be conducted along with the necessary experiment
reconfigurations. 
 
     The current geometry of the spacecraft, Earth and sun makes
standard Earth-pointing maneuvers unnecessary.  Those maneuvers will
resume on Jan. 4, 1992. 

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | There's no limit to what
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | can be done if it doesn't
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | matter who gets the credit.

Article: 4
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/17/91
Date: 19 Dec 91 02:12:12 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 69
 
        PERIOD: 10th December to 16th December 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
                 required.
 
                 An average of 97.57 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 49.36 %
                  512 bps 48.13 %
 
                 No routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
                 during this reporting period.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -129 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 11.57 on
                 Angle (deg.)   11th December to 11.17 on 16th December.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 11.57 on
                 Angle (deg.)     11th December to 11.37 on 17th December.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 16th December.
                 Distance from Earth                709,328,374 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               66,310,004 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            58,223 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          53,100 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on
                 4th January.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
                 However, 2 1/2 hours of data were lost due to heavy rain
                 at the Madrid site on 15th December.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | There's no limit to what
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | can be done if it doesn't
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | matter who gets the credit.

Article: 27
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Status for 12/17/91 to 12/23/91 (Forwarded)
Date: 28 Dec 91 00:07:46 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 70
 
        PERIOD: 17th December to 23rd December 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
                 acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
                 a routine scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
                 required.
 
                 An average of 96.94 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 46.14 %
                  512 bps 50.53 %
 
                 No routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed
                 during this reporting period.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 11.20 on
                 Angle (deg.)   17th December to 10.82 on 23rd December.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 11.32 on
                 Angle (deg.)     17th December to 10.98 on 23rd December.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 23rd December.
                 Distance from Earth                700,594,435 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               57,906,223 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            57,823 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          51,530 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on
                 4th January.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.
 
                 However, due to high winds at Goldstone on 20th December,
                 received data were corrupted during a 3 hour period.

Article: 42
From: [email protected] (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Status for 12/24/91 to 12/30/91 (Forwarded)
Date: 4 Jan 92 01:58:03 GMT
Sender: usenet
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
 
        TO:        Distribution
 
        FROM:      Peter Beech/Donald Meyer
 
        SUBJECT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 71
 
        PERIOD: 24th December to 30th December 1991
 
        1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
                 Tape recorder operations based on recovering data acquired
                 during the out of view periods are continuing on a routine
                 scheduled basis.
 
                 Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
                 required.
 
                 An average of 97.36 % data recovery was achieved during
                 this reporting period.
 
                 The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
                 is as follows:
 
                 1024 bps 46.19 %
                  512 bps 51.04 %
 
                 No routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed during
                 this reporting period.
 
        2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
                 POWER
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.
 
                 AOCS
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 TTC
 
                 The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
                 the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
                 receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
                 (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
                 The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
                 operations.
 
                 Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
                 (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
                 of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
                 spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
                 Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
                 DATA HANDLING
 
                 Nominal.
 
                 THERMAL
 
                 Nominal.
 
        3.       FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
                 Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 10.77 on
                 Angle (deg.)   24th December to 10.40 on 30th December.
 
                 Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 10.91 on
                 Angle (deg.)     24th December to 10.42 on 30th December.
 
                 Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
        4.       ORBITAL DATA
 
                 Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 31st December.
                 Distance from Earth                691,225,580 km.
                 Distance from Jupiter               48,297,208 km.
                 Velocity relative to the Sun            57,395 km/hr.
                 Velocity relative to the Earth          51,833 km/hr.
 
        5.       PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
                 Routine data gathering operations will continue together
                 with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
                 The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on
                 4th January.
 
        6.       GROUND SEGMENT
 
                 The ground segment performed nominally during the
                 reporting period.

From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]" 12-JAN-1992 
        22:38:36.54
To:	[email protected]
Subj:	Ulysses Update - 01/06/92

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 72

PERIOD: 31st December 1991 to 6th January 1992
                                                              
1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
     acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
     a routine scheduled basis.

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.

     An average of 96.72 % data recovery was achieved during
     this reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:

     1024 bps 38.20 %
      512 bps 58.52 %

     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvres was performed on 4th January.

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The
     downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.

     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -127 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 10.40 on
     Angle (deg.)   31st December to 9.46 on 6th January.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 10.32 on
     Angle (deg.)     31st December to 9.69 on 6th January.

     Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 04:00 PST. on 6th January.
     Distance from Earth                685,008,650 km.
     Distance from Jupiter               41,289,012 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            57,110 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          53,391 km/hr.

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue.

     Preparations for Jupiter flyby will begin next week with
     calibrations of several of the COSPIN instruments and the
     HI-SCALE experiment.

     The neutral gas experiment scanning period begins on 9th January.

     An end-to-end calibration for the GRB experiment will be
     performed 9th-10th January.

     The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 10th January.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period with the exception of a TPA failure
     at DSS 61 causing a loss of 15 minutes of real-time and
     30 minutes of playback data.

Article: 122
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/13/92
Date: 17 Jan 92 01:17:09 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 73
 
PERIOD:   7th January to 13th January 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
     acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
     a routine scheduled basis.
 
     Preparations for Jupiter flyby began during the reporting
     period with calibrations of several of the COSPIN
     instruments and the HI-SCALE experiment.
 
     The neutral gas experiment scanning period began on 9th January.
 
     An end-to-end calibration for the GRB experiment was
     performed 9th-10th January.
 
     An average of 97.37 % data recovery was achieved during
     this reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 45.62 %
      512 bps 51.75 %
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvres was performed on 10th January.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -127 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 9.44 on
     Angle (deg.)   7th January to 8.57 on 14th January.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 9.57 on
     Angle (deg.)     7th January to 8.79 on 14th January.
 
     Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 04:00 PST. on 13th January
     Distance from Earth                678,575,941 km.
     Distance from Jupiter               32,911,532 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            56,815 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          56,524 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue.
 
     Neutral gas experiment scanning will continue until 29th January.
 
     The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 16th January.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't wait for your ship
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to come in, paddle out to
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | it.

Article: 149
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/20/92
Date: 25 Jan 92 22:59:57 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 74
 
PERIOD: 14th January to 20th January 1992
 
1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
     acquired during the out of view periods are continuing on
     a routine scheduled basis.
 
     Pre-Jupiter flyby activities have continued.
 
     The Neutral Gas experiment full sky scan was performed on
     14th January. The ultra violet star scan was performed on
     16th and 17th January. This was followed on 19th January
     by the experiment being placed in the Jupiter pointing mode.
 
     An in-flight calibration of the Energetic Particle
     Composition experiment was performed on 20th January.
 
     An average of 96.78 % data recovery was achieved during
     this reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 48.83 %
      512 bps 47.97 %
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 16th January.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -126 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 8.55 on
     Angle (deg.)   14th January to 7.71 on 20th January.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 8.65 on
     Angle (deg.)     14th January to 7.74 on 20th January.
 
     Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 20th January
     Distance from Earth                673,547,037 km.
     Distance from Jupiter               24,166,688 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            56,617 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          60,966 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue until 31st January.
 
     Neutral gas experiment scanning will continue until 29th January.
 
     The Solar X-ray and Cosmic Gamma Ray Burst experiment
     will be switched to Jupiter mode on 30th January.
 
     The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on
     21st January. Some experiment heaters will be switched
     off during this manoeuvre for test purposes.
 
     Tape recorder operations will be terminated on 31st
     January in preparation for the flyby.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period, except for a data loss of approximately
     2 hours at the Goldstone site due to downlink equipment
     problems on 18th January.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't wait for your ship
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to come in, paddle out to
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | it.

Article: 20011
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro
Subject: Ulysses to Study Jupiter's Magnetic Field during Flyby
Date: 31 Jan 92 16:23:35 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Paula Cleggett-Haleim
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                       January 31, 1992
(Phone:  202/453-1547)
 
Diane Ainsworth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone:  818/354-5011)
 
RELEASE:  92-16
 
ULYSSES TO STUDY JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD DURING FLYBY
 
	Sixteen months and 617 million miles after launch from the
Kennedy Space Center, Fla., the Ulysses spacecraft has reached
Jupiter, where Ulysses will use the planet's gravity to swing out of
the ecliptic plane and on toward the poles of the sun, a region never
explored by spacecraft.  Ulysses will accelerate as it nears Jupiter's
northern hemisphere but will not be captured by the planet's gravity,
said Donald Meyer, JPL's Deputy Mission Operations Manager. 
 
	Instead, Ulysses will skim by the planet at a distance of 6.3
Jupiter radii, 280,000 miles from the planet's center.  Closest
approach will occur at 7 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 8.  Ulysses will
dive down at an 80-degree angle to the ecliptic plane and continue on
a course to the sun's south pole to carry out its primary mission. 
 
	Ulysses will arrive at 70 degrees south solar latitude in June
1994.  The spacecraft will spend 4 months studying the sun's southern
polar region, then cross the solar equator in February 1995 and begin
a 4-month pass of the sun's north polar region that June.  During its
passage by the sun, Ulysses will study three general areas of solar
physics:  the sun itself, magnetic fields and streams of particles
generated by the sun and interplanetary space above the sun. 
 
	In addition to sending Ulysses toward its primary mission, the
unprecedented maneuver around Jupiter presents scientists with an
added opportunity to investigate the region of space dominated by
Jupiter's magnetic field, called the magnetosphere.  Science
experiments will attempt to examine the interaction of the
magnetosphere with the solar wind, a stream of high-energy particles
emanating from the sun, and study various phenomena within this
magnetic bubble. 
 
	"A variety of science investigations can take place during the
spacecraft's journey through Jupiter's magnetosphere," said JPL's Dr.
Edward J. Smith, NASA Project Scientist for the joint NASA-European
Space Agency mission. 
 
	Scientists know from previous passes by the Voyager and
Pioneer spacecraft that the outer, middle and inner regions of the
magnetosphere differ from one another and that these regions change
over time.  "The experiments will study the structure and dynamics of
Jupiter's magnetosphere," said Dr. Edgar Page, ESA Science Coordinator
at JPL. 
 
	"Ulysses' special complement of nine instruments will return
data from regions never before explored as the spacecraft flies past
Jupiter at a high latitude and in the dusk sector," said Smith,
referring to the side of the planet that would be seeing sunset. 
 
	The region, however, is a hostile environment of charged
particles and radiation, Page and Smith said.  The intensity of
radiation trapped within Jupiter's magnetosphere poses certain risks
for the spacecraft as it flies past.  "It's risky business for any
spacecraft traveling through Jupiter's environment," said Page, "but
we needed the gravity assist of Jupiter to achieve our polar orbit
around the sun." 
 
	The greatest threat from Jupiter's radiation will occur during
a 4-day period centered on the spacecraft's closest approach.  Should
Jupiter's radiation environment prove too harsh, Ulysses is programmed
to shut off its instruments and enter a "safe mode" to protect itself
for its primary objective of studying the sun.  The radio frequency
carrier will remain on to keep the spacecraft in touch with ground
controllers. 
 
	"The spacecraft's trajectory through Jupiter's magnetosphere
will take it right between the orbits of two Jovian moons, Io and
Europa," Smith said.  "Io's torus, a ring of sulfur and oxygen ions
that spreads out like a cloud and circles Jupiter, will be of special
interest to us during this time."  Only one spacecraft, Voyager 1, has
passed directly through this region before, in March 1979. 

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't wait for your ship
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to come in, paddle out to
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | it.

From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]"  5-FEB-1992 
        14:16:49.60
To:	[email protected]
Subj:	Ulysses Update - 02/04/92

[Note:  Ulysses started its 17 day study of Jupiter on January 31.  It will
        makes its closest approach to the planet on February 8 at 4:02 AM PST. 
        There will be a press conference from JPL on February 11 at 8AM PST 
        which will be shown on NASA Select TV -- Ron Baalke]

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 76

PERIOD: 28th January to 3rd February 1992

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

     Tape recorder operations based on recovering data
     acquired during the out of view periods continued until
     31st January. The tape recorders were then switched off
     and the spacecraft downlink was configured for 1 Kbps
     science format.

     The Jupiter Flyby period commenced on 31st January.

     24 hour ground station coverage and Flight Control Team
     manning commenced on 31st January.

     Experiment command activity increased as flyby
     configurations were executed following the flight
     operations timelines.

     On 28th January the following experiment activities took place.

     HUS threshold counts were raised, and energy lowered.

     A KEP GAS Jupiter fine scan took place.

     SIM Low Energy Telescope discriminator and linearity
     tests were carried out.

     On 29th January KEP GAS data was switched off and on for an extra 
     scan. Also SIM Anisotropy Telescope calibration took place.

     On 30th January HUS was switched to Jupiter mode, Ops
     mode 2 at maximum trigger thresholds.

     On 31st January KEP GAS data was switched off and the STO
     Jupiter switching sequence commenced.

     On 1st February the BAM-I sun phase offset was set to 195
     degrees and the aperture set to maximum. The BAM-E period
     was set to 64 ms. A HED pre-Jupiter calibration took
     place and the SIM high energy telescope and the high flux
     telescope were reconfigured.
     On 2nd February the GRU channeltron high voltage was reduced.

     On 3rd February BAM subregion 4.1 commanding commenced.

     An average of 98.13 % data recovery was achieved during
     this reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:

     1024 bps 79.35 %
      512 bps 18.15 %

     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 29th January.

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 265 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The
     downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 and 70 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.

     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -123 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 6.42 on
     Angle (deg.)   28th January to 5.62 on 3rd February.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 6.38 on
     Angle (deg.)     28th January to 5.25 on 3rd February.

     Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 27th January
     Distance from Earth                669,082,089 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                6,856,612 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            57,819 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          73,735 km/hr.

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Ulysses closest approach to Jupiter will occur on 8th
     February at 04:02 PST.

     The S-band transmitter will be switched on on 5th
     February to support the IO torus radio science experiment.

     Experiment operations will continue following the flight
     operations timelines.

     The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 5th February.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't wait for your ship
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to come in, paddle out to
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | it.

From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]"  9-FEB-1992 
        13:46:06.26
To:	[email protected]
Subj:	Ulysses Update - 02/08/92 (Jupiter Flyby)

Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                     Ulysses Mission Status
                     Saturday, Feb. 8, 1992
                           12:30 p.m.

     The Ulysses spacecraft flew safely through the hazardous
environment of Jupiter today and departed the ecliptic plane on its
way to unexplored regions of the solar poles.  The spacecraft reached
closest approach to Jupiter at 4:01 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. 
Flight controllers received confirmation 37 minutes later, at 4:38
a.m. PST.  Spacecraft velocity at closest approach was 99,000
kilometers per hour (61,380 miles per hour) relative to Jupiter. 

     About one hour later, Ulysses passed through Jupiter's intense
radiation belts and into the ring of sulfur and oxygen ions that
constitutes Io's plasma torus.  The spacecraft neared the center of
the plasma ring at about 6:45 a.m., beaming a radio signal back to
Earth that allowed scientists to measure its composition. 

     Maximum radiation exposure occurred during this time, between
about 7 a.m. and 8 a.m., as the spacecraft crossed Jupiter's magnetic
equator.  Ulysses' distance at equatorial crossing was about 8.4
Jupiter radii -- 600,000 kilometers or about 372,000 miles -- from the
center of the planet.  The particles experiments -- the solar wind
plasma experiment (Dr. Samuel Bame, Los Alamos National Lab, PI) and
the solar wind ion composition experiment (Dr. George Gloeckler,
University of Maryland, PI) reported very excellent data returns
during this passage.  Most of the other science instruments were
switched off for a few hours during this interval.  Ulysses exited the
plasma torus at about 10:15 a.m. PST. 

     While the spacecraft has passed through the most dangerous part
of its journey, it will remain at some risk to harmful radiation
exposure for the next 12 hours. 

     Ulysses is now beginning its exploration of Jupiter's dusk side,
a sector of the Jovian environment previously unexplored.  That tour of
the Jovian system will be completed on Feb. 16. 

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't wait for your ship
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | to come in, paddle out to
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | it.

Article: 1833
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space
Subject: European space probe flies by Jupiter
Date: 8 Feb 92 19:56:39 GMT
 
	PASADENA, Calif. (UPI) -- The European-built Ulysses solar probe flew
by Jupiter Saturday, making an unprecedented maneuver to use the giant
planet's gravity to fling the tiny craft back over the poles of the sun.

	Sixteen months after its launch from the shuttle Discovery, the
nuclear-powered Ulysses, built in Europe and operated from NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena overtook Jupiter from behind and flew
across its northern hemisphere Saturday morning.

	While Ulysses is not equipped with cameras -- and while its main
target is the sun -- data from a battery of instruments will shed
insights into the structure of Jupiter's intense magnetic field and how
it interacts with the solar wind, a supersonic stream of atomic
particles blasted away from Earth's star.

	``We've seen the instruments in the solar wind all the way out to
Jupiter and they have performed flawlessly,'' said Willis Meeks, a top
NASA manager at JPL. ``The investigators are just elated with the data
they've seen. There's quite a bit of jubilation here among the team.''

	The trajectory over the planet was designed to allow Jupiter's
titanic gravity to warp Ulysses' flight path, bending it down at an 80-
degree angle to the plane of the solar system. The resulting orbit will
carry Ulysses back over the south pole of the sun in 1994 and up over
the north pole in 1995.

	While it will never fly closer to the sun than about 120 million
miles, Ulysses is the first spacecraft built to study the polar regions
of the sun, giving scientists their first three-dimensional look at
Earth's life-giving star, its complex magnetic field and the tenuous
solar wind.

	``As far as I know, no other mission has ever been planned ... to
explore the poles of the sun,'' Meeks said. ``I think the contributions
to science are monumental. We ... look upon this as an opportunity to do
something that very few people in history have ever done before or will
ever do again.''

	The European Space Agency spent $250 million to build Ulysses and
NASA chipped in another $500 million to cover the cost of the shuttle
launch and the spacecraft's unique three-stage booster, which propelled
the craft to Jupiter.

	``Science, like music, has a common language and scientific facts are
there for all to see and cooperation is a wonderful thing,'' Meeks said.
``These missions are starting to cost so much to build and to operate
that we're just simply going to have to have the rest of the world share
part of the cost and therefore reap part of the rewards.''

	The 807-pound Ulysses probe, bolted to the top of a massive three-
stage booster, was gently ejected from its cradle in Discovery's cargo
bay on time at 1:48 p.m. Oct. 6, 1990, six hours and one minute after
the ship's launch on the 36th shuttle mission.

	With Discovery ``parked'' a safe distance away, all three stages of
the probe's custom-built $87 million rocket fired in rapid succession,
boosting Ulysses' velocity to a record 34,130 mph and making it the
fastest man-made object in the universe.

	Ulysses could not be fired directly into an orbit around the sun's
poles because no available rocket had enough power to counteract Earth's
orbital velocity of 47 miles per second in the plane of the sun's equator.

	Instead, mission designers came up with a plan to use Jupiter's
gravity to provide the boost needed to fling Ulysses out of the plane of
the solar system.

	While the trip to Jupiter took 16 months, the wait will be forgotten
when priceless data about the sun begins flowing back to Earth.

	Virtually all of humanity's knowledge about the sun is limited to
studies conducted in the plane of the solar system, that is, from the
vantage point of Earth's orbit around the star's equator.

	By flying over the polar regions of the sun, Ulysses will be
able to directly study processes and features that cannot be observed
from Earth, giving scientists a more complete understanding of the
star's structure and the forces that shape its destiny. 

Article: 2366
From: [email protected] (JENNIFER ROWLAND)
Newsgroups: clari.tw.space,clari.tw.science
Subject: Ulysses passes Jupiter unscathed
Date: 11 Feb 92 23:32:23 GMT
 
	PASADENA, Calif. (UPI) -- Data from the Ulysses solar probe,
unscathed by a weekend flyby of Jupiter and passage through its deadly
radiation belts, has raised new questions about the planet's immense
magnetic field, scientists said Tuesday. 

	Jupiter's ``magnetosphere,'' the invisible bubble of energy
surrounding the planet made up of magnetic field lines that arc between
its poles, appears much more dynamic than previously thought.

	In addition, scientists reported, sulfur and other particles blown
into space from volcanoes on the jovian moon Io is not strewn around the
planet in a uniformly thick doughnut as once believed. Rather, the ``Io
torus'' is somewhat patchy and more influenced by Jupiter's magnetosphere 
than the moon itself.

	``This is an object of considerable interest at Jupiter,'' said Mike
Bird, a Ulysses researcher with the University of Bonn. ``We learned ...
the Io plasma torus is not a perfect ring ... but rather there are
certain active sectors and depleted sectors.''

	Bird and other scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency and
universities involved in experimentation with Ulysses met with reporters
at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to discuss findings from the
spacecraft's flyby of Jupiter.

	Launched from the shuttle Discovery on Oct. 6, 1990, the nuclear-
powered Ulysses overtook Jupiter from behind and flew across its
northern hemisphere Saturday morning.

	At its closest approach at 4:01 a.m. PST Saturday, Ulysses sailed
about 236,000 miles above Jupiter's cloudtops at 30 degrees north
latitude before racing ahead of the planet.

	The trajectory was designed to allow Jupiter's titanic gravity to
warp Ulysses' flight path, bending it down at an 80-degree angle to the
plane of the solar system. The resulting orbit will carry Ulysses back
over the south pole of the sun in 1994 and up over the north pole in 1995.

	While it will never fly closer to the sun than about 120 million
miles, Ulysses is the first spacecraft built to study the polar regions
of the sun, giving scientists their first three-dimensional look at
Earth's life-giving star, its complex magnetic field and the tenuous
solar wind.

	The close encounter with Jupiter was somewhat harrowing for project
scientists because of the planet's intense radiation belts. But all went
well.

	``Happily everything is in perfect working order,'' said Derek Eaton,
project manager from ESA. ``Jupiter has a filthy radiation environment
and there's always a fear you'll get the unexpected. That didn't happen.
The spacecraft is in good shape, everything is working perfectly.''

	The Jupiter flyby gave scientists another chance to study Jupiter,
the biggest planet in Earth's solar system. Picking up where previous
missions left off, the solar probe was used to study the planet's
magnetic fields, radio transmissions and particles surrounding it.

	The most important discovery to come out of the Ulysses mission so
far involves insights into the nature of Jupiter's magnetosphere.

	``If you could see Jupiter's magnetosphere (from Earth), it would
appear about four times as large as the sun or the moon,'' said Edward
J. Smith, a project scientist at JPL.

	European Space Agency scientist Klaus-Peter Wenzel summed up the
initial findings by Ulysses by saying, ``Some textbooks will have to be
rewritten.'' 

	Ulysses could not be fired directly into an orbit around the sun's
poles because no available rocket had enough power to counteract Earth's
orbital velocity of 47 miles per second in the plane of the sun's equator.

	Instead, mission designers came up with a plan to use Jupiter's
gravity to provide the boost needed to fling Ulysses out of the plane of
the solar system.

	While the trip to Jupiter took 16 months, the wait will be forgotten
when priceless data about the sun begins flowing back to Earth.

	Virtually all of humanity's knowledge about the sun is limited to
studies conducted in the plane of the solar system, that is, from the
vantage point of Earth's orbit around the star's equator.

	By flying over the polar regions of the sun, Ulysses will be able to
directly study processes and features that cannot be observed from
Earth, giving scientists a more complete understanding of the star's
structure and the forces that shape its destiny.

Article: 350
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/17/92
Date: 20 Feb 92 19:41:02 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 78
 
PERIOD:   11th February to 17th February 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     The spacecraft exited from the Jovian magnetosphere on 15th February.
 
     Experiments were returned to their operational
     configurations during the reporting period.
 
     An average of 99.15 % data recovery was achieved during
     this reporting period. All data acquired were transmitted
     at a rate of 1024 bps realtime.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 11th and
     14th February.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 264 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 and 70 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
     Received uplink level -126 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 4.08 on
     Angle (deg.)   11th February to 2.34 on 17th February.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 3.61 on
     Angle (deg.)     11th February to 2.33 on 17th February.
 
     Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 17th February
     Distance from Earth                  663,063,682 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 12,355,919 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              30,675 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           109,198 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     The next Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 19th February.
 
     S-Band transmitter switch-on will occur on 20th February
     in preparation for the radio science gravity wave
     experiment. This is the first major activity in the
     preparation for Second Opposition.
 
     Second Opposition will occur on 27th February.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | In the middle of difficulty
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | lies opportunity  --
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Albert Einstein

Article: 407
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/24/92
Date: 27 Feb 92 18:13:30 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 78
 
PERIOD:   18th February to 24th February 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     The S-band transmitter was switched on 20th February to
     support the Gravity Wave Experiment during the second
     Opposition period.
 
     Post-Jupiter experiment reconfigurations and calibrations
     have been carried out as required.
 
     An average of 98.35 % data recovery was achieved during
     this reporting period. All data acquired were transmitted
     at a rate of 1024 bps realtime.
 
     A special uplink sweep was performed on 19th February to
     lock up both onboard receivers so that their best-lock
     frequencies could be determined.
 
     A pre-opposition Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed
     on 19th February and a trim manoeuvre was performed on
     20th February.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 264 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     Sunsensor XBS-2 was switched on for 2 hours on 20th
     February to perform a cross-calibration with XBS-1.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 70 meter ground stations are in use to support both
     Radio Science and TCC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -138 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. caected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -126 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 2.33 on
     Angle (deg.)   18th February to 1.29 on 24th February.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 2.11 on
     Angle (deg.)     18th February to 0.79 on 24th February.
 
     Spin Rate               4.984 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 24th February
     Distance from Earth                  660,271,263 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 20,955,916 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              30,186 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           108,022 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Second Opposition will occur on 27th February when a slew
     manoeuver around the Sun is planned followed by a slew
     towards the Sun 3 1/2 hours later.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period, except for a period during the special
     uplink sweep to lock up the back-up onboard receiver.
     The ground receiver lost lock and 45 minutes of data was lost.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | In the middle of difficulty
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | lies opportunity  --
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Albert Einstein

Article: 20854
From: [email protected] (John McDonald)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
Subject: Ulysses: An Informal Update
Date: 9 Mar 92 15:25:27 GMT
Organization: Center for EUV Astrophysics
 
I haven't seen any summary of Ulysses science at Jupiter in these
newsgroups, so please forgive me if this is repetitive. In Science
News, February 22, Page 118, there is a nice over view of the Jupiter
encounter. 
 
I can summarize a bit:
 
"Comparing measurements made by Ulysses with those from previous
missions, researchers have discovered that Jupiter's magnetic field
expands and contracts over a period of years.  The Ulysses data reveal
that the field on the sunward side stretches some 7 million kilometers
frome Jupiter's core, or about 100 times the planet's radius -- double
the distance indicated by Voyager in 1979, but similar to that
recorded by Pioneer 10 in 1973." 
 
also:
 
"While probing the outer edge of the field, Ulysses identified layers
of electrons that appear to come from the Sun.  Researchers had
thought that solar-wind particles could not penetrate the Jovian
field; the electron finding suggests that solar particles provide a
previously overlooked component of the field. (David J. McComas, Los
Alamos National Laboratory)" 
 
and:
 
"The Ulysses data (on the Io Torus) indicate that the doughnut's ion
density is only half that detected by the Voyager mission. Instead of
finding an unbroken ring of charged particles, as the Voyager craft
had, Ulysses' radio observations reveal that the doughnut now consists
of six `hot spots,' where ions cluster, separated by gaps where few
ions reside.  This suggests that Io's volcanoes have temporarily died
down. (Edward J Smith, JPL)" 
 
There's more.  The article goes on to indicate that researchers have yet
to analyse the data taken as Ulysses left the magnetic field on the
dusk side of the planet. 
 
John McDonald, (and a copy of Science News)

Article: 20975
From: [email protected] (Daniel Fischer)
Newsgroups: sci.astro,sci.space
Subject: Re: Ulysses: An Informal Update
Date: 13 Mar 92 11:15:10 GMT
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Max Planck Institut fuer Radioastronomie
 
In <[email protected]> [email protected] (John
McDonald) writes: 
 
>In Science News, February 22, Page 118, there is a nice over
>view of the Jupiter encounter.  I can summarize a bit:
 
>"The Ulysses data (on the Io Torus) indicate that the doughnut's
>ion density is only half that detected by the Voyager mission.
 
This statement has been *retracted* by the responsible group, the
radio science team of Dr. M. Bird, Univ. of Bonn:  It was based on an
erroneous model from the Voyager data.  There has been a reduction in
the electron density in the torus, but only a slight one. 
 
>Instead of finding an unbroken ring of charged particles, as the
>Voyager craft had, Ulysses' radio observations reveal that the
>doughnut now consists of six `hot spots,' where ions cluster,
>separated by gaps where few ions reside.  This suggests that
>Io's volcanoes have temporarily died down. (Edward J Smith, JPL)"
 
While the detection of the hotspots is correct (it was based on plasma
wave data, as far as I understand from other articles), the statement
about Io's volcanoes 'dying down' contradicts the new radio science
data interpretation that the torus' overall density did not go down
markedly.  Obviously, there's a lot of analysis to be done before a
complete model for what the Jovian magnetosphere was like in 1992 will
be in hand.  What about the ground-based support work?  Aren't the Io
volcanoes being monitored in the IR?  I seem to recall that *this*
indicated a general decrease of activity since the Voyager flybys.
Anyone with actual references for that? 
 
>There's more.  The article goes on to indicae that researchers 
>are yet to analyse the data taken as Ulysses left the magnetic
>field on the dusk side of the planet.
 
There will be a dedicated issue of 'Science' later this year on the
Ulysses Jupiter flyby; researchers were asked to send their initital
results in by this May. 

Article: 469
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/02/92
Date: 9 Mar 92 12:10:36 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
FROM:     ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 80
 
PERIOD: 25th February to 2nd March 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     The S-band transmitter is currently switched on to
     support the Gravity Wave Experiment during the second
     Opposition period.  The experiment is proceeding nominally.
 
     Second Opposition occurred on 27th February when a slew
     manoeuvre around the Sun was performed.  This manoeuvre
     terminated early because the 1.3x solar aspect angle
     deadband was transgressed due to centroid delay
     calibration errors.  Approximately one quarter of the
     manoeuvre had taken place.  To recover, a slew away from
     the Sun (to 1.5x SAA) was performed followed by the
     remainder of the slew around the Sun.  No further
     manoeuvres were required.
 
     An average of 98.84 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.  All data acquired were transmitted
     at a rate of 1024 bps realtime.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 264 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
     24 hour 70 meter ground station coverage was provided
     during the reporting period to support both Radio Science
     and TCC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -135 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 1.29 on
     Angle (deg.)   25th February to 1.46 on 2nd March.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 0.56 on
     Angle (deg.)     25th February to 0.78 on 2nd March.
 
     Spin Rate               4.983 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 2nd March
     Distance from Earth                  660,101,752 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 29,445,502 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,995 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           107,377 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Sun sensor XBS-2 will be switched on for a further 4 hour
     period on 5th March to perform a cross-calibration with XBS-1.
 
     A slew back to the Earth path is planned for 6th March.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | In the middle of difficulty
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | lies opportunity  --
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Albert Einstein

Article: 499
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/09/92
Date: 13 Mar 92 04:34:40 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 81
 
PERIOD: 3rd March to 9th March 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     The S-band transmitter is currently switched on to
     support the Gravity Wave Experiment during the second
     Opposition period. The experiment is proceeding nominally.
 
     Sun sensor XBS-2 was switched on for a further 4 hour
     period on 5th March to perform a cross-calibration with XBS-1.
 
     A slew back to the Earth path took place on 6th March.
 
     An average of 98.92 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period. All data acquired were transmitted
     at a rate of 1024 bps realtime.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 264 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     24 hour ground station coverage has been provided during
     the reporting period to support both Radio Science and
     TCC operations. Support has been from either the 70 M or
     34 M ground stations.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(70 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 1.45 on
     Angle (deg.)   3rd March to 2.40 on 9th March.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 1.01 on
     Angle (deg.)     3rd March to 2.33 on 9th March.
 
     Spin Rate               4.983 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 9th March
     Distance from Earth                  662,549,233 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 37,879,162 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,902 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           106,794 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 11th and 15th March.
 
     The S-band transmitter will be switched off on 18th
     March. This will terminate the Gravity Wave Experiment.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | In the middle of difficulty
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | lies opportunity  --
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Albert Einstein

Article: 596
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/23/92
Date: 26 Mar 92 08:01:06 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 83
 
PERIOD: 17th March to 23rd March 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     The post-Jupiter data handling redundancy checkout was started
     on 17th March.  The redundant Central Terminal Unit (CTU2)
     was configured and telemetry was lost for a few minutes as
     expected.  After lock on telemetry was  reestablished, the JPL
     Data Acquisition, Capture and Staging system (DACS) rejected
     the data because it was unable to find a sync pattern in the data.
 
     Analysis of the raw hex dump of the CTU2 telemetry showed that
     a sync pattern was present but with 1 bit always  in error.
     The DACS was set for a Bit Error Tolerance (BET) of 0 and
     therefore had rejected all data.  Data was   recalled from the
     groundstation to the DACS with a BET of 1. Telemetry for the
     whole of the CTU2 period was recovered but analysis of the
     data shows some peculiarities.
 
     1)   Sync word was E990 not EB90.
 
     2)   Spacecraft clock had both negative and positive steps in
          it - further investigation showed that this was caused
          by 2 adjacent bits being "stuck together" (the state of
          one bit influencing the state of the other).
 
     3)   Shifts in some analogue parameters (not in ADC reference
          voltages, however) and changes in some status parameters,
          which gave rise to many out-of-limits.
 
     4)   GLG sync word was 106F not 146F.
 
     Further analysis of the raw telemetry dump revealed that in
     the least significant nibble of the even telemetry bytes the
     middle two bits were always the same i.e. 00 or 11, never 01
     or 10.  This accounts for all of the above observations.  The
     cause of this phenomenon is under investigation.  See Anomaly
     report ULY021.  Further redundancy checks have been postponed.
 
     After checking the ground configuration, it was decided to
     switch back to CTU1.  This action restored telemetry.  Data
     from the CTU2 period has not yet been processed by the DRS
     because of the problems caused by the spacecraft clock jumps.
     Checking of experiments showed that BAM-E  was not nominal
     with several analogue and status parameters out of limits,
     including the high voltage parameter.  The high voltage was
     switched off, followed by switch-off of the instrument.
     Further analysis by the BAM-E team revealed that the instrument
     had entered "sleep mode" but had been partially "woken" by a
     command to return it from internal clock operations to use sun
     sensor data for timing purposes.  The BAM-E instrument was
     switched back on on 18th March and is nominal.  This anomalous
     behaviour is covered more fully in Anomaly Report ULY022.
 
     Upon switching from CTU2 to CTU1, the redundant CTU/
     experiment interfaces were selected autonomously on board,
     causing the loss of all HUS science data.  The prime
     CTU/experiment interface was reselected on 18th March.  The
     HUS experiment was switched off and on again to recover from
     the CTU/experiment interface switching on 19th March.
 
     The S-band downlink was switched off on 18th March.
     Continuous ground station coverage ended on 19th March.
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried on 19th and 22nd March.
 
     An average of 97.99 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  56.02%
      512 bps  41.97%
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 263 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The down-
     link is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     24 hour ground station coverage to support both Radio Science
     and TCC operations ended during the reporting period.  Support
     has been from either the 70 M or 34 M ground stations.
 
     Received downlink level -147 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -127 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     On switching to CTU2 during the post-Jupiter redundancy
     checking, telemetry could not be processed.  This was traced
     to a corruption of the spacecraft sync word.  Further analysis
     showed that 2 bits in every even telemetry byte were stuck
     together i.e. always either 00 or 11, never 01 or 10.  The
     problem disappeared on switching back to CTU1.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 4.11 on
     Angle (deg.)   17th March to 5.49 on 23rd March.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 4.03 on
     Angle (deg.)     17th March to 5.22 on 23rd March.
 
     Spin Rate               4.983 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 23rd March
     Distance from Earth                  674,853,939 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 54,649,413 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,830 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           105,757 km/hr.
 
5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 25th and 28th March.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the report period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | People will believe
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | anything if you whisper it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 609
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/26/92
Date: 27 Mar 92 06:29:30 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         March 26, 1992
 
     Check-out of spacecraft backup subsystems began last week, after
completion of a 28-day gravitational wave experiment. The S-band
transmitter was turned off at that time and around-the- clock tracking
from the Deep Space Network stations was discontinued. 
 
     A failure in the backup telemetry subsystem's central terminal
unit number two was discovered while checking out the backup systems. 
This caused ground-controllers to switch back to the primary unit. 
Inspections of other spacecraft subsystems were temporarily postponed
until engineers better understand the nature of the central terminal
unit failure. 
 
     Routine operations resumed after the S-band transmitter was
turned off.  Tape-recorder operations began storing data while the
spacecraft is not being tracked.  Standard Earth-pointing maneuvers
were carried out on Sunday, March 22 and Wednesday, March 25.  The
next maneuver is planned for Saturday, March 28. 
 
     Today Ulysses is about 680 million kilometers (420 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 29,000
kilometers per hour (18,500 miles per hour). 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | People will believe
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | anything if you whisper it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 661
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/30/92
Date: 3 Apr 92 02:48:38 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 84
 
PERIOD: 24th March to 30th March 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on
     25th and 28th March.
 
     An average of 98.61 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  45.09%
      512 bps  53.52%
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 263 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -147 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
   ULS MOS REPORT #84
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in the previous Operations
     Report is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 5.49 on
     Angle (deg.)   24th March to 6.53 on 30th March.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 5.41 on
     Angle (deg.)     24th March to 6.49 on 30th March.
 
     Spin Rate               4.983 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PST. on 30th March
     Distance from Earth                  684,354,977 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 63,001,339 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,826 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           105,364 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 31st March and 2nd April.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | People will believe
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | anything if you whisper it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 708
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 04/07/92
Date: 8 Apr 92 08:02:14 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 85
 
PERIOD: 31st March to 6th April 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on
     31st March, 2nd April and 6th April.
 
     An average of 97.68 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  38.23%
      512 bps  59.40%
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 263 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as The
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The down-
     link is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -148 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 6.53 on
     Angle (deg.)   31st March to 7.40 on 6th April.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 6.66 on
     Angle (deg.)     31st March to 7.62 on 6th April.
 
     Spin Rate               4.983 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 6th April
     Distance from Earth                  695,787,381 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 71,335,936 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,833 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           104,907 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 9th and 13th April.
 
     The Attitude and Orbit Control System post-Jupiter
     checkout will commence on 9th April.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | People will believe
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | anything if you whisper it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 727
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 04/09/92
Date: 11 Apr 92 00:07:14 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          April 9, 1992
 
     Checkout of spacecraft subsystems after Ulysses' flight past
Jupiter continued this week.  Testing of the attitude and orbit
control system began today.  The anomaly in the backup telemetry
subsystem's central terminal unit is still under investigation. 
 
     A routine Earth-pointing maneuver was performed today.  The next
maneuver is scheduled for Monday, April 13. 
 
     Today Ulysses is about 700 million kilometers (435 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 29,000
kilometers per hour (18,500 miles per hour).  The spacecraft is about
500 million miles from the sun. 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | People will believe
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | anything if you whisper it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 803
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 04/13/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 01:44:50 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 86
 
PERIOD: 7th April to 13th April 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem) checkout
     commenced on 7th April. This activity will continue
     throughout the reporting period. The checkout
     during this period has confirmed that all tested units
     are functioning normally.
 
     However, the BAM-E (Solar Wind Plasma) experiment is
     susceptible to sun sensor switching and consequently some
     configuration problems have been experienced during the
     above checkout.  These configuration problems have been corrected.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on 9th
     April and 13th April.
 
     An average of 98.04 % data recovery was achieved during 
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  40.83%
      512 bps  57.01%
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 263 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
        TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -148 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 7.91 on
     Angle (deg.)   7th April to 8.37 on 13th April.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.77 on
     Angle (deg.)     7th April to 8.59 on 13th April.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
  
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 13th April
     Distance from Earth                  708,866,291 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 79,654,984 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,851 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           104,440 km/hr. 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 18th and 24th April.
 
     The Attitude and Orbit Control System post-Jupiter
     checkout will continue.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Denial is always the first
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | sympton.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 

Article: 844
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 04/20/92
Date: 24 Apr 92 08:27:12 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 87
 
PERIOD: 14th April to 20th April 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     The AOCS (Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem) checkout
     confirmed that all tested units function normally.  The
     checkout ended on 16th April.
 
     The BAM-E (Solar Wind Plasma) experiment continued to
     experience configuration problems during the above checkout.
     These problems have been corrected.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was carried out on 18th April.
 
     An average of 96.76 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  43.36%
      512 bps  53.40%
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 263 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The
     downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -148 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -127 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 8.58 on
     Angle (deg.)   14th April to 9.64 on 20th April.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 8.72 on
     Angle (deg.)     14th April to 9.39 on 20th April.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
  
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 20th April
     Distance from Earth                  723,289,475 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 87,959,509 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,873 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           104,047 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be preformed on 24th
     April. Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be replaced
     by Conscan test manoeuvres on 30th April and 2nd May.
 
6.  GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period with the exception of a maser problem
     at DSS 61 (Madrid 34 meter antenna) which resulted in
     1 hour 40 minutes of lost data.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Denial is always the first
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | symptom.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 872
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 04/27/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 1 May 1992 04:39:16 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 88
 
PERIOD: 21st April to 27th April 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was carried out on 24th April.
 
     An average of 97.53 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  41.41%
      512 bps  56.12%
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes commenced
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 262 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The
     downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 9.10 on
     Angle (deg.)   21st April to 9.71 on 27th April.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 9.49 on
     Angle (deg.)     21st April to 10.09 on 27th April.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 09:00 PDT. on 27th April
     Distance from Earth                  738,770,736 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                 96,250,053 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,905 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           103,781 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be replaced
     by Conscan test manoeuvres on 30th April and 2nd May.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Denial is always the first
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | symptom.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 
Article: 863
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 04/29/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 30 Apr 1992 02:56:53 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         April 29, 1992
 
     All spacecraft backup systems have been checked out and are
performing well.  The backup attitude and orbit control subsystem
(AOCS) was successfully checked out on April 16.  This activity
involved checkout of AOCS electronics and redundant sun sensors.
The anomaly in the backup telemetry central terminal unit (CTU-2)
is still under investigation.
 
     A routine, Earth-pointing precession maneuver was performed
on Saturday, April 25.  During the next two weeks, ground-
controllers will use automatic conscan maneuvers to keep the
spacecraft pointed at Earth.  The performance of the conscan
maneuvers will be evaluated after this test period.
 
     All science experiments are operating well.  Science data
continues to be received at nearly 100-percent levels.
 
     Today Ulysses is about 740 million kilometers (460 million
miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about
30,000 kilometers per hour (19,000 miles per hour).

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Denial is always the first
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | symptom.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 944
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 05/04/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 8 May 1992 02:02:19 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 89
 
PERIOD: 28th April to 4th May 1992
  
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     The Conscan test manoeuvre on 30th April was not
     performed because of a transgression of the Solar aspect
     angle deadbands before the start of the manoeuvre.  An
     open-loop slew was performed instead.  A Conscan test
     manoeuvre was successfully performed on 2nd May.
 
     An average of 96.21 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps  48.41%
      512 bps  47.80%
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 262 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.
 
     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 9.71 on
     Angle (deg.)   28th April to 10.32 on 4th May.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.09 on
     Angle (deg.)     28th April to 10.46 on 4th May.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 4th May.
     Distance from Earth                  754,987,949 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                101,866,476 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,591 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           103,716 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres will be replaced
     by Conscan test manoeuvres on 5th and 8th May.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Denial is always the first
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | symptom.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT NO. 90

PERIOD: 5th May to 11th May 1992


1. MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.

     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were replaced
     by Conscan test manoeuvres on 5th and 8th May.

     An average of 97.68 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:

     1024 bps 64.32 %
      512 bps 32.66 %

     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.

     On 8th May a block command was rejected on board the
     spacecraft. The command was re-transmitted successfully.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS


     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 262 watts.


    AOCS

     Nominal.


        TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.

     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -130 dBm.


        DATA HANDLING

     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.


3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 10.43 on
     Angle (deg.)   5th May to 10.76 on 11th May.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.51 on
     Angle (deg.)     5th May to 10.74 on 11th May.

     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.


4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 11th May.
     Distance from Earth                  771,731,646 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                110,161,023 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,643 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           103,487 km/hr.

5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.


6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period.



ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT NO. 91

PERIOD: 12th May to 18th May 1992


1. MISSION OPERATIONS


     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.

     No routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were required
     during the reporting period.

     An average of 97.47 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:

     1024 bps 41.06 %
      512 bps 56.25 %

     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.

     On 12th and 14th May further command transmission
     problems were experienced. All commands were accepted on
     board the spacecraft after re-transmission. An Anomaly
     Report has been raised and investigations were carried
     out on 15th May by transmitting test commands to the
     spacecraft. No command rejections occurred. At the end of
     the reporting period no further commanding problems had
     been experienced.

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS


     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 262 watts.


     AOCS

     Nominal.


        TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.

     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -129 dBm.


        DATA HANDLING

     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.

     THERMAL


     Nominal.


3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 10.98 on
     Angle (deg.)   12th May to 11.03 on 18th May.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.76 on
     Angle (deg.)     12th May to 10.85 on 18th May.

     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.


4.  ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 18th May.
     Distance from Earth                  788,682,761 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                118,445,655 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,700 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           103,338 km/hr.


5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.


     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.


6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period.


----------------------------------------------------------------

Ulysses Mission Status 5/29/92

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          May 29, 1992

     The Ulysses spacecraft has resumed routine Earth-pointing
maneuvers following a two-week test sequence of conscan
maneuvering.  The conscan maneuvers were conducted to evaluate
the spacecraft's ability to remain pointed at Earth under
certain anomalous conditions.  Ground-controllers continue to
study the results of those tests.  Meanwhile, the last Earth-
pointing maneuver was performed on Sunday, May 24.

     All science experiments are operating well.  Ulysses'
increasing distance from Earth -- today at about 812 million
kilometers (503 million miles) from the planet -- is causing the
expected degradation of the spacecraft signal.  The distance from
Earth will continue increasing until Aug. 26, 1992, when a
maximum Earth distance is reached (838 million kilometers or 520
million miles). In order to optimize science data return with the
degraded signal, data rates are adjusted during each daily
tracking pass.

     Today Ulysses is traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 29,000 kilometers per hour (18,500 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft is about 800 million kilometers (500 million miles)
from the sun.
 

Article: 1170
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 06/08/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1992 04:37:40 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT NO. 94
 
PERIOD:   2nd June to 8th June 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 3rd June.
 
     An average of 95.0% data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 48.9%
      512 bps 46.1%
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
     On 5th June, the probably cause of the recent command
     failures was discovered.  The output frequency of the
     synthesizer in CPA2 (the Command Processing Assembly
     that was suspected of causing the problem) used to drive
     the uplink bit rate was found to be drifting.  A new
     synthesizer has been installed and testing continues.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 261 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
        TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -131 dBm.
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 10.84 on
     Angle (deg.)   2nd June to 10.48 on 8th June.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 10.61 on
     Angle (deg.)     2nd June to 10.34 on 8th June.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 8th June.
     Distance from Earth                  838,316,418 km.
     Distance from Jupiter                143,232,296 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              29,894 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth           103,500 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 10th June.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     A failure of the antenna azimuth encoder power supply at
     DSS14 (Goldstone 70 meter antenna) on 3rd June caused a
     loss of approximately 5 hours data (real-time and playback)
     because of the inability to track.  On 7th June, a power
     failure at the Goldstone complex caused a loss of 30 minutes
     of real-time data.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Pound for pound,
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | grasshoppers are 3 times as
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | nutritious as beef.
 

Article: 1229
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 06/15/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 19 Jun 1992 08:58:25 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 95
 
PERIOD:   9th June to 15th June 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 10th June.
 
     An average of 95.74% data recovery was achieved during the 
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 51.33 %
      512 bps 44.40 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.  Estimated S/C power consumption 261 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -130 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 10.50 on
     Angle (deg.)   9th June to 10.09 on 15th June.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 10.28 on
     Angle (deg.)     9th June to 9.92 on 15th June.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 15th June.
     Distance from Earth                853,729,296 km.
     Distance from Jupiter              151,469,529 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            29,966 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         103,795 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 16th June.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     On 9th June a total of just under 5 hours of real time
     data were lost due to a maser failure at the Goldstone
     DSS 12 station.  The loss was minimised by re-scheduling
     time on the DSS 14 Goldstone station.
     On 14th June a total of just over 1 hour of real time
     data were lost due to high winds at the Goldstone DSS 12
     station affecting antenna pointing performance.
 
     On 15th June a total of just over 1.5 hours of real time
     data were lost due to heavy rain at the Madrid DSS 61 station.
 
     No playback data were lost during any of the above periods.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Pound for pound,
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | grasshoppers are 3 times as
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | nutritious as beef.
 

Article: 1269
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 06/22/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1992 02:45:33 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 96
 
PERIOD:   16th June to 22nd June 1992
  
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 16th June.
 
     An average of 98.20% data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 43.80 %
      512 bps 54.31 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.  Estimated S/C power consumption 261 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 9.63 on
     Angle (deg.)   16th June to 9.28 on 22nd June.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 9.85 on
     Angle (deg.)     16th June to 9.39 on 22nd June.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 22nd June.
     Distance from Earth                868,262,214 km.
     Distance from Jupiter              159,693,000 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            30,043 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         104,225 km/hr.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 21st June.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Pound for pound,
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | grasshoppers are 3 times as
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | nutritious as beef.

Article: 1418
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 06/29/92
Date: 10 Jul 92 02:30:22 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT: ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 97
 
PERIOD: 23rd June to 29th June 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
	Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
	A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 25th June.
 
	An average of 87.66% data recovery was achieved during
	the reporting period.
 
	The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
	is as follows:
 
	1024 bps 33.43 %
	 512 bps 54.23 %
 
	At 0458 PDT on 28th June a 7.4 earthquake occurred,
	centered at Landers, approximately 140 miles east
	of JPL and 80 miles southeast of Goldstone.  Three
	hours later there was a 6.5 earthquake centered
	near Big Bear Lake some 30 miles west of the first.
	These resulted in a power outage at Goldstone causing
	a complete DSS12 (34 meter antena) pass to be lost.
        The DSS 14 70 meter antenna also sustained damage to
        its subreflector.  The following day there was a 3.9
        quake centered 1 mile east of JPL but no damage was caused.
 
	A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
	during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
	signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
	spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
	POWER
 
	Nominal.
	Estimated S/C power consumption 261 watts.
 
	AOCS
 
	Nominal.
 
         TTC
 
	The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
	The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
	operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
	to support ranging.
 
	Received downlink level -147 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
	(Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
	of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
	spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
	Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
         DATA HANDLING
 
	The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
	Reports is still under investigation.
 
	THERMAL
 
	Nominal.
 
3.	FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
	Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 9.29 on
	Angle (deg.)   23rd June to 8.80 on 29th June.
 
	Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 9.30 on
	Angle (deg.)     23rd June to 8.70 on 29th June.
 
	Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.	ORBITAL DATA
 
	Data taken at 12:00 PDT. on 29th June.
	Distance from Earth                881,754,704 km.
	Distance from Jupiter              167,901,950 km.
	Velocity relative to the Sun            30,123 km/hr.
	Velocity relative to the Earth         104,795 km/hr.
 
5.	PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
	Routine data gathering operations will continue together
	with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
	An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 30th
	June and 5th July.
 
	Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
	avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
	coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
	of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
	70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
	large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
	desired bit rates.
 
6.	GROUND SEGMENT
 
	The DSS 12 pass scheduled for 28 June was lost completely
	due to power outages caused by the Landers and Big Bear
	earthquakes.  A little more than 24 hours of real-time
	and playback data was lost.
 
	DSS 14 will be out of commission for the next few weeks
	because of damage to the subreflector during the earth-
	quakes.  A few delta dor passes will be lost although
	some will be switched to DSS 15.  One tracking pass will
	be lost on 19th July but data will be recorded on board
	the spacecraft during that period.  Some reduction of
	1024 bps data will arise as a result of rescheduling of
	passes to help projects who were supposed to use DSS 14.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | In 1991 there were 16 names
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | listed on the FBI's ten
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | most wanted list.

Article: 1417
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/06/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 10 Jul 1992 02:31:59 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT: ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 98
 
PERIOD: 30th June to 6th July 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
	Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
	Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 30th
	June and 5th July.
 
	An average of 97.09% data recovery was achieved during
	the reporting period.
 
	The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
	is as follows:
 
	1024 bps 44.37 %
	 512 bps 52.72 %
 
	A tape recorder test was performed on 2nd July to see if
	it is possible to record 1024 bps data.  Initial analysis
	reveals that, in this mode, data are not routed to the
	toggle banks and as a consequence the last valid toggle
	bank contents are recorded over and over again.  Analysis
	is however continuing.
 
	No data were lost during the test as it was performed during a pass.
 
	A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
	during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
	signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
	spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.	SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
	POWER
 
	Nominal.
	Estimated S/C power consumption 261 watts.
 
	AOCS
 
	Nominal.
 
         TTC
 
	The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
         the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
         receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
         (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
	The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
	operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
	to support ranging.
 
	Received downlink level -149 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
	(Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
	of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
	spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
	Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
         DATA HANDLING
 
	The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
	Reports is still under investigation.
 
	THERMAL
 
	Nominal.
 
3.	FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
	Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 8.66 on
	Angle (deg.)   30th June to 7.46 on 6th July.
 
	Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 8.67 on
	Angle (deg.)     30th June to 8.06 on 6th July.
 
	Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.	ORBITAL DATA
 
	Data taken at 3:00 PDT. on 6th July.
	Distance from Earth                894,063,880 km.
	Distance from Jupiter              176,095,620 km.
	Velocity relative to the Sun            30,208 km/hr.
	Velocity relative to the Earth         105,504 km/hr.
 
5.	PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
	Routine data gathering operations will continue together
	with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
	An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 9th July.
 
	Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
	avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
	coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
	of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
	70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
	large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
	desired bit rates.
 
6.	GROUND SEGMENT
 
	DSS 43 (Canberra 70 meter antenna) stopped tracking for 51 
        minutes on 1st July because of a high pressure oil bearing problem.
 
	A UMCS disk failed on 1st July necessitating a switch
	to the backup UMCS.  No loss of data occurred and
	support was switched back to the prime machine on 3rd July.
 
	DSS 14 (Goldstone 70 meter antenna) will be out of commission
        until at least 23rd July because of damage to the
        subreflector during the earthquakes.  A few delta dor
        (Differential One-way Ranging) passes will be lost although
	some will be switched to DSS 15.  One tracking pass will
	be lost on 19th July but data will be recorded on board
	the spacecraft during that period.  Some reduction of
	1024 bps data will arise as a result of rescheduling of
	passes to help projects who were supposed to use DSS 14.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | In 1991 there were 16 names
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | listed on the FBI's ten
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | most wanted list.
 

Article: 1474
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/13/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1992 01:59:54 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:	ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 99
 
PERIOD:	7th July to 13th July 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
	Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as  required.
 
	A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 9th July.
 
        The routine Earth pointing manoeuvre scheduled for 13th July did not
        take place because of an incorrect command load.  The manoeuvre will
        be rescheduled for 14th July.
 
	An average of 96.67% data recovery was achieved during the reporting
        period.
 
	The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
	1024 bps 42.76 %
	 512 bps 53.93 %
 
        A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during the
        reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to noise ratio
        encountered at the present large spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
	POWER
 
	Nominal.
	Estimated S/C power consumption 261 watts.
 
	AOCS
 
	Nominal.
 
	TTC
 
	The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the prime unit
        fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1 as backup fed through
        the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through
        EPC2/TWTA2.
 
        The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations, with
        at least one 70m station pass per week to support ranging.
 
	Received downlink level -149 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
        (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of station
        antenna in use, local weather conditions, and spacecraft antenna
        off-pointing).
 
	Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
	DATA HANDLING
 
        The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports is still
        under investigation.
 
	THERMAL
 
	Nominal.
 
3.	FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
	Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 7.46 on
	Angle (deg.)   7th July to 7.14 on 13th July.
 
        Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 7.95 on Angle (deg.)
        7th July to 7.28 on 13th July.
 
	Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.	ORBITAL DATA
 
	Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 13th July.
	Distance from Earth                905,063,590 km.
	Distance from Jupiter              184,273,257 km.
	Velocity relative to the Sun            30,296 km/hr.
	Velocity relative to the Earth         106,354 km/hr.
 
5.	PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
	Routine data gathering operations will continue together with experiment
        reconfigurations as required.
 
        Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 14, 17, and 20 July.
 
	Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be avoided to improve
        the signal to noise ratio in the coming months.  This will slightly
        reduce the percentage of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this
        period,70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large
        spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.	GROUND SEGMENT
 
	The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.
 
        DSS 14 (Goldstone 70 meter antenna) will be out of commission until at
        least 23rd July because of damage to the subreflector during the
        earthquakes.  A few delta dor (Differential One-way Ranging) passes
        will be lost although some will be switched to DSS 15 (Goldstone
        34 meter antenna).  One tracking pass will be lost on 19th July but
        data will be recorded on board the spacecraft during that period.
        Some reduction of 1024 bps data will arise as a result of rescheduling
        of passes to help projects who were supposed to use DSS 14.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Most of the things you 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | worry about will never
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | happen.
 

Article: 1519
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/20/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 01:13:18 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 100
 
PERIOD:   14th July to 20th July 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 14th,
     17th and 20th July.
 
     An average of 97.10 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 48.26 %
      512 bps 48.75 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
  
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 260 watts. 
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal. 
 
        TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -149 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -124 dBm. 
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal. 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 7.14 on
     Angle (deg.)   14th July to 6.31 on 20th July.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 7.16 on
     Angle (deg.)     14th July to 6.32 on 20th July.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm. 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 20th July.
     Distance from Earth                914,643,627 km.
     Distance from Jupiter              193,598,524 km.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            30,388 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         107,340 km/hr.
  
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 24th and 27th July.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates. 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.
 
     DSS 14 (Goldstone 70 meter antenna) will be out of
     commission until at least 23rd July because of damage to
     the subreflector during the earthquakes.  A few delta dor
     (Differential One-way Ranging) passes will be lost although
     some will be switched to DSS 15 (Goldstone 34 meter antenna).
     Some reduction of 1024 bps data will arise as a result of
     rescheduling of passes to help projects who were supposed to
     use DSS 14.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Most of the things you 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | worry about will never
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | happen.
 

Article: 1563
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 07/28/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 01:03:24 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 101
 
PERIOD: 21st July to 27th July 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 24th and 27th July.
 
     On 21st July the Goldstone 34 meter station was not
     available due to failure of the Maser amplifier on the
     downlink.  Support was switched to another antenna which was
     not able to provide an uplink and as a consequence the
     scheduled STO (Radio and Plasma Wave instrument) commands
     were not transmitted.
 
     In addition, an erroneous playback of data at 1024 bps
     scientific format instead of 2048 bps interleaved format led
     to a loss of just under 8 hours of playback data.  Procedures 
     are under review reduce the probability of a reoccurrence.
 
     On 22nd July the Goldstone 34 meter station was still
     unavailable and as a result just under 3 hours of data were
     lost.  The loss was minimised by the use where possible of
     other ground facilities.
 
     On 23rd July the Goldstone 70 meter station was restored to
     service after earthquake damage repairs had been completed.
 
     On 26th July a power failure occurred at Goldstone which
     gave rise to further losses of data.
 
     An average of 90.46 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 51.83 %
       512 bps 38.66 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 260 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -149 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 6.19 on
     Angle (deg.)   21st July to 5.13 on 27th July.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 6.32 on
     Angle (deg.)     21st July to 5.55 on 27th July.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 27th July.
     Distance from Earth                922,709,026 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         108,455 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            30,500 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                          7.5 deg/south
 
     Note:  The distance of the spacecraft from Jupiter will
            no longer be reported.
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 31st July.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large spacecraft-
     Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment experienced several problems during this
     reporting period which have been addressed above.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Most of the things you 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | worry about will never
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | happen.
 

Article: 1636
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/04/92
Date: 5 Aug 92 05:50:51 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 102
 
PERIOD: 28th July to 3rd August 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 31st
     July and 3rd August.
 
     On 1st August a power failure at the Madrid ground station
     complex caused a loss of almost 4 1/2 hours of data.
 
     An average of 93.46 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 50.60 %
      512 bps 42.69 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 260 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -149 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -126 dBm.
  
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal. 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 5.13 on
     Angle (deg.)   28th July to 4.77 on 3rd August.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 5.42 on
     Angle (deg.)     28th July to 4.63 on 3rd August.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 3rd August.
     Distance from Earth                929,179,484 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         109,688 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            30,585 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                          7.7 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 7th August.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large spacecraft-
     Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during this reporting
     period with the exception of the power failure mentioned above.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | You can't hide broccoli in
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | a glass of milk - 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | anonymous 7-year old.

Article: 1687
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/10/92
Date: 13 Aug 92 08:19:56 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 103
 
PERIOD: 4th to 10th August 1992
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 7th and 10th August.
 
     On 6th August a lightning strike on the Madrid 34 meter
     antenna took the station out of service.  As a result nearly
     24 hours of data were lost.  The next dump of the tape
     recorder was saved by scheduling the playback operation via
     the Canberra 70 meter antenna.
 
     On 7th August problems were still being experienced with
     bringing the Madrid 34 meter antenna back into service with
     the result that a further 7 hours of real time data were
     lost.  The station was eventually brought back into service
     in a degraded mode of operation.  However, the performance
     was adequate to allow data recovery to continue.
 
     On 10th August, the Madrid 34 meter antenna was restored to
     its normal operational configuration.
 
     The KEP GAS Health check was not carried out as a result of
     the above ground segment problems.
 
     An average of 81.11 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 49.19 %
      512 bps 39.65 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 260 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -149 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -127 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 4.23 on
     Angle (deg.)   4th August to 3.86 on 10th August.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 4.50 on
     Angle (deg.)     4th August to 3.70 on 10th August.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 10th August.
     Distance from Earth                933,988,892 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         111,027 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            30,690 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                          8.0 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be performed on 13th and 16th August.
 
     The KEP GAS Health check will be carried out during the next
     reporting period.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large spacecraft-
     Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performance suffered as a result of a
     lightning strike at the Madrid 34 meter site.  Much effort
     was made to restore the capability as quickly as possible.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | You can't hide broccoli in
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | a glass of milk - 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | anonymous 7-year old.

Article: 1743
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/18/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 20 Aug 1992 01:21:08 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 104
 
PERIOD: 11th to 17th August 1992
 
     Correction to Mission Operations Report No. 103
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate should
     have read as follows.
 
     1024 bps 41.19%
      512 bps 39.65%
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 13 and 16 August.
 
     The KEP GAS (Energetic Particles and Interstellar Neutral Gas
     instrument) Health check that was not carried out last week
     as  a  result  of  ground  segment  problems  was  performed
     successfully on 11th August.
 
     An average of 95.9 % data recovery was achieved during the 
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 53.6 %
      512 bps 42.3 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 260 watts.
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -147 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 3.36 on
     Angle (deg.)   11th August to 2.65 on 17th August.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 3.56 on
     Angle (deg.)     11th August to 2.78 on 17th August.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 17th August.
     Distance from Earth                937,085,189 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          112,459 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              30,799 km/hr.
     Ecliptic  latitude                         8.4 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 19th and  and
     23rd August.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
      The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Optimists live longer
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | than pessimists.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 
Article: 1753
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/20/92
Date: 21 Aug 92 10:30:01 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 20, 1992
 
     Spacecraft and science operations are being carried out as
planned.  Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers were performed on Aug. 13
and 16.  The next precession maneuver will be conducted on Aug. 23. 
 
     The spacecraft will continue to recede from Earth through Aug.
26, when it will reach a maximum distance of 938 million kilometers
(583 million miles).  A reduction in the number of ranging passes
continued during this reporting period to improve the spacecraft's
signal as it moves farther away from Earth. 
 
     Today Ulysses is about 937 million kilometers (582 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 30,000
kilometers per hour (19,000 miles per hour).  The spacecraft is about
790 million kilometers (490 million miles) from the Sun. 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Optimists live longer
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | than pessimists.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 21, 1992

     Spacecraft and science operations are being carried out as planned.
Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers were performed on Aug. 13 and 16.  The next
precession maneuver will be conducted on Aug. 23.

     The spacecraft will continue to recede from Earth through Aug. 26, when it
will reach a maximum distance of 938 million kilometers (583 million miles).  A
reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during this reporting
period to improve the spacecraft's signal as it moves farther away from Earth.

     Today Ulysses is about 937 million kilometers (582 million miles) from
Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 30,000 kilometers per hour
(19,000 miles per hour).  The spacecraft is about 790 million kilometers (490
million miles) from the sun.

Article: 1793
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/24/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 00:44:21 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 105
 
PERIOD: 18th to 24th August 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     BAM-I (Solar Wind Plasma) counter overflows were observed
     during the  reporting period.  The cause is under investigation
     by the instrument team.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 19th and
     23rd August.
 
     An  average of 97.2 % data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 44.6 %
      512 bps 52.6 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 260 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -148 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -128 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 2.67 on
     Angle (deg.)   18th August to 1.92 on 24th August.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 2.66 on
     Angle (deg.)     18th August to 1.97 on 24th August.
 
     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 24th August.
     Distance from Earth                938,429,907 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          113,963 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              30,911 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                          8.8 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 26th and
     29th August.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period with the exception of a 56 minute data loss caused by
     an oil leak in the antenna gearbox at DSS-61 (Madrid 34
     meter antenna) on 20th August.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Optimists live longer
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | than pessimists.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 
Article: 1801
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 08/28/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 01:02:59 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         August 28, 1992
 
     Spacecraft and science operations continue to be carried out
as planned.  A routine Earth-pointing maneuver was performed on
Wednesday, Aug. 26, with another maneuver scheduled for Saturday,
Aug. 29.
 
     The spacecraft reached maximum distance from Earth -- 938
million kilometers or 583 million miles -- on Wednesday, Aug. 26,
and will now begin to close that gap.  Presently Ulysses is still
at about the maximum distance, traveling at a heliocentric
velocity of about 30,000 kilometers per hour (19,000 miles per
hour).  The craft is beginning to move slowly away from the
ecliptic plane and is about 9 degrees south relative to the sun.
 
      A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
during this reporting period to improve the spacecraft signal.
The 34-meter (111-foot) ground stations are in use to support
flight operations, with at least one 70-meter (230-foot) station
pass per week to support ranging.
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Optimists live longer
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | than pessimists.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 106

PERIOD: 25th to 31st August 1992


1. MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.

     On 26th August a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     was carried out.

     Further BAM-I (Solar Wind Plasma) counter overflows have been
     observed during the reporting period.  The cause is still under
     investigation by the instrument team.  Anomaly Report No.
     26 has been raised to cover this anomaly.

     Also in the STO (Radio and Plasma Waves) experiment, parameter
     error flags have been giving non-zero values on a regular basis.
     The instrument team are analysing the significance of these
     events.  Anomaly Report No. 27 has been raised to cover
     this anomaly.

     The spacecraft achieved maximum range from the Earth on
     26th August.  The range on this date was 938,488,610 Km.

     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 26th
     and 29th August.

     On 30th August Antenna problems at Canberra caused 45
     minutes of real time data and 90 minutes of playback data
     to be lost.

     On 31st August bad weather at the Madrid complex caused
     16 minutes of real time data and 32 minutes of playback
     data to be lost.

     An average of 96.97 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:

     1024 bps 54.32 %
      512 bps 42.39 %

     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.



2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.

     Received downlink level -148 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -127 dBm.


     DATA HANDLING

     The anomaly on CTU2 (Central Terminal Unit) reported in
     previous Operations Reports is still under investigation.
     However, some conclusions have now been reached which point
     to an electrical connection between two adjacent data lines
     as a result of component failure.  The operational impact of
     this anomaly is being studied by both the Spacecraft
     Control Team and the instrument teams in the event that
     this CTU would have to be configured for operational use.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.


3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle decreased from 1.97 on
     Angle (deg.)   25th August to 1.52 on 31st August.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle decreased from 1.88 on
     Angle (deg.)     25th August to 1.50 on 31st August.

     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.



4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 31st August.
     Distance from Earth                937,998,473 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         115,521 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            31,028 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                          9.1 deg/south



5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On 1st September the Sun-Earth-Probe angle (SEP) will be
     at a minimum.  Since Ulysses is now 9.1 degrees south of
     the Ecliptic Plane this geometry will not give rise to a
     Conjunction and no special operations will be necessary
     for Sun avoidance as they were in August 1991.

     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 1st, 3rd
     and 7th September.

     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates.


6.  GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period with the exception of the two incidents
     reported above.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 107

PERIOD: 1st to 7th September 1992

1. MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.

     On 2nd September a KEP (Energetic Particles and Interstellar
     Neutral Gas instrument) EPAC RAM dump was carried out.

     Routine  Earth pointing manoeuvres were  performed  on 1st, 4th
     and 7th September.

     Minimum  Sun-Earth-Probe angle (SEP) occurred  on  1st September.
     Since  the spacecraft is now in excess of 9 degrees south of the
     Ecliptic Plane sun avoidance manoeuvres were not necessary.

     However,  data recovery problems occurred during the period
     immediately following minimum SEP angle and it is suspected that
     the proximity of the propagation path to  the solar corona was a
     contributing factor to the data recovery problems.
     An average of 96.69 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.

     The  percentage of data acquired as a function of  bit rate is
     as follows:

       1024 bps 59.31 %
        512 bps 37.36 %

     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during the
     reporting period in order to improve  the poor signal to noise
     ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-Earth distances.

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the prime
     unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1 as backup fed
     through the low gain antenna LGA-F. The downlink is provided through
     EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations, with
     at least one 70m station pass per week to support ranging.

     Received downlink level -148 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of station
     antenna in use, local weather conditions, and spacecraft antenna
     off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -127 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     The anomaly on CTU2 (Central Terminal Unit #2) reported in previous
     Operations Reports is still under investigation.  However, some
     conclusions have now been reached which point to an electrical
     connection between two adjacent data lines as a result of component
     failure.  The operational impact of this anomaly is being studied by
     both the Spacecraft Control Team and the instrument teams in the event
     that this CTU would have to be configured for operational use.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 1.40 on
     Angle (deg.)   1st September to 1.66 on 7th September.

     Sun-Probe-Earth    The angle increased from 1.48 on
       Angle  (deg.)    1st September to 1.69 on 7th September.

     Spin Rate               4.982 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 7th September.
     Distance from Earth                     935,780,184 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          117,113 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              31,148 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         9.5 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine   data  gathering  operations  will  continue together with
     experiment reconfigurations as required.

     Earth  pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 10th, 13th and
     16th September.

     A HUS (Solar X-Rays and Cosmic Ray Bursts instrument) end-to-end
     timing test will take place via the Canberra station on 15th September.

     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be avoided
     to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming months.  This
     will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024 bps real-time data
     received.  During this period, 70m passes will also be scheduled
     to perform ranging at large spacecraft-Earth distances while
     maintaining the desired bit rates.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

      The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT NO. 108

PERIOD: 8th to 14th September 1992


1. MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.

     On 8th September a KEP GAS health check was carried out.

     On 9th September a HED calibration was carried out.

     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 10th
     and 13th September.

     On 14th September the entire pass at the 34 meter site at
     Canberra was cancelled due to an unserviceable Maser low
     noise amplifier.  Over 20 hours of data were lost as a
     result of this failure.

     An average of 93.0 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:

     1024 bps 42.02 %
      512 bps 50.89 %

     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

        TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.

     Received downlink level -147 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -125 dBm.


        DATA HANDLING

     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.  However, some
     conclusions have now been reached which point to an
     electrical connection between two adjacent data lines as
     a result of component failure.  The operational impact of
     this anomaly is being studied by both the Spacecraft
     Control Team and the instrument teams in the event that
     this CTU would have to be configured for operational use.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.


3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 1.83 on
     Angle (deg.)   8th September to 2.50 on 14th September.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 1.77 on
     Angle (deg.)     8th September to 2.40 on 14th September.

     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.



4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 14th September.
     Distance from Earth                931,778,502 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         118,716 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            31,273 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                          9.9 deg/south



5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 16th, 19th
     and 22nd September.

     A HUS end-to-end timing test will take place via the
     Canberra station on 15th September.

     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates.

Article: 26254
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary
Subject: Jupiter's Magnetic Field Shaped by Solar Wind
Date: 12 Sep 92 04:43:04 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Michael Braukus
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                       September 11, 1992
(Phone:  202/358-1547)
 
Diane Ainsworth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone:  818/354-5011)
 
RELEASE:  92-145
 
JUPITER'S MAGNETIC FIELD SHAPED BY SOLAR WIND
 
	Scientists studying data from Jupiter's highly charged magnetic
environment -- acquired by the Ulysses spacecraft encounter in February
1992 -- reported in a series of papers published today that the solar wind
exerts a much stronger influence on the planet's magnetic field than
previously thought.
 
	The discovery was the result of Ulysses' unique trajectory, which took
the spacecraft to higher latitudes near the planet than were reached by
previous spacecraft, said JPL Ulysses Project Scientist Dr. Edward J. Smith,
principal author of one of seven articles published today in Science magazine.
 
	"In addition, Ulysses' outbound path took the spacecraft through
another previously unexplored region in the dusk sector, where we had never
been before," Smith said.
 
	Three separate findings during the Jupiter encounter supported this
conclusion, Smith said.  The first evidence was derived from Ulysses' flight
through the high latitude region of  the magnetic field -- called the
magnetosphere -- in which the planetary magnetic field lines led out into
interplanetary space rather than returning to Jupiter across the equator.
 
	 "Five of the experiments sensed this transition simultaneously, once
at a distance of only 7 planetary radii (500,000 miles) and a second time at a
distance of 15 radii (1.1 million miles)," Smith said.
 
	The second major surprise occurred as the spacecraft was traveling
outbound.  Measurements showed that the magnetic field was not rotating
with the planet but was being swept downstream toward the magnetic tail of
the magnetosphere, Smith said.
 
	"This property was seen well inside the magnetosphere at large
distances from the boundary with the solar wind," Smith said.  "It is,
nevertheless, attributed by scientists to a dragging effect of the solar wind
on the magnetosphere."
 
	The third piece of the puzzle leading the Ulysses teams to this
conclusion was the identification of a thick layer just inside the boundary of
the magnetosphere in which solar wind particles and Jovian particles appear
to be intermingling, and the magnetic field is not rotating with the planet.
 
	"Scientists interpreted these observations to imply that magnetic field
lines are being peeled away from the magnetosphere by the solar wind,"
Smith said.
 
	Jupiter's magnetic field, the largest in the solar system, forms a
windsock -- the magnetosphere -- that is blown by the solar wind.  The
magnetosphere is known to vary in size and configuration over time
depending on the amount of force exerted on it by the solar wind.  Millions of
highly charged particles swirl and bounce around within this magnetic bubble
and many of them eventually escape into interplanetary space.
 
	Smith published his findings along with Dr. Edgar Page, European
Space Agency (ESA) science coordinator, and ESA Project Manager Dr. Klaus-
Peter Wenzel.  Other results of Ulysses' milestone flight past Jupiter were
reported in subsequent articles.
 
	"Jupiter is like a cosmic-ray source spewing these things out into
interplanetary space all the time," said co-author Page. "The energy probably
comes from the planet's rapid rotation every 10 hours."  Smith said scientists
have made similar observations of the effects of the solar wind on Earth's
magnetosphere.
 
	"At Earth, magnetic fields at high latitudes lead out into space,
magnetic fields on the flanks of the magnetosphere are pulled tailward and a
boundary layer exists adjacent to the solar wind flowing around the
magnetosphere," he said.
 
	"For many years, theorists have believed that the solar wind was
exerting much less influence on the giant, strongly magnetized Jupiter than
on the smaller magnetosphere of Earth," Smith said.  "The latest results do
not mean that Jupiter is like the Earth in all aspects, but theorists aware of
the new Ulysses results are now revising their ideas."
 
	Ulysses is a joint NASA-ESA mission to study the poles of the sun and
will begin its primary mission in June 1994.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Anything is impossible if
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | you don't attempt it.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 2032
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/21/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 24 Sep 1992 03:06:25 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT
 
PERIOD: 15th to 21st September 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required.
 
     On  15th  September a HUS (Solar X-rays instrument) end-to-end
     timing test was started at  the  Canberra  site.   The test was
     completed  on  16th September.
 
     On 16th and 19th September a SIM HET (Cosmic Ray instrument)
     calibration was carried out.
 
     On  18th September a further HUS end-to-end timing test  was
     carried at the Goldstone complex.
 
     On 20th September the SIM HET was reset.
 
     On  21st  September  a  KEP EPAC (Energetic Particles instrument)
     in-flight  calibration  was carried out.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 16th
     and 19th September.
 
     On  21st September the maser low noise amplifier at  the  34
     meter  Canberra site became unserviceable.  Operations  were
     transferred to the 70 meter antenna and as a result  only  a
     small amount of data were lost.
 
     An  average of 96.0 % data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 49.41 %
      512 bps 46.42 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -147 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is  still  under  investigation.  However, some  conclusions
     have   now   been  reached  which  point  to  an  electrical
     connection  between two adjacent data lines as a  result  of
     component  failure.  The operational impact of this  anomaly
     is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control Team and the
     instrument teams in the event that this CTU would have to be
     configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 2.53 on
     Angle (deg.)   15th September to 3.29 on 21st September.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 2.52 on
     Angle (deg.)     15th September to 3.27 on 21st September.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 21st September.
     Distance from Earth                926,011,428 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         120,305 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            31,402 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         10.2 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth  pointing manoeuvres will be performed on  22nd,  25th
     and 28th September.
 
     A HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration will be carried
     out on 23rd September.
 
     A KEP EPAC in-flight calibration will be carried out on 28th
     September.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period with the exception of the Maser amplifier at Canberra
     discussed above.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Quiet people aren't the
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | only ones who don't say
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | much.
 

Article: 2094
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 09/28/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 03:16:40 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 110
 
PERIOD:   22nd to 28th September 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On 23rd September a HED (Magnetic Field instrument)
     calibration was carried out.
 
     On 24th September a STO (Radio and Plasma Waves instrument)
     Data Processing Unit reset was carried out.
 
     On 28th September a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument) EPAC
     in-flight calibration was carried out.
 
     It was incorrectly reported in Report No.109 that a HUS
     (Solar X-rays instrument) end-to-end test had been carried out
     on 18th September at Goldstone.  This test will in fact be carried
     out on 18th October.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 22nd,
     25th and 28th September.
 
     On 22nd September 1 hour and 39 minutes of data were lost
     due to communications problems at the Goldstone complex.
 
     On 25th and 26th September heavy rain at the Madrid complex
     caused significant telemetry data losses.
 
     An average of 92.0 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 49.33 %
      512 bps 42.67 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.  However, some conclusions
     have now been reached which point to an electrical
     connection between two adjacent data lines as a result of
     component failure.  The operational impact of this anomaly
     is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control Team and the
     instrument teams in the event that this CTU would have to be
     configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 3.29 on Angle (deg.)
     22nd September to 4.60 on 28th September.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 3.43 on Angle
     (deg.)  22nd September to 4.24 on 28th September.
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 28th September.
     Distance from Earth                918,511,997 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         121,859 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            31,573 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         10.5 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 1st and 4th October.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
     Ulysses will have been two years in orbit on 6th October.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period with the exception of the communications problem at
     Goldstone discussed above.
 
     The data losses associated with heavy rain at the receiving
     sites are accepted as part of the trade-off of acquiring the
     highest possible real time data rate.  Such losses have only
     occurred infrequently.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Quiet people aren't the
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | only ones who don't say
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | much.
 

Article: 2120
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/06/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 07:45:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         October 6, 1992
 
     On the second anniversary of Ulysses' launch from Kennedy Space
Center, the spacecraft and all science operations are continuing normally. 
 
     The spacecraft is about 564 million miles (907 million
kilometers) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about
77,000 miles per hour (122,000 kilometers per hour).  A reduction in
the number of ranging passes continued during this reporting period to
improve the spacecraft signal.  The 34-meter (111-foot) ground
stations are in use to support flight operations, with at least one
70-meter (230-foot) station pass per week to support ranging.  Today
Ulysses is 11 degrees south of the ecliptic plane. 
 
     Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers were last conducted on Oct. 1
and 4.  The next set of maneuvers are scheduled for Oct. 7 and 10. 
 
     Heavy rains at the Madrid, Spain tracking station caused some
telemetry data loss during the last week of September.  A communications 
problem at the Goldstone tracking station also resulted in about 90 
minutes of lost data that week. 
 
     All data-gathering operations and experiment reconfigurations
continue to be carried out as required. 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Einstein's brain is stored
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | in a mason jar in a lab
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | in Wichita, Kansas.
 
Article: 2145
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/05/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 02:15:55 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 111
 
PERIOD:   29th September to 5th October 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 1st and
     4th October.
 
     An  average of 96.1 % data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 44.43 %
      512 bps 51.32 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC (Telemetry, Tracking & Control subsystem)
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -146 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 (Central Terminal Unit #2) reported in
     previous Operations Reports is  still  under  investigation.
     However, some  conclusions have   now   been  reached  which
     point  to  an  electrical connection  between two adjacent
     data lines as a  result  of component  failure.  The
     operational impact of this  anomaly is being studied by both
     the Spacecraft Control Team and the instrument teams in the event 
     that this CTU would have to be configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 4.54 on
     Angle (deg.)   29th September to 5.33 on 5th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 4.38 on
     Angle (deg.)     29th September to 5.20 on 5th October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 5th October.
     Distance from Earth                909,328.853 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          123,557 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun              31,712 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         10.9 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     On 6th October Ulysses will achieve two years in orbit.
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 6th October a KEP GAS (Energetic Particles instrument) health
     check will be carried out.
 
     On 7th October a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     will be carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 7th, and 10th
     and 13th  October.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period  with the exception of some hardware problems at  the
     Goldstone site which gave rise to some small data losses.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Einstein's brain is stored
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | in a mason jar in a lab
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | in Wichita, Kansas.
 

Article: 2196
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/12/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 02:48:16 GMT
 
Fowarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 112
 
PERIOD:   6th October to 12th October 1992
 
     On 6th October Ulysses achieved two years in orbit.
 
     Experiment  reconfigurations have been carried  out  as required.
 
     On 6th October a KEP GAS (Interstellar Neutral Gas)
     instrument health check was carried out.
 
     On 7th October a HED (Magnetic Field) instrument
     calibration was carried out.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 7th
     and 10th October.
 
     An  average  of 98 % data recovery was achieved  during
     the reporting period.
 
     The  percentage of data acquired as a function  of  bit
     rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 46.76 %
      512 bps 50.97 %
 
     A  reduction in the number of ranging passes  continued
     during  the  reporting period in order to  improve  the
     poor  signal to noise ratio encountered at the  present
     large spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 259 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2
     as  the  prime unit fed via the high gain  antenna  and
     with  receiver  1 as backup fed through  the  low  gain
     antenna  (LGA-F).  The  downlink  is  provided  through
     EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of  station  antenna in use, local weather  conditions,
     and spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly  on  CTU2 reported in previous  Operations
     Reports  is  still under investigation.  However,  some
     conclusions  have now been reached which  point  to  an
     electrical  connection between two adjacent data  lines
     as  a  result  of  component failure.  The  operational
     impact  of  this anomaly is being studied by  both  the
     Spacecraft Control Team and the instrument teams in the
     event  that  this CTU would have to be  configured  for
     operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 5.34 on
     Angle (deg.)   6th October to 6.21 on 12th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 5.33 on
     Angle (deg.)     6th October to 6.12 on 12th October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 12th October.
     Distance from Earth                898,526,915 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         124,757 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            31,910 km/hr.
     Ecliptic     latitude                              11.2
     deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine   data   gathering  operations  will   continue
     together with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On  18th  October a HUS (Solar X-Rays) instrument end-to-end
     Datation  test  will take place at Goldstone.
 
     On  19th  October a KEP in-flight calibration  will  be
     carried out.
 
     On 21st October a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
     Earth  pointing manoeuvres will be performed  on  13th,
     17th and 20th October.
 
     Periods  of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will  be
     avoided  to  improve the signal to noise ratio  in  the
     coming   months.    This  will  slightly   reduce   the
     percentage of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During
     this  period,  70m  passes will also  be  scheduled  to
     perform  ranging  at  large spacecraft-Earth  distances
     while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground  segment  performed  nominally  during  the
     reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Einstein's brain is stored
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | in a mason jar in a lab
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | in Wichita, Kansas.
 
Article: 2206
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/15/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 08:27:22 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 15, 1992
 
     All spacecraft and science operations are continuing
normally.  Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers were last conducted
on Oct. 10 and Oct. 13.  The next set of maneuvers will be
performed on Oct. 17 and Oct. 20.
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
this reporting period to improve the spacecraft signal at its
great distance from Earth.  Today Ulysses is nearly 11 degrees
south of the ecliptic plane, looping back toward the sun, where
it will begin its primary mission of studying the sun's poles in
June 1994.
 
     The spacecraft is about 890 million kilometers (554 million
miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about
32,000 kilometers per hour (20,000 miles per hour).
 
                             ##### 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If God had wanted us to 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | have elections, he would of 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | given us candidates.
 
Article: 2256
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/19/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 23 Oct 1992 02:19:41 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 113
 
PERIOD:   13th October to 19th October 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 18th October a HUS (Solar X-Ray instrument) end-to-end
     Datation test took place at Goldstone.
 
     On 19th October a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument)
     in-flight calibration was carried out.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 13th and
     17th October.
 
     An average of 96.9 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 35.04 %
      512 bps 61.59 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.  However, some conclusions
     have now been reached which point to an electrical
     connection between two adjacent data lines as a result of
     component failure.  The operational impact of this anomaly
     is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control Team and the
     instrument teams in the event that this CTU would have to be
     configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 6.22 on
     Angle (deg.)   13th October to 6.95 on 19th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 6.25 on
     Angle (deg.)     13th October to 7.01 on 19th October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 19th October.
     Distance from Earth                886,188,088 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         126,052 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            31,957 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         11.6 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 21st October a HED (Magnetic Field instrument)
     calibration will be carried out.
 
     On 26th October a KEP EPAC in-flight calibration will be
     carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 20th, 26th
     and 30th October.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.  Some small data losses occurred due to weather
     related problems at Canberra and Madrid.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If God had wanted us to 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | have elections, he would 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | have given us candidates.
 
Article: 2267
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/23/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1992 04:43:18 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        October 23, 1992
 
     All spacecraft and science operations are performing well. 
Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers are continuing to be conducted
every four to six days.  One such maneuver was performed today,
Oct. 23, and the next set will be carried out on Oct. 26 and Oct. 30.
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
this reporting period to improve the spacecraft's signal at a
great distance from Earth.  Today Ulysses is about 546 million
miles (879 million kilometers) from Earth and nearly 12 degrees
south of the ecliptic plane in which Earth orbits.
 
     The spacecraft is traveling at a heliocentric velocity of
about 20,000 miles per hour (32,000 kilometers per hour).
 
                              #####
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If God had wanted us to 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | have elections, he would 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | have given us candidates.
 
Article: 2309
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 10/26/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1992 03:31:23 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT NO. 111
 
PERIOD:   20th October to 26th October 1992
 
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 21st October a HED (Magnetic Field instrument)
     in-flight calibration was carried out.
 
     On 26th October a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument)
     in-flight calibration was carried out.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 20th,
     23rd, and 26th October.
 
     An average of 96.9 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 45.68 %
      512 bps 54.14 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued
     during the reporting period in order to improve the poor
     signal to noise ratio encountered at the present large
     spacecraft-Earth distances.
 
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
        TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week
     to support ranging.
 
 
     Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123.3 dBm.
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations
     Reports is still under investigation.  However, some
     conclusions have now been reached which point to an
     electrical connection between two adjacent data lines as
     a result of component failure.  The operational impact of
     this anomaly is being studied by both the Spacecraft
     Control Team and the instrument teams in the event that
     this CTU would have to be configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 6.95 on
     Angle (deg.)   20th October to 7.74 on 26th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.14 on
     Angle (deg.)     20th October to 7.85 on 26th October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 26th October.
     Distance from Earth                872,412,018 km.
 
     Velocity relative to the Earth         127,214 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            32,109 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         12.1 deg/south
 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 4th November a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
     On 2nd November a KEP EPAC in-flight calibration will be
     carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 30th
     October and 2nd November.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the
     coming months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.  During this period,
     70m passes will also be scheduled to perform ranging at
     large spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the
     desired bit rates.
 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If God had wanted us to 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | have elections, he would 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | have given us candidates.
 

Article: 2383
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/02/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 02:39:45 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 115
 
PERIOD:   27th October to 2nd November 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On 2nd November a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument)
     EPAC in-flight calibration was carried out.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 30th
     October and 2nd November.
 
     On 2nd November the STO (Radio and Plasma Waves instrument)
     daily command sequences were delayed due to commanding problems
     at Goldstone.  The sequences were transmitted later from Canberra.
 
     An average of 96.3 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 41.94 %
      512 bps 54.06 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -126 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.  However, some conclusions
     have now been reached which point to an electrical
     connection between two adjacent data lines as a result of
     component failure.  The operational impact of this anomaly
     is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control Team and the
     instrument teams in the event that this CTU would have to be
     configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 8.12 on
     Angle (deg.)   27th October to 8.83 on 2nd November.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.97 on
     Angle (deg.)     27th October to 8.62 on 2nd November.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 2nd November.
     Distance from Earth                857,316,852 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         128,217 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            32,260 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         12.3 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 4th November a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     will be carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 6th and 10th November.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large spacecraft-Earth 
     distances while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period except for the commanding problems described above.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Give people a second 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | chance, but not a third. 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 
Article: 2440
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/09/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 07:53:57 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 116
 
PERIOD:   3rd November to 9th November 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On 3rd November a KEP GAS (Energetic Particles instrument)
     health check was carried out.
 
     On 4th November a HED (Magnetic Field instrument)
     calibration was carried out.
 
     On 5th November STO RAR (Radio and Plasma Waves instrument)
     command sequencing commenced.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 6th November.
 
     An average of 98 % data recovery was achieved during the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 47.46 %
      512 bps 50.45 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal to
     noise ratio encountered at the present large spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per week to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -143 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -125 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is still under investigation.  However, some conclusions
     have now been reached which point to an electrical
     connection between two adjacent data lines as a result of
     component failure.  The operational impact of this anomaly
     is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control Team and the
     instrument teams in the event that this CTU would have to be
     configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 8.83 on
     Angle (deg.)   3rd November to 9.23 on 9th November.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 8.72 on
     Angle (deg.)     3rd November to 9.31 on 9th November.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 9th November.
     Distance from Earth                841,039,963 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         129,042 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            32,463 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         12.7 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Due to the relocation of the Ulysses Project Office in JPL
     in the week commencing 16th November, the next Operations
     Report will be issued on 24th November.
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 11th November a SIM HET (Cosmic Ray instrument)
     calibration will take place followed on 12th November by
     a SIM HET reset.
 
     On 13th November the STO RAR command sequencing will terminate.
 
     Also on 13th November KEP GAS full sky scanning will commence.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 10th and 14th November.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will be
     avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio in the coming
     months.  This will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will also be scheduled to perform ranging at large spacecraft-
     Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Give people a second 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | chance, but not a third. 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 

Article: 2454
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/13/92
Date: 14 Nov 92 05:25:42 GMT
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        November 13, 1992
 
     All spacecraft and science operations are performing well.
Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers are continuing to be conducted
about twice a week.  The last set of maneuvers were performed on
Nov. 6 and 10.  The next maneuver will be carried out on Nov. 14.
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
this reporting period to improve the spacecraft signal at its
great distance from Earth.  Today Ulysses is about 830 million
kilometers (515 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a
heliocentric velocity of about 32,400 kilometers per hour (20,200
miles per hour).  Ulysses is now 12.7 degrees south of the
ecliptic plane in which the planets orbit, slowly looping its way
back toward the sun.
 
     The Keppler Gas Experiment that measures neutral helium gas
from interstellar space was turned on today.  Measurement of the
arrival speed and direction of the interstellar gas allows
scientists to determine how our solar system is moving through
interstellar space.  Now that Ulysses has climbed almost 13
degrees out of the ecliptic plane, it is possible to determine
speed and direction more accurately by including measurements
made in the third dimension.
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Give people a second 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | chance, but not a third. 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article: 2526
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/23/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1992 14:15:33 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 117
 
PERIOD:   10th November to 23rd November 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On  11th  November a SIM HET (Cosmic Ray instrument) calibration
     took place followed on 12th November by a SIM HET reset.
 
     On   13th  November  the  STO  RAR  (Radar and Plasma
     instrument) command  sequencing  was terminated.
 
     On  13th November KEP GAS (Energetic Particles instrument) full
     sky scanning commenced.   KEP GAS  sky  scanning  has continued
     throughout  the  reporting period.
 
     On  15th  November a GRU DUST (Cosmic Dust instrument) sensitivity
     test  was  carried out.
 
     On  16th  and 23rd November a KEP IFAC in flight calibration
     was carried out.
 
     On 18th November a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration was
     carried out.
 
     Routine  Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed  on  10th,
     14th, 18th and 22nd November.
 
     An  average of 98.06 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 47.12 %
      512 bps 50.80 %
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -142 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -122 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is  still  under  investigation.  However, some  conclusions
     have   now   been  reached  which  point  to  an  electrical
     connection  between two adjacent data lines as a  result  of
     component  failure.  The operational impact of this  anomaly
     is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control Team and the
     instrument teams in the event that this CTU would have to be
     configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 9.46 on
     Angle (deg.)   10th November to 10.31 on 23rd November.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 9.40 on
     Angle (deg.)     10th November to 10.45 on 23rd November.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 23rd November.
     Distance from Earth                805,590,351 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         130,074 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            32,768 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         13.5 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 26th November a KEP RAM dump will be carried out.
 
     On  30th  November a KEP EPAC in flight calibration will  be
     carried out.
 
     On 2nd December a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 26th November
     and 1st December.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Learn to recognize the
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | inconsequential, then 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | ignore it.
 
Article: 2564
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 11/30/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1992 01:33:11 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 118
 
PERIOD:   24th November to 30th November 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On  25th  November KEP GAS (Neutral Gas experiment) data
     were switched off following completion of the scanning activity.
 
     On  27th  November a KEP RAM dump was carried out.   It  had
     been originally foreseen to be carried out on 26th  November
     but was delayed due to operational constraints.
 
     On  30th  November  a  KEP  EPAC (Energetic Particles experiment)
     in flight  calibration  was carried out.
 
     A routine Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 26th November.
 
     An  average of 96.88 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 36.25 %
      512 bps 60.61 %
 
     On 27th November an earthquake occurred in the neighbourhood
     of  the  Goldstone  complex which affected data  acquisition
     operations.  43 minutes of realtime data and 87  minutes  of
     playback data were lost as a result of the 34 meter  antenna
     being stowed following the earthquake.
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 asthe
     prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1
     as  backup  fed  through the low gain antenna  (LGA-F).  The
     downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -142 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is  still  under investigation.  The operational  impact  of
     this anomaly is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control
     Team  and  the instrument teams in the event that  this  CTU
     would have to be configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 10.45 on
     Angle (deg.)   24th November to 10.70 on 30th November.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.46 on
     Angle (deg.)     24th November to 10.78 on 30th November.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 30th November.
     Distance from Earth                786,793,487 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         130,245 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            32,914 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         14.0 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 2nd December a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     will be carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 1st and 4th December.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | The 3 things that children 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | find the most fascinating:
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | space, dinosaurs and ghosts.
 
Article: 2637
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/07/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 01:20:38 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 119
 
PERIOD:   1st December to 7th December 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On 2nd December a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     was carried out.
 
     On 7th December a KEP EPAC (Energetic Particles instrument) in
     flight calibration took place.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 1st  and
     4th December.
 
     An  average of 93.29 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 62.29 %
      512 bps 30.98 %
 
     On 5th December problems were experienced with the Goldstone
     34  meter antenna subreflector control system.  More than  8
     hours of realtime and playback data were lost before it  was
     possible   to   make   an  alternative  antenna   available.
     Unfortunately  the alternative antenna suffered  from  radio
     interference originating from the 70 meter antenna which was
     carrying out a high power radio astronomy experiment.  As  a
     result a further 46 minutes of data were lost.
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during
     the reporting period in order to improve the poor signal  to
     noise  ratio  encountered at the present  large  spacecraft-
     Earth distances.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 258 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations, with at least one 70m station pass per  week  to
     support ranging.
 
     Received downlink level -142 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -126 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     The  anomaly on CTU2 reported in previous Operations Reports
     is  still  under investigation.  The operational  impact  of
     this anomaly is being studied by both the Spacecraft Control
     Team  and  the instrument teams in the event that  this  CTU
     would have to be configured for operational use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 10.67 on
     Angle (deg.)   1st December to 10.98 on 7th December.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.82 on
     Angle (deg.)     1st December to 11.04 on 7th December.
 
     Spin Rate               4.981 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 7th December.
     Distance from Earth                767,566,804 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         130,168 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            33,088 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         14.3 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 9th December a HET calibration will take place.
 
     Also  on  9th  December KEP GAS (Interstellar Neutral Gas
     instrument) sky scanning  will  commence again.
 
     On 10th December the HET will be reset.
 
     On  12th  December  the  on-board tapes  recorders  will  be
     changed over.  Recorder 2 will become the prime unit.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 9th and 14th December.
 
     Periods  of  2048  bps  at low antenna  elevations  will  be
     avoided  to improve the signal to noise ratio in the  coming
     months.   This will slightly reduce the percentage  of  1024
     bps real-time data received.  During this period, 70m passes
     will   also  be  scheduled  to  perform  ranging  at   large
     spacecraft-Earth distances while maintaining the desired bit
     rates.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period with the exception of the problems reported above.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | The 3 things that children 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | find the most fascinating:
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | space, dinosaurs and ghosts.
 

Article: 2653
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/11/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 01:56:37 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        December 11, 1992
 
     All spacecraft and science operations are performing well.
Routine Earth-pointing maneuvers continue to be conducted about every
five days.  The last maneuver was performed on Dec. 9 and the next is
scheduled for Dec. 14. 
 
     Ulysses' on-board tape recorders will be switched tomorrow, Dec.
12.  Tape recorder 2 will become the primary recorder and tape
recorder 1 will be used as a backup unit. 
 
     A reduction in the number of ranging passes continued during this
reporting period to improve the spacecraft signal at its great
distance from Earth.  Today Ulysses is about 760 million kilometers
(470 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of about 32,500 kilometers per hour (20,600 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft is 14.3 degrees south of the ecliptic plane in which the
planets orbit, slowly looping its way back toward the Sun. 
 
     The Keppler Gas Experiment that measures neutral helium gas from
interstellar space was turned on again on Dec. 9. Measurement of the
arrival speed and direction of the interstellar gas allows scientists
to determine how our solar system is moving through interstellar
space.  Now that Ulysses has climbed more than 14 degrees out of the
ecliptic plane, it is possible to determine speed and direction more
accurately by including measurements made in the third dimension. 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | The 3 things that children 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | find the most fascinating:
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | space, dinosaurs and ghosts.
 

Article: 2762
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/30/92
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 21:40:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 122
 
PERIOD:   22nd December to 28th December 1992
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvre were performed on 23rd and
     27th December.
 
     An average of 97.9 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 30.99 %
      512 bps 66.72 %
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 257 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 34 meter ground stations has
     recommenced when the spacecraft is configured for low bit
     rate.  Ranging passes from 70 meter ground stations are
     being taken periodically.
 
     Received downlink level -141 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -120 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal with the exception of the CTU#2 anomaly.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 11.00 on
     Angle (deg.)   22nd December to 10.80 on 28th December.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 11.05 on
     Angle (deg.)     22nd December to 10.86 on 28th December.
 
     Spin Rate               4.980 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 28th December.
     Distance from Earth                709,786,729 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         128,187 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            33,662 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         15.5 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 30th
     December, 3rd and 7th January.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will continue
     to be avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio.  This
     will slightly reduce the percentage of 1024 bps real-time
     data received.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period.
 
     A Happy New Year from the Ulysses Team to all our readers.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Choose a job you love, and
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | you'll never have to work
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | a day in your life. 
 

Article: 2830
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/04/93
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 17:28:00 GMT
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 123
 
PERIOD:   29th December 1992 to 4th January 1993
 
1. MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     On 30th December a HED (Magnetic Field instrument)
     calibration took place.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvre were performed on 30th
     December and 3rd January.
 
     An average of 98.5 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 47.5 %
      512 bps 51.0 %
 
 
2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 257 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
        TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 34 meter ground stations is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit
     rates of 1024 bps or less.  Ranging passes from 70 meter
     ground stations are also being taken periodically.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -122 dBm.
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal with the exception of the CTU#2 anomaly.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 10.85 on
     Angle (deg.)   29th December to 10.44 on 4th January.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 10.81 on
     Angle (deg.)     29th December to 10.48 on 4th January.
 
     Spin Rate               4.980 rpm.
 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 4 January.
     Distance from Earth                691,402,951 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         127,174 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            33,826 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         15.9 deg/south
 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     A SIM HET (Cosmic Ray instrument) calibration will be performed
     on 5th January and a LAN (Low Energy Charged Particles instrument)
     calibration performed on 8th January.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 7th and 11th January.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will
     continue to be avoided to improve the signal to noise
     ratio.  This will slightly reduce the percentage
     of 1024 bps real-time data received.
 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period with the except during the passes on
     1st January.
 
     A problem in the MCCC (Mission Control Computing Center)
     at JPL caused all data to be tagged with the year 1992 instead of
     1993.  The real-time SCMS was not able to file this data since the
     timekey was earlier than the first record in the history file.  The
     history files on the backup machine were cleared and this
     was used to file data while the problem was traced.
     Once the problem was fixed data were recalled into the
     real-time machine and properly filed in the history
     files.  No data were lost.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Choose a job you love, and
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | you'll never have to work
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | a day in your life. 
 
Article: 2787
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/05/93
Sender: [email protected] (Usenet)
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 23:48:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                         January 5, 1993
 
     All spacecraft and science operations are performing well. Ground
controllers are carrying out routine data-gathering activities and
experiment reconfigurations as required.  The 34-meter ground
antennas are being used for ranging when the spacecraft is sending
data at a low bit rate.  Seventy-meter-antenna ranging passes are
also performed periodically. 
 
     Earth-pointing maneuvers were carried out on Dec. 27 and 30, 1992, 
and on Jan. 3, 1993.  The next maneuver is scheduled for Jan. 7, 1993. 
 
     Today Ulysses is about 688 million kilometers (428 million miles)
from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 32,000
kilometers per hour (21,000 miles per hour).  Ulysses is about 15.5
degrees south of the ecliptic plane in which the planets orbit, slowly
looping its way back toward the sun. 
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Choose a job you love, and
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | you'll never have to work
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | a day in your life. 

Article: 2909
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 01/18/93
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 18:53:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 125
 
PERIOD:   12th January to 18th January 1993
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
     A HUS (Solar X-ray instrument) calibration test was conducted on
     12th January.
 
     A HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration was conducted on
     13th January.
 
     A  KEP  EPAC  (Energetic Particles instrument) in-flight calibration
     was  conducted  on  18th January.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 14th and
     17th January.
 
     An  average of 92.06 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 49.63 %
      512 bps 42.37 %
 
     The  lower  than  normal data recovery  for  this  reporting
     period  was  due to a maser low noise amplifier  failure  at
     Goldstone which caused a complete loss of a scheduled  pass.
     The  outage was minimised by support being provided from the
     Canberra  station.  A total of 10 hours of  real  time  data
     were lost.
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 257 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
     TTC
 
     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging  from  34  meter  ground  stations  is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit rates of
     1024  bps  or  less.  Ranging passes from  70  meter  ground
     stations are also being taken periodically.
 
     Received downlink level -138 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 9.85 on
     Angle (deg.)   12th January to 9.24 on 18th January.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 9.81 on
     Angle (deg.)     12th January to 9.12 on 18th January.
 
     Spin Rate               4.980 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 18th January.
     Distance from Earth                657,698,384 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         124,022 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            34,220 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         16.7 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
     On  19th  January  a KEP GAS (Interstellar Neutral Gas instrument)
     monthly health  check  will  be carried out.
 
     On 25th January a KEP EPAC in-flight calibration will be carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 20th and 23rd
     January.
 
     Periods  of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will continue
     to  be  avoided to improve the signal to noise ratio.   This
     will  slightly  reduce the percentage of 1024 bps  real-time
     data received.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period  with  the exception of the Goldstone  maser  problem
     referred to above.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Every once in a while,
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | try pushing your luck.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |
 

Article 3015 of sci.space.news:
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!news.crl.dec.com!deccrl!caen!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/01/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
Nntp-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Mon, 8 Feb 1993 07:45:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 129

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 127

PERIOD:   26th January to 1st February 1993


1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required.

     On 27th January, a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     was performed.

     A KEP EPAC (Energetic Particles instrument) in-flight calibration
     was  conducted  on  1st February.

     The  BAM-I (Solar Wind Plasma instrument) matrix  was also changed
     from  1  to  0  on  1st February.

     Routine  Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed  on  26th,
     28th and 31st January.

     An  average of 98.1 % data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 50.6 %
      512 bps 47.5 %

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 257 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging  from  34  meter  ground  stations  is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit rates of
     1024  bps  or  less.  Ranging passes from  70  meter  ground
     stations are also being taken periodically.

     Received downlink level -137 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -124 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 8.31 on
     Angle (deg.)   26th January to 7.36 on 1st February.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 8.27 on Angle (deg.)
     26th January to 7.46 on 1st February.

     Spin Rate               4.980 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 1st February.
     Distance from Earth                630,006,850 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         119,819 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            34,632 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         17.5 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On  8th  February a KEP EPAC in-flight calibration  will  be
     carried  out and a RAM dump will be performed the  following
     day.

     An HET calibration will be performed on 2nd February.

     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 2nd, 4th  and
     6th January.

     Periods  of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will  now  be
     avoided   only   when  using  DSS42,  which   shows   poorer
     performance due to larger tracking errors.  Playback at  low
     elevations will, however, continue to be avoided.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period with the exception of a subreflector focusing problem
     at DSS12 on 30th January, resulting in a 26 minute real-time
     data loss.

     Upgrades to the ground communications system started  during
     the  reporting  period  with  a  switch  from  Area  Routing
     Assemblies (ARA) to Station Communications Processors  (SCP)
     on  28th  January.  Both uplink and downlink are now  routed
     via SCPs.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Never yell "Movie!" in a
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | crowded fire station.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article 3038 of sci.space.news:
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decuac!haven.umd.edu!ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/08/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
Nntp-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1993 23:15:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 120

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 128

PERIOD:   2nd February to 8th February 1993

1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.

     On 2nd February a HET calibration and a KEP (Energetic
     Particles instrument) RAM dump were carried out.

     On 3rd February a HET reset occurred.

     On 8th February a KEP EPAC in flight calibration was carried
     out.

     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 2nd, 4th
     and 6th February.

     An average of 98.2 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 46.9 %
      512 bps 51.2 %


2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 257 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 34 meter ground stations is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit rates of
     1024 bps or less.  Ranging passes from 70 meter ground
     stations are also being taken periodically.

     Received downlink level -137 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -123 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 7.12 on
     Angle (deg.)   2nd February to 6.47 on 8th February.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 7.32 on
     Angle (deg.)     2nd February to 6.48 on 8th February.

     Spin Rate               4.980 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 8th February.
     Distance from Earth                619,071,989 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         116,985 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            34,876 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         17.9 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On 9th February a Tape Recorder 2 tape length test will
     commence.

     On 15th February a KEP EPAC in flight calibration will be
     carried out.

     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 9th, 11th and
     14th February.

     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will now be
     avoided only when using DSS42, which shows worst
     performance due to larger tracking errors.  Playback at low
     elevations will, however, continue to be avoided.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Never yell "Movie!" in a
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | crowded fire station.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article 3080 of sci.space.news:
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From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/15/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
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Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 27

                           ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                             February 15, 1992

     At 0054Z on February 14, 1993, the Ulysses spacecraft went into fault
protection for reasons unknown.  The receiver at DSS-61 (Canberra 34 meter
antenan) dropped lock at this time due to the transmitter swap on-board the
spacecraft.  The project sent a command at 0440Z to turn telemetry modulation
on only.  DSS-12 (Goldstone 34 meter antenna) detected the 1024 bps coded
telemetry at 0548Z.  The project reported that as part of the fault protection,
the spacecraft disconnected non-essential loads (mainly science instruments)
and swapped transmitters.  The project is currently gathering additional
data in efforts to determine the cause of the fault protection.

     On February 15, 1993, the project commanded the spacecraft back to
Transmitter 2 at 1306Z and the Canberra station had receiver in-lock at
1307Z with normal 1-way doppler residuals.  The project reports that the
spacecraft is in good health with attitude control normalized.  The project
is still in the process of placing the instruments in normal configurations.
All spacecraft operations should be normalized by the end of the DSS-42's
(Canberra 34 meter antenna) support at 1855Z today.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Never yell "Movie!" in a
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | crowded fire station.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     |

Article 3086 of sci.space.news:
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Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!news.crl.dec.com!deccrl!caen!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/16/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
Nntp-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
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Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1993 18:55:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 47

Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE TECHNOLOGY
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        February 16, 1993

     The Ulysses spacecraft went into an automatic safe mode at
about 4:50 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Sunday, Feb. 14, while
it was being tracked by the Deep Space Network facility near
Madrid, Spain.  All instruments were automatically switched off
by on-board computers, followed by switch-off of spacecraft
telemetry.  The loss of communication lasted about five hours and
10 minutes.

     Once the telemetry was regained, spacecraft health checks
confirmed that Ulysses had reconfigured itself correctly.  An
investigation into the cause of the anomaly was under way.

     Progress has been made to restore the spacecraft to its
normal operational condition.  Three of the spacecraft's nine
science instruments are now fully operational.  All but one of
the remaining instruments were expected to be restored during the
next tracking pass over the Goldstone Deep Space Network
facility, which was completed at about 10 a.m. today.  The Solar
Wind Ion Composition experiment operates at high voltage and
requires additional time to be switched on.

     Today Ulysses is approximately 610 million kilometers (379
million miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity
of about 35,000 kilometers per hour (22,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft is about 18 degrees south of the ecliptic plane,
slowly looping its way back toward the sun, where it will begin
its primary mission in June 1994 of studying the sun's poles.
One-way light time to Earth is about 38 minutes.

                             #####
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If you don't stand for
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | something, you'll fall 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | for anything.

Article 3101 of sci.space.news:
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From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update #2 - 02/15/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
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Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1993 18:00:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 141

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 129

PERIOD:   9th February to 15th February 1993

1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required until the occurrence of DNEL (Disconnect Non-Essential
     Loads).

     On  9th  February  a Tape Recorder 2 tape  length  test  was
     carried out.

     On 10th February a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     was carried out.

     On  14th  February  a DNEL (Disconnect Non-Essential  Loads)
     condition  occurred on-board the spacecraft.  This coincided
     with   the   end  of  the  planned  routine  Earth  pointing
     manoeuvre.  This was followed by activation of the  on-board
     REC  program.  The last frame of telemetry was  received  at
     00:57  UTC.   The appropriate commands were transmitted  and
     telemetry  from the spacecraft was re-gained at  06:03  UTC.
     Health checks confirmed that the spacecraft had reconfigured
     itself correctly.

     Main switch closure was initiated by ground command at 07:50
     UTC.   This  was  followed by the switch  on  of  experiment
     heaters.   After reconfiguration of the on-board  protection
     logic,  switch on of instrument converters commenced.   This
     was completed by 15:08 UTC.

     During   successive  passes  the  spacecraft  platform   was
     configured back to its nominal operationg configuration  and
     experiment switch on continued.

     Routine  Earth  pointing manoeuvres were performed  on  9th,
     11th and 14th February.

     An  average of 92.23 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 37.23 %
      512 bps 54.97 %

     Individual  experiment  data  recovery  is  lower  for   the
     reporting period due to the switch off of instruments.

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.   DNEL ocurred but no cause observed in  telemetry.
     Estimated S/C power consumption 257 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.   Redundant units were activated  by  on-board  REC
     program.  Prime units re-selected by ground command.

     TTC

     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging  from  34  meter  ground  stations  is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit rates of
     1024  bps  or  less.  Ranging passes from  70  meter  ground
     stations are also being taken periodically.

     Received downlink level -137 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -124 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.  On-board REC program activated correctly following
     DNEL.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 6.22 on
     Angle (deg.)   9th February to 5.57 on 15th February.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 6.34 on
     Angle (deg.)     9th February to 5.52 on 15th February.

     Spin Rate               4.979 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 15th February.
     Distance fromarth                610,359,071 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         114,678 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            35,093 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         18.2 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     Activities will continue to return the spacecraft payload to
     its  nominal operational configuration.  It is expected that
     this activity will be complete by 18th February.

     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out on 16th,  18th
     and 21st February.

     Periods  of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will  now  be
     avoided   only   when  using  DSS-42 (Canberra 34 meter antenna),
     which shows poorer performance due to larger tracking errors.
     Playback at low elevations will, however, continue to be avoided.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If you don't stand for
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | something, you'll fall 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | for anything.

From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]" "Ron Baalke" 26-FEB-1993 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses Mysteriously Shuts Down

From the "JPL Universe"
February 26, 1993

Ulysses mysteriously shuts down
By Diane Ainsworth

     The Ulysses spacecraft mysteriously shut its science
instruments off and stopped sending data to Earth on Feb. 14,
leaving ground controllers incommunicado for more than five hours.

     The problem, which has occurred once before, was considered
"a glitch" by the Ulysses' operations team, not too serious but
also not minor, because the cause of the anomaly was unknown.

     "Certainly (the anomaly's) effect on mission operations is
serious, because it took several days to get everything back up
and running," said Peter Beech, European Space Agency (ESA)
mission operations manager for the ESA spacecraft. "But we're 99
percent back to normal now, and the spacecraft is performing
perfectly."

     Ground controllers spent three days turning the spacecraft's
science instruments back on, said Donald Meyer, NASA's deputy
mission operations manager at JPL. All but one instrument -- the
Solar Wind Ion Composition (SWIC) experiment -- were fully
operational as Universe went to press. SWIC operates at high
voltage and required several days of incremental voltage
increases before it was operating normally, Beech said.

     The spacecraft was being tracked by the Deep Space Network
antenna near Madrid, Spain, when the anomaly occurred at about
4:50 p.m. PST Feb. 14. The spacecraft went into a safe mode,
shutting off all instruments and switching to a backup radio
transmitter.

     Engineers continued to receive Ulysses' radio signal, but
received no science data or telemetry about the spacecraft's
condition and performance. New commands took about 40 minutes to
reach the spacecraft, Beech said. Science data and engineering
telemetry resumed five hours and 10 minutes later.

     An investigation of the problem has begun, although operations 
team members are not optimistic that an answer will be found.

     "We investigated this the last time it occurred in June 1991
and never reached a conclusion," Beech said. "The anomaly could
have been anything -- transient events out in space or onboard
the spacecraft. I don't think this is anything that we will be
able to identify positively."

     Ulysses, a joint NASA-European Space Agency mission to study
the poles of the sun, is about 18 degrees south of the ecliptic
plane, slowly looping its way back toward the sun. The spacecraft
will begin its primary mission in June 1994, when it starts a
four-month pass over the sun's southern pole.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | If you don't stand for
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | something, you'll fall 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | for anything.

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
% Subject: Ulysses Mysteriously Shuts Down

Article 3188 of sci.space.news:
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From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/01/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
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Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1993 16:45:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 129

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 131

PERIOD:   23rd February to 1st March 1993

1. MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.

     On 24th February a HED (Magnetic Field instrument)
     calibration was carried out.

     On 1st March a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument)
     in-flight calibration was carried out.

     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 23rd,
     25th, and 27th February and 1st March.

     An average of 98.45 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:

     1024 bps 45.13 %
      512 bps 53.37 %



2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 256 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

        TTC

     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 34 meter ground stations is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit
     rates of 1024 bps or less.  Ranging passes from 70 meter
     ground stations are also being taken periodically.

     Received downlink level -137 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -123 dBm.

        DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.



3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 4.82 on
     Angle (deg.)   23rd February to 4.71 on 1st March.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 4.81 on
     Angle (deg.)     23rd February to 4.62 on 1st March.

     Spin Rate               4.979 rpm.



4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 1st March.
     Distance from Earth                600,126,827 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         108,782 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            35,509 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         19.1 deg/south




5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On 2nd March a HET calibration will be carried out.

     On 3rd March HET will be reset.

     On 8th March a KEP in-flight calibration will be carried
     out.

     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out on 3rd,
     5th, 7th and 9th March.

     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will now
     be avoided only when using DSS42, which shows poorer
     performance due to larger tracking errors.  Playback at
     low elevations will, however, continue to be avoided.


6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | It's kind of fun to do
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | the impossible. 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Walt Disney

Article 3239 of sci.space.news:
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/08/93
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
Nntp-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1993 21:15:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 128

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 132
PERIOD:   2nd March to 8th March 1993

1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required.

     On 2nd March a HET calibration was carried out.

     On 3rd March HET was reset.

     On 8th March a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument) in-flight
     calibration was carried out.

     Routine  Earth  pointing manoeuvres were performed  on  3rd,
     5th, and 7th March.

     An  average of 93.2 % data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 45.86 %
      512 bps 46.92 %

     On 4th March a complete pass at Goldstone was lost due to  a
     maser failure.  An extra pass was made available at Canberra
     and  a rapid replanning of operations took place to minimise
     the  amount of data loss.  Operations for the following  day
     were also replanned.

     On  5th  March  the  Goldstone maser was brought  back  into
     operation.  The total data loss following this failure was 4
     1/2  hours.  More than 27 hours of data would have been lost
     if  the  replanning had not occurred.  The support from  the
     Deep  Space  Network in providing extra  coverage  was  much
     appreciated.

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 256 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging  from  34  meter  ground  stations  is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit rates of
     1024  bps  or  less.  Ranging passes from  70  meter  ground
     stations are also being taken periodically.

     Received downlink level -137 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -126 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 4.64 on
     Angle (deg.)   2nd March to 4.91 on 8th March.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 4.63 on
     Angle (deg.)     2nd March to 4.90 on 8th March.

     Spin Rate               4.979 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 8th March.
     Distance from Earth                598,709,567 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         105,627 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            35,740 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         19.5 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS


     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On 10th March a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration will
     be carried out.

     On  15th  March a KEP in-flight calibration will be  carried
     out.

     Earth  pointing manoeuvres will be carried out on 9th, 11th,
     13th, and 15th March.

     Periods  of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will  now  be
     avoided   only   when  using  DSS42,  which   shows   poorer
     performance due to larger tracking errors.  Playback at  low
     elevations will, however, continue to be avoided.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period  with  the  exception of  the  failure  at  Goldstone
     referred to above.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | It's kind of fun to do
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | the impossible. 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | Walt Disney

Article: 3297
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 03/15/93
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1993 02:09:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 133
 
PERIOD:   9th March to 15th March 1993
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 10th March a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration
     was carried out.
 
     On 15th March a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument) in-flight
     calibration was carried out.
 
     Routine Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 9th,
     11th, 13th and 15th March.
 
     An average of 98.2 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 53.60 %
      512 bps 44.39 %
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 256 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 34 meter ground stations is
     performed when the spacecraft is configured for bit rates of
     1024 bps or less.  Ranging passes from 70 meter ground
     stations are also being taken periodically.
 
     Received downlink level -136 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions,
     andspacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -121 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 4.87 on
     Angle (deg.)   9th March to 5.51 on 15th March.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 4.98 on
     Angle (deg.)     9th March to 5.62 on 15th March.
 
     Spin Rate               4.979 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 15th March.
     Distance from Earth                599,711,379 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         102,385 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            35,975 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         19.9 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be carried out on 17th, 19th,
     21st, and 23rd March.
 
     On 20th March a HUS (Solar X-ray instrument) datation test will
     commence.
 
     On 21st March the HUS datation test will terminate.
 
     On 22nd March a KEP in-flight calibration will be carried
     out.
 
     Periods of 2048 bps at low antenna elevations will now be
     avoided only when using DSS42, which shows poorer
     performance due to larger tracking errors.  Playback at low
     elevations will, however, continue to be avoided.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't ever take a fence 
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | down until you know the
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | reason it was put up.
 

Article: 3762
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 05/17/93
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Mon, 17 May 1993 22:24:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          May 17, 1993
 
     All spacecraft and science operations are performing well.
Ground-controllers are carrying out routine data-gathering
activities and experiment reconfigurations as required.  The 34-
meter (112-foot) and 70-meter (230-foot) ground antennas are
tracking the spacecraft as it continues to move farther south of
the ecliptic plane -- the plane in which the planets orbit.
 
     Earth-pointing maneuvers continue to be carried out about
every five days.  The last maneuver was performed on May 12,
1993.
 
     Today Ulysses is about 683 million kilometers (424 million
miles) from Earth, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about
36,000 kilometers per hour (24,000 miles per hour).  The
spacecraft is now more than 30 degrees south of the sun's
equator.
 
                              #####
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Never laugh at anyone's
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | dreams.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 

Article: 3775
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 05/10/93
Sender: [email protected]
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Wed, 19 May 1993 20:56:00 GMT
 
Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 140
 
PERIOD:   27th April to 3rd May 1993
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 27th April a SIM HET (Cosmic Ray instrument) calibration was
     carried out.
 
     A GRU (Cosmic Dust instrument) program reload was performed on
     30th April.
 
     On 3rd May a KEP EPAC (Energetic Particles instrument) in-flight
     calibration was carried out.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre was performed on 28th April and
     3rd May.
 
     An average of 96.9% data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:
 
     1024 bps 56.08 %
      512 bps 38.82 %
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 255 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 34 meter or 70 meter antennas is
     once again routinely performed.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of
     station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 11.29 on Angle
     (deg.)   27th April to 12.07 on 3rd May.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 11.30 on Angle
     (deg.)     27th April to 11.75 on 3rd May.
 
     Spin Rate               4.978 rpm.
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
 
     Data taken at 13:00 PDT on 3rd May
 
     Distance from Earth                657,694,184 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          81,556 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            37,692 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         22.9 deg/south
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue togetherwith
     experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 5th May a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration will be
     carried out.
 
     On 10th May a KEP in-flight calibration will be carried out.
 
     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 12th May.
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Never laugh at anyone's
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | dreams.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 
 

Article 3955 of sci.space.news:
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Breaks Latitude Record
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
Nntp-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 17:02:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 127

ESA Press Release Nr.30-93
Paris, 9 June 1993

Ulysses breaks latitude record

On 9 June 1993, ESA's Ulysses spaceprobe became the first
spacecraft to reach a latitude of more than 32 degrees relative
to the Sun's equator. In doing so, Ulysses broke the existing
record held by Voyager 1, which is currently exploring the
depths of space beyond the solar system at a distance of more
than 50 AU from the Sun (1 astronomical unit (AU) = 150
million km).

Ulysses is gathering important new information concerning the
Sun and its environment. Its prime mission objective is to
carry out the first systematic exploration of the inner part of
the heliosphere - the region of space carved out of the
interstellar medium by the solar wind - at all latitudes from
the solar equator to the poles.

The spacecraft, launched by the space shuttle Discovery on 6
October 1990 in the framework of an ESA-NASA
collaborative venture, underwent a gravity assist manoeuvre at
Jupiter in February 1992 and is now in a highly inclined solar
orbit that will bring it over the south pole of the Sun in
September 1994. At that time, Ulysses will establish a new
record as it climbs to its maximum latitude of just over 80
degrees.

The spacecraft and its scientific instruments are in excellent
condition and the data coverage since launch has been
consistently close to 100% thanks to the dedicated efforts of
the joint ESA-NASA Mission Operations Team and NASA's
Deep Space Network.

Although the most exciting phase of the mission - the study
of the Sun's polar regions - will only begin in mid-1994,
Ulysses has already produced a wealth of new scientific
results. These include :

-   The first direct detection of neutral helium atoms
    arriving from interstellar space.
-   The measurement of micron-sized dust grains arriving
    from interstellar space.
-   The first measurement of singly-charged H, N, O and
    Ne ions which entered the heliosphere as interstellar 
    neutral atoms and were then ionised.
-   The highest-resolution measurements to date of the
    isotopic composition of cosmic ray nuclei (e.g. C, N,
    O, Ne, Si and Mg).

In addition to the above, the traversal of Jupiter's
magnetosphere at the time of the fly-by enabled the Ulysses
investigators to acquire new and highly valuable data
concerning this very complex and dynamic plasma
environment. Among the more exciting results to emerge are
the possible entry into the polar cap of Jupiter's
magnetosphere near the time of closest approach, and the
unexpectedly strong influence of the solar wind deep in the
magnetosphere during the outbound passage.

With the Jupiter fly-by safely accomplished, the scientific
focus is now directed towards phenomena related to the
increasing latitute of the spacecraft. Already, there is strong
evidence that Ulysses is now in the domain of the southern
polar magnetic field. By a fortunate coincidence, just as
Ulysses was reaching  32 degrees South, the magnetic field
and plasma analyser scientific teams were seeing the first
evidence of the effect of increasing latitude on the magnetised
solar wind. The two complementary sets of observations
reveal the passage of Ulysses into a magnetic unipolar regime
corresponding to latitudes above the sunspot belt, having
permanently crossed the boundary separating northern and
southern magnetic fields.

Following the flight over the Sun's southern pole, Ulysses'
orbit will bring the spaceprobe swinging back towards the
equatorial regions, heading for its second high-latitude
excursion in mid-1995, this time above the North polar
regions.

"By the end of September 1995, Ulysses will have put our
knowledge of the Sun and its environment in a completely
new perspective", says Dr. Marsden, ESA's Project Scientist
for Ulysses.

"Only by studying the way the Sun influences the space
around it in a global manner can we hope to understand its
influence on our local interplanetary environment". An
example of this "local" influence is the disturbance
experienced by technical systems in Earth orbit and on the
ground (e.g., telecommunications systems) at the time of
major solar flares.

Note to the Editors:
Near the Sun's equatorial regions, the interplanetary magnetic
field alternately points toward and away from the Sun during
a single solar rotation which gives rise to so-called magnetic
sectors. The existence of these sectors is interpreted as the
effect of a vast current sheet, tilted with respect to the Sun's
rotation axis, which separates oppositely-directed magnetic
fields from the North and South polar caps. The recent
Ulysses magnetic field observations reveal a single polarity,
i.e. the disappearance of magnetic sectors. This implies that
Ulysses is now above the current sheet. The polarity of the
observed fields corresponds to that of the Sun's south polar
cap as would be expected.

Concurrent with the magnetic sector disappearance, the
Ulysses solar wind plasma instrument, which detects solar
wind ions and electrons, shows a persistently fast solar wind
flow. High speed solar wind is thought to issue from coronal
holes (regions of reduced X-ray brightness and density in the
Sun's corona), and it is known that extended coronal holes
cover each of the polar caps at this phase of the solar cycle.
The Ulysses observations are interpreted as indicating that the
spacecraft has now entered the region above the southern polar
coronal hole.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | The tuatara, a lizard-like
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | reptile from New Zealand,
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | has three eyes.

Article 3957 of sci.space.news:
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!nntpd.lkg.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!ames!dont-send-mail-to-path-lines
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Reaches High Latitude
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Followup-To: sci.space
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Keywords: Ulysses, JPL, ESA
Sender: [email protected]
Nntp-Posting-Host: kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1993 18:18:00 GMT
Approved: [email protected]
Lines: 105

Forwarded from:
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

Contact: Diane Ainsworth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                              June 9, 1993
JPL Press Release #1513

     The Ulysses spacecraft has entered unexplored regions of the
solar system as it crossed today into the highest latitude ever
achieved relative to the sun's equator of more than 32 degrees,
scientists on the joint NASA-European Space Agency (ESA) mission
reported.
     "Ulysses is gathering important new information about the
sun and its environment as it continues to journey farther south
toward the sun's southern pole," said JPL's Dr. Edward Smith,
NASA project scientist for the mission.
     "About one year from now, Ulysses will be 70 degrees south
of the sun's equator and begin its primary mission of exploring
the highest solar latitudes," he said.
     The heliosphere is the region of space carved out of the
interstellar medium by the solar wind, Smith said.  While
reaching higher latitudes with respect to the sun than Voyager 1,
the Ulysses spacecraft is not traveling toward the edge of the
heliosphere, as are both Voyagers, but rather is heading back
toward the sun.
     The spacecraft, launched by the space shuttle Discovery in
October 1990, used a gravity assist at Jupiter in February 1992
to dive out of the ecliptic plane and set its course in a highly
inclined solar orbit.  The spacecraft's trajectory will bring it
over the south pole of the sun in September 1994, at which time
Ulysses will climb to its maximum latitude of slightly more than
80 degrees.
     The spacecraft and its scientific instruments are in
excellent condition, the flight team reported.  Data coverage
since launch has been consistently close to 100 percent, as a
result of efforts by the joint NASA-ESA mission operations team
and NASA's Deep Space Network.
     Although the most exciting phase of the mission -- the study
of the sun's polar regions -- will not begin until mid-1994,
Ulysses has already produced a wealth of new scientific results.
Those results include:

     * The first direct detection of neutral helium atoms
       arriving from interstellar space.
     * The measurement of micron-sized dust grains arriving from
       interstellar space.
     * The first measurement of singularly charged hydrogen,
       nitrogen, oxygen and neon ions, entering the heliosphere as
       interstellar neutral atoms and then becoming ionized.
     * The highest resolution measurements to date of the
       isotopic composition of cosmic ray nuclei.

     In addition to these discoveries, Ulysses' path through
Jupiter's magnetosphere at the time of the February 1992 flyby
enabled mission investigators to acquire new and highly valuable
data concerning this very complex and dynamic plasma environment,
Smith said.

     "Among the most exciting results to emerge is the possible
entry into the polar cap of Jupiter's magnetosphere near the time
of closest approach (on Feb. 8, 1992)," Smith said, "and the
unexpectedly strong influence of the solar wind deep in the
magnetosphere during the outbound passage."
     With the Jupiter flyby safely accomplished, the scientific
focus is now directed toward phenomena related to the increasing
latitude of the spacecraft.
     "Already there is strong evidence that by the end of the
summer, Ulysses will be firmly in the domain of the southern
polar magnetic field, having permanently crossed the boundary
separating northern and southern fields," Smith said.
     Following the flight over the sun's southern pole, Ulysses'
orbit will bring the spaceprobe swinging back toward the sun's
equatorial regions, heading for its second high-latitude
excursion in mid-1995, this time above the north polar region.
     "By the end of September 1995, Ulysses will have put our
knowledge of the sun and its environment in a completely new
perspective," said Dr. Richard Marsden, ESA project scientist.
     "Only by studying the way the sun influences the space
around it in a global manner can we hope to understand its
influence on our local interplanetary environment."
     The European Space Agency, which built the spacecraft along
with Dornier Systems of Friedrichshafen, Germany, oversees
Ulysses' in-orbit operations.  NASA, which provided the launch
vehicle and the spacecraft's electrical power source, is
responsible for tracking and data acquisition through the Deep
Space Network, and for processing and distributing scientific
data.
     The mission operations center at the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is staffed by a joint team of
ESA/European Space Operations Centre and NASA technicians.  The
scientific payload is provided by institutes from ESA-member
states and the United States.
                              #####
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | The tuatara, a lizard-like
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | reptile from New Zealand,
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | has three eyes.

Article 4021 of sci.space.news:

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 144

PERIOD:   25th May to 31st May 1993

1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required.

     On 25th May a HET calibration was carried out.

     On 31st May a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument) in-flight 
     calibration was carried out.

     An Earth pointing manoeuvre was carried out on 30th May.

     An  average  of 97.5% data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 47.13 %
      512 bps 50.28 %

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 255 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging from 34 meter or 70 meter antennas  is
     routinely performed.

     Received downlink level -141 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -122 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 12.54 on
     Angle (deg.)   25th May to 12.09 on 31st May.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 12.42 on
     Angle (deg.)     25th May to 12.35 on 31st May.

     Spin Rate               4.978 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 31st May

     Distance from Earth                707,792,766 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          77,292 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            38,791 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         24.5 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On 2nd June a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration will 
     be carried out.

     On 7th June a KEP in-flight calibration will be carried
     out.

     An Earth pointing manoeuvre will be carried out on 9th June.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't outlive your money.
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Article 4026 of sci.space.news:

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 146

PERIOD:   8th June to 14th June 1993

1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     On  9th  June  the  Ulysses  spacecraft  entered  unexplored
     regions  of the solar system as it crossed the highest  ever
     achieved  heliographic  latitude of  more  than  32  degrees
     south.   (The Voyager 1 spacecraft is currently  32  degrees
     north of the Sun's equator).

     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required.

     On  8th June a KEP (Energetic Particles instrument) in flight 
     calibration and a EPAC RAM dump were performed.

     An Earth pointing manoeuvre was carried out on 9th June.

     An  average of 89.64 % data recovery was achieved during the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 28.7 %
      512 bps 29.8 %
      256 bps 31.1 %

     The  low  percentage data recovery is due to  the  continued
     mechanical problem with the 34 meter antenna at Madrid.   In
     addition  on  13th  June a telemetry  processor  restart  at
     Goldstone caused a small loss of realtime and playback data.

     Extensive  rescheduling of station passes for this reporting
     period  took  place to reduce as much as possible  the  data
     loss.

     During  this week much of the data on board was recorded  at
     256 bps to permit shorter playback periods.  A return to 512
     bps recording has been planned for future weeks.

     The  34  meter  antenna  at Madrid is  not  expected  to  be
     operational again until early in August.

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 255 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging from 34 meter or 70 meter antennas  is
     routinely performed.

     Received downlink level -141 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -123 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar Aspect   The angle reduced from 12.20 on
     Angle (deg.)   9th June to 11.86 on 14th June.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 12.12 on
     Angle (deg.)     9th June to 11.84 on 14th June.

     Spin Rate               4.978 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 14th June

     Distance from Earth                731,842,840 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          78,700 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            39,393 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         25.4 deg/south
     Heliographic latitude                     32.1 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On  21st  June a KEP in flight calibration will  be  carried
     out.

     On 22nd June a HET calibration will be carried out.

     An  Earth  pointing manoeuvre will be carried  out  on  21st
     June.


6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The  bearing failure on the 34 meter antenna at Madrid  will
     continue  to  cause some difficulties in the  scheduling  of
     sufficient tracking passes.  The antenna is not expected  to
     be returned to service until early in August.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Don't outlive your money.
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | 
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

Forwarded from Peter Beech, Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 150

PERIOD:   7th July to 12th July 1993

1.   MISSION OPERATIONS

     Experiment  reconfigurations  have  been  carried   out   as
     required.

     On 7th July a KEP EPAC (Enegetic Particles instrument) RAM dump
     was carried out.

     On  8th July a demonstration pass from the Weilheim 30 meter
     antenna site took place.

     An Earth pointing manoeuvre was carried out on 9th July.

     On  10th July a further demonstration pass from the Weilheim
     site took place.

     On  12th  July  a KEP in flight calibration and  a  KEP  GAS
     (Interstellar Neutral Gas instrument) monthly healthy check was
     performed.

     An  average of 96.5 % data recovery was achieved during  the
     reporting period.

     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is
     as follows:

     1024 bps 38.6 %
      512 bps 57.7 %

2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS

     POWER

     Nominal.

     Estimated S/C power consumption 254 watts.

     AOCS

     Nominal.

     TTC

     The  spacecraft is currently configured with receiver  2  as
     the  prime  unit  fed  via the high gain  antenna  and  with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna  (LGA-
     F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

     The  34  meter  ground stations are in use  to  support  TTC
     operations.   Ranging  from 70 meter antennas  is  routinely
     performed.

     Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a  result  of
     station  antenna  in  use,  local  weather  conditions,  and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

     Received uplink level -122 dBm.

     DATA HANDLING

     Nominal.

     THERMAL

     Nominal.

3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS

     Solar  Aspect   The angle reduced from 10.10 on Angle (deg.)
     6th July to 9.70 on 12th July.

     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle reduced from 10.26 onAngle (deg.)
     6th July to 9.62 on 12th July.

     Spin Rate               4.978 rpm.

4.   ORBITAL DATA

     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 12th July.

     Distance from Earth                769,622,332 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth          88,289 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            40,662 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         27.3 deg/south
     Heliographic latitude                     34.5 deg/south

5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS

     Routine  data  gathering operations will  continue  together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.

     On 14th July a HED (Magnetic Field instrument) calibration will
     be carried out.

     On 15th July a GRU (Cosmic Dust instrument) routine noise test
     will be carried out.

     On  19th  July a KEP in flight calibration will  be  carried
     out.

     Earth  pointing manoeuvres will be performed on  13th,  17th
     and 20th July.

6.   GROUND SEGMENT

     The  ground segment performed nominally during the reporting
     period.

     The  two test passes at Weilheim which took place on 8th and
     10th  July  demonstrated that data receive only  passes  are
     possible.  Passes have been scheduled for the end of July.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab |
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | Common sense is not very
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | common.
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | 

                             ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                                 August 9, 1993

     On August 9, 1993 at 0747Z, the Ulysses spacecraft experienced a
DNEL (Disconnect of Non-Essential Loads) which indicates the spacecraft
went into safemode.  The spacecraft reconfigured itself to two-way non-coherent
mode and swapped transmitters.  DSS-42 (Canberra 34 meter antenna) lost
lock on the telemetry subcarrier.  The project sent up commands to the
spacecraft to turn telemetry on.  DSS-63 (Madrid 70 meter antenna) and
Wilheim had telemetry in-lock at 1103Z.  The project is continuing to
investigate the problem and is reconfiguring the spacecraft to its previous
state.

     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab | 
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | When given a choice between
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | two exciting things, choose
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | the one you haven't tried.

                               ULYSSES STATUS REPORT
                                  August 12, 1993

     A successful switch was made back to the prime spacecraft configuration
of transmitter 2 and AOCS-1 (Attitude and Orbit Control Subsystem).  Downlink
coherency has been enabled.  Re-configuration of the science instrumentation
is now 90% complete.
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab | 
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   M/S 525-3684 Telos | When given a choice between
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | two exciting things, choose
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | the one you haven't tried.

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY                       INTEROFFICE MEMO

                                                          September 30, 13

TO:             Distribution

FROM:   Ulysses Mission Operations Manager

SUBJECT:        ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 161

PERIOD:  21st September to 27th September 1993


1.      MISSION OPERATIONS

        Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
        required.

        On 22nd September a HED calibration was carried out.

        On 27th September a KEP in flight calibration was
        carried out.

        Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on
        23rd, 25th and 27th September.

        An average of 96.5 % data recovery was achieved during
        the reporting period.

        The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
        is as follows:

        1024 bps 36.2 %
         512 bps 60.2 %

        On 21st September the low noise maser amplifier at the
        Goldstone 34 meter site became unserviceable.  Following
        repairs, the maser was restored to service on 23rd
        September.  Rescheduling to another antenna at Goldstone
        minimised the loss of data.  However, just over 2 hours
        of data were lost as a result of the problem.


2.      SPACECRAFT STATUS

        POWER

        Nominal.

        Estimated S/C power consumption 253 watts.

        AOCS

        Nominal.

        TTC

        The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.

        The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
        operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
        performed.

        Received downlink level -141 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

        (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
        of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
        spacecraft antenna off-pointing).

        Received uplink level -124 dBm.

        DATA HANDLING

        Nominal.

        THERMAL

        Nominal.

3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS

        Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 6.39 on
        Angle (deg.)   21st September to 6.86 on 27th September.

        Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 6.44 on
        Angle (deg.)     21st September to 6.92 on 27th September.

        Spin Rate               4.976 rpm.

4.      ORBITAL DATA

        Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 27th September.

        Distance from Earth                761,147,579 km.
        Velocity relative to the Earth         134,256 km/hr.
        Velocity relative to the Sun            44,666 km/hr.
        Ecliptic latitude                         32.9 deg/south
        Heliographic latitude                     40.1 deg/south

5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS

        Routine data gathering operations will continue together
        with experiment reconfigurations as required.

        On 28th September a KEP RAM dump will be carried out.

        On 3rd October routine rescheduling of LOC parameters
        will be carried out.

        On 4th October a KEP in flight calibration will be
        carried out.  Also on this day BAM will be commanded to
        Matrix 1.

        On 6th October a HED calibration will be carried out.

        Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 29th
        September, 1st, 3rd and 5th October.

6.      GROUND SEGMENT

        The ground segment performed nominally during the
        reporting period with the exception of the Goldstone
        problem referred to above.

 
TO:       Distribution
 
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 162
 
PERIOD:   28th September to 4th October 1993
 
 
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 28th September a KEP RAM dump was carried out.
 
     On 3rd October routine rescheduling of LOC parameters
     was carried out.
 
     On 4th October a KEP in flight calibration was carried
     out.  Also on this day BAM was commanded to Matrix 1.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on
     29th September, 1st and 3rd October.
 
     An average of 96.9 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 36.9 %
      512 bps 59.9 %
 
     On 3rd October, heavy rain at the Canberra complex caused
     some bad data during the playback.
 
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 253 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
     performed.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 6.95 on
     Angle (deg.)   28th September to 7.73 on 4th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.03 on
     Angle (deg.)     28th September to 7.50 on 4th
                      October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.976 rpm.
 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 4th October.
 
     Distance from Earth                751,439,637 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         138,016 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            45,071 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         33.5 deg/south
     Heliographic latitude                     40.6 deg/south
 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 5th October a GAS monthly health check will be carried
     out.
 
     On 6th October a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
     On 6th October Ulysses will have been in orbit for 3
     years.
 
     On 9th October routine tape recorder switchover will be
     carried out.
 
     On 11th October a KEP in flight calibration will occur.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 5th, 7th,
     9th and 11th October.
 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period. 

 
TO:       Distribution
 
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 162
 
PERIOD:   28th September to 4th October 1993
 
 
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 28th September a KEP RAM dump was carried out.
 
     On 3rd October routine rescheduling of LOC parameters
     was carried out.
 
     On 4th October a KEP in flight calibration was carried
     out.  Also on this day BAM was commanded to Matrix 1.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on
     29th September, 1st and 3rd October.
 
     An average of 96.9 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 36.9 %
      512 bps 59.9 %
 
     On 3rd October, heavy rain at the Canberra complex caused
     some bad data during the playback.
 
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 253 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
     performed.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -123 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect   The angle increased from 6.95 on
     Angle (deg.)   28th September to 7.73 on 4th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.03 on
     Angle (deg.)     28th September to 7.50 on 4th
                      October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.976 rpm.
 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 4th October.
 
     Distance from Earth                751,439,637 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         138,016 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            45,071 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         33.5 deg/south
     Heliographic latitude                     40.6 deg/south
 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 5th October a GAS monthly health check will be carried
     out.
 
     On 6th October a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
     On 6th October Ulysses will have been in orbit for 3
     years.
 
     On 9th October routine tape recorder switchover will be
     carried out.
 
     On 11th October a KEP in flight calibration will occur.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 5th, 7th,
     9th and 11th October.
 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period. 

 
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY                    INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
 
                                             October 15, 1993
 
 
 
TO:       Distribution
 
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 163
 
PERIOD:    5th October to 11th October 1993
 
 
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
 
     On 6th October Ulysses celebrated 3 years in orbit.
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 5th October a GAS monthly health check was carried
     out.
 
     On 6th October a HED calibration was carried out.
 
     On 9th October routine tape recorder switchover was
     carried out.
 
     On 11th October a KEP in flight calibration took place.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres were carried out on
     5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th October.
 
     An average of 97.1 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 38.43 %
      512 bps 58.65 %
 
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 253 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
     performed.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -121 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 7.57 on
     Angle (deg.)     5th October to 8.24 on 11th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 7.70 on
     Angle (deg.)     5th October to 8.23 on 11th October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.976 rpm.
 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 11th October.
 
     Distance from Earth                740,382,714 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         141,587 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            45,483 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         34.0 deg/south
     Heliographic latitude                     41.2 deg/south
 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 12th October a SIM HET calibration will occur.
 
     On 14th October a GRU routine noise test will be carried
     out.
 
     On 18th October a KEP in flight calibration will occur.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 14th,
     16th, 18th, 21st and 23rd October.
 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period.

 
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY                       INTEROFFICE MEMO
 
                                                              October 21, 1993
 
TO:             Distribution
 
FROM:   Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:        ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 164
 
PERIOD: 12th October to 18th October 1993
 
1.      MISSION OPERATIONS
 
        Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
        required.
 
        On 12th October a SIM HET calibration occurred.
                                                                          
        On 14th October a GRU routine noise test was carried out.
 
        On 18th October a KEP in flight calibration occurred.
 
        Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 14th, 16th,
        and 18th October.
 
        An average of 98.3 % data recovery was achieved during
        the reporting period.
 
        The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
        is as follows:
 
        1024 bps 40.6 %
         512 bps 57.5 %
 
2.      SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
        POWER
 
        Nominal.
 
        Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.
 
        AOCS
 
        Nominal.
 
        TTC
 
        The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
        The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
        operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
        performed.
 
        Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
        (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
        of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
        spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
        Received uplink level -121 dBm.
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
        Nominal.
 
        DSU2 is in use.
 
        THERMAL
 
        Nominal.
 
3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
        Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 8.44 on
        Angle (deg.)     12th October to 9.04 on 18th October.
 
        Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 8.45 on
        Angle (deg.)     12th October to 9.13 on 18th October.
 
        Spin Rate               4.976 rpm.
 
4.      ORBITAL DATA
 
        Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 18th October.
 
        Distance from Earth                728,041,865 km.
        Velocity relative to the Earth         144,836 km/hr.
        Velocity relative to the Sun            45,904 km/hr.
        Ecliptic latitude                         34.6 deg/south
        Heliographic latitude                     41.7 deg/south
 
5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
        Routine data gathering operations will continue together
        with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
        On 20th October a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
        On 25th October a KEP in flight calibration will be
        carried out.
 
        On 26th October a KEP RAM dump will be carried out.
 
        Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 21st,
        23rd, 25th, 28th, and 30th October.
 
6.      GROUND SEGMENT
 
        The ground segment performed nominally during the
        reporting period.

 
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY                    INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
 
                                             November 1, 1993
 
TO:       Distribution
 
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
 
SUBJECT:  Ulysses Mission Operations Report No. 165
 
PERIOD:   19th October to 25th October 1993
 
1.   MISSION OPERATIONS
 
     Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
     required.
 
     On 20th October a HED calibration was carried out.
 
     On 25th October a KEP in flight calibration was carried
     out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 21st, 23rd
     and 25th October.
 
     An average of 98.2 % data recovery was achieved during
     the reporting period.
 
     The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
     is as follows:
 
     1024 bps 39.6 %
      512 bps 58.6 %
 
 
2.   SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
     POWER
 
     Nominal.
 
     Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.
 
     AOCS
 
     Nominal.
 
     TTC
 
     The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
     the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
     receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
     (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
     The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
     operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
     performed.
 
     Received downlink level -140 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
     (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
     of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
     spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
     Received uplink level -120 dBm.
 
     DATA HANDLING
 
     Nominal.
 
     DSU2 is in use.
 
     THERMAL
 
     Nominal.
 
 
3.   FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
     Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 9.30 on
     Angle (deg.)     19th October to 9.90 on 25th October.
 
     Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 9.13 on
     Angle (deg.)     19th October to 9.93 on 25th October.
 
     Spin Rate               4.976 rpm.
 
 
4.   ORBITAL DATA
 
     Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 25th October.
 
     Distance from Earth                714,511,348 km.
     Velocity relative to the Earth         147,668 km/hr.
     Velocity relative to the Sun            46,332 km/hr.
     Ecliptic latitude                         35.2 deg/south
     Heliographic latitude                     42.3 deg/south
 
 
5.   PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
     Routine data gathering operations will continue together
     with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
     On 26th October a KEP RAM dump will be carried out.
 
     On 1st November a KEP in flight calibration will be
     carried out.
 
     Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 28th and
     30th October and 1st November.
 
 
6.   GROUND SEGMENT
 
     The ground segment performed nominally during the
     reporting period.
 
 
     Peter Beech

 
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY                       INTEROFFICE MEMO
 
                                                  November 4, 1993
 
 
TO:             Ulysses Spacecraft Operations Manager
 
FROM:   Distribution
 
SUBJECT:        ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 166
 
PERIOD:         26th October 1st November 1993
 
1.      MISSION OPERATIONS
 
        Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required.
 
        On 26th October a KEP EPAC RAM dump was carried out.
 
        On 1st November a KEP in flight calibration was carried out.
 
        Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 28th and
        30th October and 1st November.
 
        An average of 92.7 % data recovery was achieved during
        the reporting period.  This low figure was caused by:
 
        the loss of a DSS 42 tracking pass on 29th October due to
        a Magellen spacecraft emergency.
 
        loss of data on 1st November from DSS 61 because of a
        waveguide switch problem.
 
        The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
        is as follows:
 
        1024 bps 33.9 %
         512 bps 58.8 %
 
2.      SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
        POWER
 
        Nominal.
 
        Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.
 
        AOCS
 
        Nominal.
 
        TTC
 
        The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
        the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
        receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
        (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
        The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
        operations.  Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely
        performed.
 
        Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
        (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
        of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
        spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
        Received uplink level -124 dBm.
 
        DATA HANDLING
 
        Nominal.
 
        DSU2 is in use.
 
        THERMAL
 
        Nominal.
 
3.      FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
        Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 9.71 on
        Angle (deg.)     26th October to 9.96 on 1st November.
 
        Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.32 on
        Angle (deg.)     26th October to 10.74 on 1st November.
 
        Spin Rate               4.975 rpm.
 
 
4.      ORBITAL DATA
 
        Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 1st November.
 
        Distance from Earth                699,906,966 km.
        Velocity relative to the Earth         150,166 km/hr.
        Velocity relative to the Sun            46,769 km/hr.
        Ecliptic latitude                         35.7 deg/south
        Heliographic latitude                     42.9 deg/south
 
5.      PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
        Routine data gathering operations will continue together
        with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
        On 1st November a KEP GAS monthly health check will be
        carried out.
 
        A HED calibration will be performed on 3rd November.
 
        On 8th November a KEP in flight calibration will be
        carried out.
 
        Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 4th, 6th
        and 8th November.
 
6.      GROUND SEGMENT
 
        There were two periods of lost data during the report
        week:
 
        On 29th October, a Magellen spacecraft emergency
        resulted in the loss of a complete DSS 42 track.  Some
        of the outage was covered by the addition of a DSS 45
        track but 2 hours of realtime data was lost.  A total of
        3 hours 18 minutes of playback data from 26th and 28th
        October was also lost.
 
        On 1st November, a problem with the waveguide switch
        prevented the selection of right-handed polarisation.
        4 hours 37 minutes of realtime data was lost and
        commanding was not possible for several hours.

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY               INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
                                        November 11, 1993

TO:       Distribution
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 167
PERIOD:   2nd November to 8th November 1993

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

    Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 

    A HED calibration was performed on 3rd November.

    On 8th November a KEP in flight calibration was carried out. 

    Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 4th, 6th and 8th 
    November. 

    An average of 94.2 % data recovery was achieved during the reporting 
    period. 

    The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as 
    follows: 

    1024 bps 37.1 %
     512 bps 57.1 %

    On 7th November the 34 meter station at Madrid was unable to support 
    due to antenna polarisation problems.  This led to the loss of a 
    complete pass. 

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

    POWER

    Nominal.

    Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.

    AOCS

    Nominal.

    TTC

    The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the prime 
    unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1 as backup fed 
    through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The downlink is provided 
    through EPC2/TWTA2. 

    The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC operations.  
    Ranging from 70 meter antennas is routinely performed. 

    Received downlink level -145 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

    (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of station 
    antenna in use, local weather conditions, and spacecraft antenna off-
    pointing). 

    Received uplink level -123 dBm.

    DATA HANDLING

    Nominal.

    DSU2 is in use.

    THERMAL

    Nominal.

3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS

    Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 10.92 on
    Angle (deg.)     2nd November to 11.51 on 8th November.

    Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 10.83 on
    Angle (deg.)     2nd November to 11.48 on 8th November.

    Spin Rate               4.975 rpm.

4.  ORBITAL DATA

    Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 8th November.

    Distance from Earth                684,343,449 km.
    Velocity relative to the Earth         152,345 km/hr.
    Velocity relative to the Sun            47,213 km/hr.
    Ecliptic latitude                         36.3 deg/south
    Heliographic latitude                     43.5 deg/south

5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS

    Routine data gathering operations will continue together with 
    experiment reconfigurations as required. 

    On 9th November a SIM HET calibration will be carried out. 

    On 11th November a GRU noise test will be carried out.

    On 15th November a KEP in flight calibration will be carried out. 

    Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 11th, 13th and 15th 
    November. 

6.  GROUND SEGMENT

    The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period 
    with the exception of the antenna polarisation problem at Madrid. 

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY               INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM
                                        November 17, 1993

TO:       Distribution
FROM:     Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
SUBJCT:   ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 168
PERIOD:   9th November to 15th November 1993

1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

    Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 

    On 9th November a SIM HET calibration was carried out.

    On 11th November a GRU noise test was carried out.

    On 15th November a KEP in flight calibration was carried out. 

    Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 11th, 13th, and 15th 
    November. 

    An average of 90.8 % data recovery was achieved during the reporting 
    period. 

    The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as 
    follows: 

    1024 bps 33.9 %
     512 bps 57.0 %

    On 15th November the 34 meter station at Goldstone was unable to 
    support due to a power cable failure to antenna receivers.  This led 
    to the loss of 4 hours and 40 minutes of realtime and 7 hours and 9 
    minutes of playback data. 


2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

    POWER

    Nominal.

    Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.

    AOCS

    Nominal.

    TTC

    The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the prime 
    unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1 as backup fed 
    through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The downlink is provided 
    through EPC2/TWTA2. 

    The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC and ranging 
    operations. 

    Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

    (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of station 
    antenna in use, local weather conditions, and spacecraft antenna off-
    pointing). 

    Received uplink level -123 dBm.

    DATA HANDLING

    Nominal.

    DSU2 is in use.

    THERMAL

    Nominal.


3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS

    Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 11.74 on
    Angle (deg.)     9th November to 12.45 on 15th November.

    Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 11.57 on
    Angle (deg.)     9th November to 12.18 on 15th November.

    Spin Rate               4.975 rpm.



4.  ORBITAL DATA

    Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 15th November.

    Distance from Earth                667,941,468 km.
    Velocity relative to the Earth         154,100 km/hr.
    Velocity relative to the Sun            47,667 km/hr.
    Ecliptic latitude                         36.9 deg/south
    Heliographic latitude                     44.1 deg/south


5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS

    Routine data gathering operations will continue together with 
    experiment reconfigurations as required. 

    On 17th November a HED calibration will be carried out.

    On 19th November BAM-I will be commanded to matrix 2.

    On 22nd November a KEP in flight calibration will be carried out. 

    Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 18th, 20th and 22nd 
    November. 


6.  GROUND SEGMENT

    The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period 
    with the exception of the power cable failure at Goldstone. 

JET PROPULSION LABORATORY                       INTEROFFICE MEMO
                                                November 24, 1993

TO:       Ulysses Mission Operations Manager
FROM:     Distribution
SUBJECT:  ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 169
PERIOD:   16th November to 22nd November 1993


1.  MISSION OPERATIONS

    Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as required. 

    On 17th November a HED calibration was carried out.

    On 18th November BAM-I was commanded to matrix 2.

    On 22nd November a KEP in flight calibration was carried out. 

    Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 18th, 20th and 22nd 
    November. 

    An average of 95.7 % data recovery was achieved during the reporting 
    period. 

    The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate is as 
    follows: 

    1024 bps 35.6 %
     512 bps 59.7 %

2.  SPACECRAFT STATUS

    POWER

    Nominal.

    Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.

    AOCS

    Nominal.

    TTC

    The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as the prime 
    unit fed via the high gain antenna and with receiver 1 as backup fed 
    through the low gain antenna (LGA-F). The downlink is provided 
    through EPC2/TWTA2. 

    The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC and ranging 
    operations. 

    Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.

    (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result of station 
    antenna in use, local weather conditions, and spacecraft antenna off-
    pointing). 

    Received uplink level -123 dBm.

    DATA HANDLING

    Nominal.

    DSU2 is in use.

    THERMAL

    Nominal.

3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS

    Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 12.45 on
    Angle (deg.)     16th November to 13.19 on 22nd November.

    Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 12.27 on
    Angle (deg.)     16th November to 12.82 on 22nd November.

    Spin Rate               4.975 rpm.


4.  ORBITAL DATA

    Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 22nd November.

    Distance from Earth                650,851,348 km.
    Velocity relative to the Earth         155,318 km/hr.
    Velocity relative to the Sun            48,130 km/hr.
    Ecliptic latitude                         37.5 deg/south
    Heliographic latitude                     44.7 deg/south

5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS

    Routine data gathering operations will continue together with 
    experiment reconfigurations as required. 

    On 23rd November a KEP RAM dump will be carried out.

    On 29th November a KEP in flight calibration will take place. 

    Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 25th, 27th and 29th 
    November. 

6.  GROUND SEGMENT

    The ground segment performed nominally during the reporting period. 

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon"  6-DEC-1993 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	HQ 93-217/ULYSSES AT SUN

Donald L. Savage
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.                                                  
December 6, 1993
(Phone:  202/358-0883)                                               
Embargoed until 3 p.m. EST

Jim Doyle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone:  818/354-5011)

RELEASE:  93-217

ULYSSES REACHES UNEXPLORED REGIONS OF SUN 

The Ulysses spacecraft -- on its way to explore the polar regions of the 
sun --has become the first spacecraft to reach further south than the 
most southerly dip of the sun's magnetic equator.  In this previously 
unexplored region, Ulysses observed that the fast-moving stream of 
charged particles, called the solar wind, is twice as fast, but less 
dense, than near the sun's equator. 

Measurements from the Ulysses' solar wind plasma experiment showed wind 
speeds of about 2 million miles per hour (800 kilometers per second) in 
this previously uncharted region of space, twice the speed at which the 
solar wind is known to flow in lower latitudes. 

The sun's magnetic equator is tilted and also characterized by a sheet of 
current extending into space.  The current sheet rotates with the sun and 
has folds like the skirt of a whirling ballerina.  Ulysses now is south 
of the folds of this current sheet.  

"This change in speed coincided with the spacecraft's passage south of a 
sheet of electrical current," said Dr. Edward J. Smith, NASA project 
scientist on the joint NASA-European Space Agency (ESA) mission.  "This 
current sheet separates the solar wind that originates in the northern 
solar hemisphere from that originating in the southern hemisphere." 

In this sunspot cycle, magnetic fields are directed outward from the sun 
in the northern hemisphere and inward back towards the sun in the 
southern hemisphere, separated by the current sheet.  Ulysses now has 
observed this change of direction, providing proof that its position is 
now below the sun's magnetic equator, according to Dr. Richard Marsden, 
ESA project scientist. 

"Far south of the sun's equator and well out of the equatorial region, 
Ulysses is observing magnetic field lines pointing inward only," Marsden 
said. 

A pair of magnetometers, each able to measure the magnetic fields above 
the sun's poles, will continue to measure the strength and direction of 
these field lines as Ulysses nears the region above the sun's southern pole. 

Ulysses also has observed the presence of shock waves emanating through 
this unexplored region of space.  When a fast solar wind stream pushes 
against a slow flowing wind, a shock wave may be generated.  A "forward" 
shock continues in the direction of the overtaking fast wind, while a so-
called "reverse" shock propagates in the opposite direction. 

Shock waves in the solar wind are somewhat analogous to the acoustic 
waves, or sonic booms, generated in Earth's atmosphere when an airplane 
flies faster than the speed at which sound waves can travel.  A lot of 
energy is concentrated in the compressed region close to the shock and 
charged particles passing through a shock can acquire part of this energy. 

"Acceleration at shocks is an important process, believed responsible for 
many of the high energy charged particles in the universe," Smith said. 

At low solar latitudes, within the domain occupied by the wavy current 
sheet, the interaction of fast and slow solar wind is a common occurrence 
because of the rotation of the sun, but it is not obvious that this 
shock- generating mechanism would be found at high solar latitudes.  As 
Ulysses began to escape the wavy current sheet, quite a few reverse 
shocks, but very few forward shocks, were observed. 

"This interesting new observation is explained by noting that, because 
the current sheet is tilted with respect to the sun's equator, outward-
propagating forward shocks travel toward the equator, while reverse 
shocks travel poleward," Smith said. 

Shock waves are believed to be responsible, too, for the acceleration of 
hydrogen, helium and certain other atoms which enter the solar system as 
low velocity neutrals from interstellar space which become ionized or 
charged in the solar wind.  Eventually, they reach energies at which they 
appear as "anomalous" cosmic rays. 

Acceleration to cosmic ray energies was generally believed to take place 
in the outermost regions of the heliosphere.  However, Ulysses has for 
the first time recorded acceleration of these particles by shock waves -- 
suggesting, Smith said, "that a significant increase in the energy of 
anomalous cosmic rays may take place much closer to the sun than was 
earlier believed." 

The spacecraft, launched from the Space Shuttle Discovery in October, 
1990, begins its primary mission in June 1994, when it begins to pass 
over the sun's southern pole.  

Ulysses is measuring the magnetic fields and waves and ionized gas flow 
from the sun, particle radiation, radio waves, x- and gamma rays and dust 
in its highly inclined elliptical 5-year orbit around the sun.  It is now 
about 45 degrees south solar latitude and will reach over 80 degrees 
south latitude for the first time next fall, and a maximum northerly 
latitude in 1995.  Ulysses will be more than 100 million miles from the 
sun at its closest approach. 

The experiment teams responsible for these recent discoveries included 
the solar-wind plasma experiment, led by Dr. John Phillips of Los Alamos 
National Laboratory; the magnetometer experiment, led by Dr. Andre Balogh 
of Imperial College, London; and the solar wind-ion composition 
experiment, led by Professor Johannes Geiss of the University of Bern and 
Dr. George Gloeckler of the University of Maryland. 

New information about this region and other findings from Ulysses are 
featured today in 41 research papers presented at the 1993 fall meeting 
of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.  

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the Ulysses 
mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. 

 
FROM:   Ulysses Mission Spacecraft Operations Manager
SUBJECT:    ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 173
PERIOD:     14th December to 20th December 1993
 
1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
    Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
    required.
 
    On 15th December a HED calibration was carried out.
 
    KEP GAS scans continued throughout the reporting period.
 
    A KEP EPAC in flight calibration was performed on 20th
    December.
 
    Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 16th, 18th
    and 20th December.
 
    An average of 98.6 % data recovery was achieved during
    the reporting period.
 
    The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
    is as follows:
 
    1024 bps 37.7 %
     512 bps 60.9 %
 
2.      SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
    POWER
 
    Nominal.
 
    Estimated S/C power consumption 252 watts.
    
    AOCS
 
    Nominal.
 
    TTC
 
    The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
    the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
    receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
    (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
    The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
    and ranging operations.
 
    Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
    (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
    of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
    spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
    Received uplink level -120 dBm.
 
    DATA HANDLING
 
    Nominal.
 
    DSU2 is in use.
 
    THERMAL
 
    Nominal.
 
3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
    Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 14.34 on
    Angle (deg.)     14th December to 14.64 on 20th December.
 
    Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 14.31 on
    Angle (deg.)     14th December to 14.57 on 20th December.
 
    Spin Rate               4.974 rpm.
 
4.  ORBITAL DATA
 
    Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 20th December.
 
    Distance from Earth                579,046,867 km.
    Velocity relative to the Earth         155,575 km/hr.
    Velocity relative to the Sun            50,071 km/hr.
    Ecliptic latitude                        40.04 deg/south
    Heliographic latitude                    47.18 deg/south
 
5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
    Routine data gathering operations will continue together
    with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
    BAM-E and BAM-I calibrations will be performed on 21st
    December.
 
    KEP GAS scans will continue until 22nd December when the
    GAS data will be switched off.  Last week's report
    incorrectly stated that the GAS data would be switched
    off on 30th December.
 
    On 23th December a KEP EPAC RAM dump will be performed.
 
    On 26th December routine tape recorder switchover will be
    carried out.
 
    On 27th December a KEP in flight calibration will take
    place.
 
    Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 23rd,
    25th and 27th December.
 
6.  GROUND SEGMENT
 
    The ground segment performed nominally during the
    reporting period.
 

 
FROM:   Ulysses Mission Spacecraft Operations Manager
SUBJECT:    ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 174
PERIOD:     21st December to 27th December 1993
 
1.  MISSION OPERATIONS
 
    Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
    required.
 
    On 21st December a BAM-E and BAM-I calibration were carried out.
 
    KEP GAS scans were concluded on 22nd December.
 
    A KEP EPAC RAM dump was performed on 23rd December and an
    in flight calibration carried out on 27th December.
 
    On 26th December a routine tape recorder switchover
    was carried out.    
 
    Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 23rd, 25th and
    27th December.
 
    An average of 97.6 % data recovery was achieved during
    the reporting period.
 
    The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
    is as follows:
 
    1024 bps 36.7 %
     512 bps 53.9 %
     256 bps  7.0 %
 
    Data rated during recording periods were reduced to 256 bps over
    the Christmas period.  This was due to longer than usual
    out-of-view periods caused by ground station closures over
    the holidays.
 
2.      SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
    POWER
 
    Nominal.
 
    Estimated S/C power consumption 251 watts.
    
    AOCS
 
    Nominal.
 
    TTC
 
    The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
    the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
    receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
    (LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
    The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
    and ranging operations.
 
    Received downlink level -144 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
    (Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
    of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
    spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
    Received uplink level -120 dBm.
 
    DATA HANDLING
 
    Nominal.
 
    DSU1 is in use.
 
    THERMAL
 
    Nominal.
 
3.  FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
    Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 14.64 on
    Angle (deg.)     21st December to 14.80 on 27th December.
 
    Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 14.57 on
    Angle (deg.)     21th December to 14.72 on 27th December.
 
    Spin Rate               4.974 rpm.
 
4.  ORBITAL DATA
 
    Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 27th December.
 
    Distance from Earth                561,178,161 km.
    Velocity relative to the Earth         154,317 km/hr.
    Velocity relative to the Sun            50,580 km/hr.
    Ecliptic latitude                         40.7 deg/south
    Heliographic latitude                     47.8 deg/south
 
5.  PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
    Routine data gathering operations will continue together
    with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
    On 29th December the HUS detector 1 high voltage 2 will be
    increased one step.
 
    On 29th December a HED calibration will be carried out.
 
    On 3rd January a KEP in flight calibration will take
    place.
 
    Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 30th December,
    1st and 3rd January.
 
6.  GROUND SEGMENT
 
    The ground segment performed nominally during the
    reporting period.
 

 
FROM:	Ulysses Mission Spacecraft Operations Manager
SUBJECT:	ULYSSES MISSION OPERATIONS REPORT No. 175
PERIOD: 	28th December 1993 to 3rd January 1994
 
1.	MISSION OPERATIONS
 
	Experiment reconfigurations have been carried out as
	required.
 
	On 29th December a HED calibration was carried out.
 
	The HUS detector 1 high voltage 2 was increased by one
	step on 29th December.
 
	A KEP EPAC in flight calibration was performed on
	3rd January.
 
	Earth pointing manoeuvres were performed on 30th December,
	1st and 3rd January.
 
	An average of 98.7 % data recovery was achieved during
	the reporting period.
 
	The percentage of data acquired as a function of bit rate
	is as follows:
 
	1024 bps 38.4 %
	 512 bps 60.3 %
 
2.	SPACECRAFT STATUS
 
	POWER
 
	Nominal.
 
	Estimated S/C power consumption 251 watts.
	
	AOCS
 
	Nominal.
 
	TTC
 
	The spacecraft is currently configured with receiver 2 as
	the prime unit fed via the high gain antenna and with
	receiver 1 as backup fed through the low gain antenna
	(LGA-F). The downlink is provided through EPC2/TWTA2.
 
	The 34 meter ground stations are in use to support TTC
	and ranging operations.
 
	Received downlink level -143 dBm.(34 meter) X-band.
 
	(Variations of up to 10 db. can be expected as a result
	of station antenna in use, local weather conditions, and
	spacecraft antenna off-pointing).
 
	Received uplink level -122 dBm.
 
	DATA HANDLING
 
	Nominal.
 
	DSU1 is in use.
 
	THERMAL
 
	Nominal.
 
3.	FLIGHT DYNAMICS
 
	Solar Aspect     The angle increased from 14.72 on
	Angle (deg.)     28th December to 14.86 on 3rd January.
 
	Sun-Probe-Earth  The angle increased from 14.80 on
	Angle (deg.)     28th December to 14.89 on 3rd January.
 
	Spin Rate               4.974 rpm.
 
4.	ORBITAL DATA
 
	Data taken at 00:00:00 UTC on 3rd January.
 
	Distance from Earth                543,753,155 km.
	Velocity relative to the Earth         152,613 km/hr.
	Velocity relative to the Sun            51,100 km/hr.
	Ecliptic latitude                         41.4 deg/south
	Heliographic latitude                     48.5 deg/south
 
5.	PLANNED OPERATIONS
 
	Routine data gathering operations will continue together
	with experiment reconfigurations as required.
 
	On 4th January a SIM HET calibration will be performed.
 
	A GRU noise test will be carried out on 6th January.
 
	On 10th January a KEP in flight calibration will take
	place.
 
	Earth pointing manoeuvres will be performed on 6th, 8th
	and 10th January.
 
6.	GROUND SEGMENT
 
	The ground segment performed nominally during the
	reporting period.
 

Article: 953
From: [email protected] (Michael A. DuVernois)
Newsgroups: sci.space.tech
Subject: Re: Ulysses
Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 21:29:59 GMT
Organization: University of Chicago
Sender: [email protected] (News System)
 
>    At present, these are my questions:
>
>          When is Ulysses due to pass "above" the sun?

Well, the South polar pass is the end of this summer.  The north polar pas
is in another year - then repeated (funding dependent) in 2000.
 
>          When will the main sequence of experiments begin?

All of the main instruments have been functioning since shortly after launch
(some were off briefly during Jupiter encounter).  A more intense data 
collection and analysis effort will occur during the close approach, as
during Jupiter encounter.
 
>          What experiments does the Ulysses carry?

Particle telescopes - the University of Chicago High Energy Telescope, Kiel
Electron Telescope, high flux telescope (National Research Council of Canada)
plus less interesting instruments :) for plasma and magnetic field work.
 
>          Are there any particular theories Ulysses will test?

Ulysses will determine the magnetic field structure of the solar polar
regions.  In particular if the field lines are roughly parallel over the
poles, direct cosmic ray access to the termination shock (where the solar
wind undergoes supersonic to subsonic transition) will be possible.  The
standard models for the heliosphere are all lacking in information about
the 3-d structure of the fields.  We might be able to understand the proton
superfluxes, the anomalous component, and solar modulation because of the
Ulysses data.  All of this is related to the particle data as it's what
I'm most familiar with.
 
Mike DuVernois
Ulysses Group, LASR, EFI, U of C, oh so many initials.
 

Article: 83882
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.astro,alt.sci.planetary
Subject: Ulysses Finds Double-Quick Solar Wind
Date: 5 Mar 1994 21:43 UT
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
From the "JPL Universe"
December 3, 1993
 
Ulysses finds double-quick solar wind -- 2 million mph
By Diane Ainsworth
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft--on its way to explore the polar
regions above the sun--has reached a latitude south of the
ecliptic plane in which the solar wind is speeding at double the
rate normally found at lower latitudes.

     Measurements from Ulysses' solar wind plasma experiment,
presented Monday at the 1993 fall meeting of the American
Geophysical Union in San Francisco, showed wind speeds of 800
kilometers per second (about 2 million miles per hour) in this
uncharted region of space, twice the speed at which the solar
wind is known to flow in lower latitudes.

     "This change in speed coincided with the spacecraft's
passage above a sheet of electrical current," said Dr. Edward J.
Smith, NASA project scientist on the joint NASA-European Space
Agency (ESA) mission. "This current sheet separates the solar
wind that originates in the northern solar hemisphere from that
originating in the southern hemisphere."

     The current sheet rotates with the sun and has folds like
the skirt of a whirling ballerina. Ulysses is now south of the
folds of this current sheet.

     When spacecraft are above the current sheet, they detect
magnetic fields directed outward from the sun. When spacecraft
are below the current sheet, they observe inward-directed fields,
according to Dr. Richard Marsden, ESA project scientist.

     "Far south of the sun's equator and well out of the
equatorial region, Ulysses is now observing magnetic field lines
pointing inward only," Marsden said.

     A pair of magnetometers, each able to measure the magnetic
fields above the sun's poles, will continue to measure the
strength and direction of these field lines as Ulysses nears the
region above the sun's southern pole.

     Ulysses has also observed the presence of shock waves
emanating through this unexplored region of space. When the
progress of a fast solar-wind stream is obstructed by slow
flowing wind, a shock wave may be generated.

     A "forward" shock continues in the direction of the
overtaking fast wind, while a so-called "reverse" shock
propagates in the opposite direction.

     Shock waves in the solar wind are somewhat analogous to the
acoustic waves, or sonic booms, generated in Earth's atmosphere
when an airplane flies faster than the speed at which sound waves
can travel. A lot of energy is concentrated in the compressed
region close to the shock and charged particles passing through a
shock can acquire part of this energy. 

     "Acceleration at shocks is an important process, believed
responsible for many of the high energy charged particles in the
Universe," Smith said.

     At low solar latitudes, within the domain occupied by the
wavy current sheet, the interaction of fast and slow solar wind
is a common occurrence, but it is not obvious that this
shock-generating mechanism would be found at high solar
latitudes. As Ulysses began to escape the wavy current sheet,
quite a few reverse shocks, but very few forward shocks, were
observed.

     "This interesting new observation is explained by noting
that, because the current sheet is tilted with respect to the
sun's equator, outward-propagating forward shocks travel toward
the equator, while reverse shocks travel poleward," Smith said.

     Shock waves are believed to be responsible, too, for the
acceleration of hydrogen, helium and certain other atoms that
enter the solar system as low velocity neutrals from interstellar
space, and which become ionized, or charged, in the solar wind.
Eventually, they reach energies at which they appear as
"anomalous" cosmic rays.

     Acceleration to cosmic ray energies was generally believed
to take place in the outermost regions of the heliosphere.
However, Ulysses has for the first time recorded acceleration of
these particles by shock waves--suggesting, Smith said, "that a
significant increase in the energy of anomalous cosmic rays may
take place much closer to the sun than was earlier believed."

     Ulysses is a five-year mission managed jointly by NASA and
ESA to study the regions above the sun's poles. The spacecraft
begins its primary mission in June 1994, when it begins to pass
over the sun's southern pole.

     The experiment teams responsible for these recent
discoveries include the solar-wind plasma experiment, led by Dr.
John Phillips of Los Alamos National Laboratory; the magnetometer
experiment, led by Dr. Andre Balogh of Imperial College, London;
and the solar wind-ion composition experiment, led by Drs. George
Gloeckler of the University of Maryland and Johannes Geiss of the
Universitat Bern, Switzerland.
 
     ___    _____     ___
    /_ /|  /____/ \  /_ /|     Ron Baalke         | [email protected]
    | | | |  __ \ /| | | |     Jet Propulsion Lab | 
 ___| | | | |__) |/  | | |__   Galileo S-Band     | A mind stretched by a new
/___| | | |  ___/    | |/__ /| Pasadena, CA 91109 | idea can never go back to
|_____|/  |_|/       |_____|/                     | its original dimensions.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon"  4-JUN-1994 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses status 6/3/94

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                     ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          June 3, 1994

     The Ulysses spacecraft, on its way to explore the polar regions
of the Sun, is traveling through areas of space never before visited. 

     In this region well below the Sun's magnetic equator, the
spacecraft has encountered a more tranquil zone where magnetic
interference is at a minimum.  Surprisingly, though, the solar 
wind originating from the Sun is speeding at double the rate (800 
kilometers per second or about 2 million miles per hour) at which 
it normally flows along the equator. 

     This change in speed coincided with the spacecraft's passage
above a sheet of electrical current that separates the solar wind
originating in the northern hemisphere from that originating in the
southern solar hemisphere.  The current sheet rotates with the Sun and
has folds like the skirt of a whirling ballerina.  Ulysses is now 66
degrees south of that current sheet and about 482 million kilometers
(300 million miles) from the Sun. 

     Traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 65,000 kilometers
per hour (41,000 miles per hour), Ulysses will descend to 70 degrees
south latitude on June 26, marking the beginning of a four-month pass
over the Sun's southern pole. 

     During July the spacecraft will be in a position to measure radio
emissions that ripple outward from a series of impacts caused by the
collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 into Jupiter's gaseous atmosphere.
The cometary fragments will begin crashing into Jupiter on July 16
and continue through July 22.  Ulysses will have a view of the limb,
at 74.5 degrees south of the Sun's equator, and will be able to make
measurements of radio and plasma waves radiating through space as the
fragments collide. 

     All spacecraft and science operations are continuing to go well. 
Ground controllers are carrying out routine data gathering activities
and experiment readjustments as needed.  NASA's Deep Space Network
34-meter (112-foot) and 70-meter (230-foot) ground antennas are
tracking Ulysses as it moves closer to its primary destination over
the Sun's southern pole. 

From:	US4RMC::"ASTRO%[email protected]" "Astronomy Discussion 
        List" 27-JUN-1994 19:19:17.43
To:	Multiple recipients of list ASTRO <ASTRO%[email protected]>
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses Starts Primary Mission at Sun

Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone:  202/358-1547)
June 27, 1994

Diane Ainsworth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
(Phone:  818/354-5011)

RELEASE: 94-104

ULYSSES STARTS PRIMARY MISSION AT SUN

        The Ulysses spacecraft became the first robotic
exploration vehicle in history to reach a polar region of the
Sun when it passed over the Sun's southern polar area June 26
after a journey of almost four years from Earth.

        The spacecraft, built by the European Space Agency (ESA),
will now climb to a position 70 degrees south of the Sun's
equator to begin a four-month study of the complex force at
work in the polar region.  Ulysses was deployed from the
Space Shuttle Discovery in October 1990.  In February 1992,
Ulysses spent nearly 11 days exploring unknown regions of
Jupiter before gaining enough momentum to loop out of the
ecliptic and on an orbit that passes over the poles of the Sun.

        Scientists are elated to be able, finally, to carry out
observations in the Sun's polar regions, said U.S. Project
Scientist Dr. Edward J. Smith of NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.  "We have been like
explorers confined to travel near the Earth's equator without
being able to journey to the arctic regions."

        "For a long time, we have suspected that much of the
solar phenomena studied at, and near, the Earth was
controlled by conditions in the Sun's polar regions," added
Dr. Richard G. Marsden, ESA project scientist. "But never
before have we been able to observe those processes."

        The lack of knowledge about these vital regions of the
Sun has resulted in large part from the limited view that
Earth-based instruments or spacecraft orbiting the Earth have
had of the Sun.  In addition, many complex solar phenomena
cannot be observed remotely, but require direct measurements.
The advance of space technology has made it possible in the
last few decades to send proper instrumented robotic spacecraft
such as Ulysses to previously inaccessible regions to make those direct
measurements.

        The polar regions of the Sun -- although mysterious in
many ways -- have long captivated scientists' interest.

        "The existence of a global magnetic field means that the
Sun has magnetic poles much like the Earth," Smith said.
"However, the properties of the polar magnetic fields, which
switch polarity every 11 years in conjunction with the
sunspot cycle, are poorly understood.  Nevertheless, their
existence introduces a basic north-south asymmetry into the
solar atmosphere and space surrounding the Sun."

        A better understanding of the Sun's magnetic field will
be important, the scientists contended, because magnetic
fields play a key role in the physics of the Sun's outer
atmosphere -- called the corona -- and its extension outward
into space as the so-called solar wind.

        "The characteristic structure of the corona is imposed by
the Sun's magnetic field," Smith said.  "Furthermore, the
source of the heat which creates the corona is unknown, but
it is generally believed to be energy originally stored in
the Sun's twisted and irregular magnetic fields."

        Whatever the heat source may be, scientists think the
corona is generally too hot to be restrained by even the
massive gravity field of the Sun.  Unless the magnetic field
can hold back the coronal gas, that gas flows outward into
space as the solar wind picks up speed.  The solar wind is
known to reach velocities of about a million miles per hour.

        On the other hand, Smith added, if magnetic fields are
directed outward from the Sun, they can channel the flow and
assist in the escape and acceleration of the coronal gas.
Coronal holes, regions of the corona which appear to be dark
compared to the rest of the corona, are known sources of the
solar wind.

        Although these general observations are clear, many
details remain obscure and will become the focus of Ulysses
measurements, Smith added.

        For instance, in the Sun's polar caps, the magnetic field
extends outward through semi-permanent, very large coronal
holes.  By virtue of being directly above these sources and
in the absence of complications introduced by the Sun's
rotation, Ulysses is expected to contribute significant new
knowledge about the escape and acceleration of the solar wind
and, possibly, about the heating of the corona itself.

        The magnetic field also exerts a crucial influence on
matter arriving in the vicinity of the Sun from the Milky Way
galaxy and, in particular, from the nearby interstellar medium.

        Incoming cosmic rays, the nuclei of atoms traveling at
nearly the speed of light, are subject to forces exerted by
the Sun's magnetic field and its superimposed irregularities.
The structure of the Sun's magnetic field is thought to favor
entry of the cosmic rays by way of the polar regions.

        Two questions of scientific importance, Smith noted, are
the extent to which the galactic cosmic rays observed at
Earth use this route, and the ways in which their properties
are modified as a consequence.

        "We hope to gain more knowledge of the intensity and
properties of the cosmic rays far from the Sun, something
that is presently unknown," Smith said.  "The Ulysses mission
will be able to shed new light on these long-standing
riddles, as the instruments on board simultaneously measure
the magnetic field and the properties of the solar wind and
the cosmic rays."

        The Ulysses mission is managed jointly by the European
Space Agency and NASA to study the regions over the Sun's
poles.  JPL oversees the U.S. portion of the mission for
NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

- end -

NOTE TO EDITORS:  A videotape illustrating this news release
is available to news media representatives by faxing the
Broadcast and Imaging Branch on 202/358-4333.

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% Reply-To: Astronomy Discussion List <ASTRO%[email protected]>
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From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon" 30-JUN-1994 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses status 7/1/94

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                  ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                      July 1, 1994

     The Ulysses spacecraft has begun its primary mission
over the southern pole of the sun, where it will spend the
next four months collecting data on the complex forces at
work in that region.

     Ulysses reached 70 degrees south of the sun's equator
on June 26, which marked the beginning of its passage over
what scientists consider to be the polar region of the sun.
In mid-September, the spacecraft will climb to 80 degrees
south latitude before beginning to descend and loop back
around the sun.  In June of 1995, the spacecraft will begin
its journey over the northern pole of the sun.

     The spacecraft is currently at 70.85 degrees south of
the sun's equator, with all spacecraft and science
operations continuing to go well.  Ground controllers are
carrying out routine data-gathering activities and
experiment readjustments as needed.

     Scientists are beginning to study solar phenomena such
as the behavior of magnetic fields and their influence on
the sun's outer atmosphere, known as the corona.  Ulysses is
expected to contribute significant new information about
other phenomena, such as the escape and acceleration of the
solar wind through large coronal holes found in these polar
regions.  Scientists will also study the properties of
cosmic matter arriving in the vicinity of the sun from the
Milky Way galaxy and nearby interstellar space.

     Ulysses is an international mission, managed jointly by
the European Space Agency and NASA, to study regions never
before explored by spacecraft over the sun's poles.  The Jet
Propulsion Laboratory oversees the U.S. portion of the
mission for NASA's Office of  Space Science.

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon" 30-JUL-1994 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses status 8/1/94

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                      ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                          August 1, 1994

     The Ulysses spacecraft -- currently exploring high latitude
regions over the sun's southern pole -- has climbed to 75.5 degrees
south of the sun's equator and is in the midst of its primary mission
to examine the complex forces at work in these regions of space. 

     Ulysses was in a position to observe the impacts of comet
Shoemaker-Levy 9 during mid-July.  At the time Ulysses had a direct
line of sight to the impact region at 74.5 degrees south of the sun's
equator.  The spacecraft was about 375 million kilometers (230 million
miles) below the ecliptic plane in which the planets orbit and 795
million kilometers (490 million miles) from Jupiter.  Ulysses' unified
radio and plasma wave experiment was reconfigured to provide the
highest level of sensitivity for detecting very low frequency radio
waves of less than 1 megahertz that might have been generated by the
comet impacts. 

     Data from the impact of fragment A on July 16 through the
collision of fragment Q on July 20 have been processed and analyzed,
but no clear evidence of changes in radio frequencies has been
detected. Jupiter normally has considerable activity at these
frequencies. Members of the Ulysses radio science team will continue
to watch for the more subtle or long-term effects of the comet
collisions, but they do not anticipate much new information in the
aftermath of the event. 

     All spacecraft operations and science experiments continue to go
well.  Ground controllers are carrying out routine data-gathering
activities and experiment readjustments as needed.  The European Space
Agency's tracking facility at Kourou, French Guiana, has been modified
and brought on-line to help provide 24-hour coverage of Ulysses now
that it is moving into the sun-Earth region where the spacecraft's
axial boom is illuminated by the sun. This illumination causes uneven
heating of the boom which, in turn, causes a slight wobble of the
spacecraft. Shortly after launch, Ulysses went through a period of
wobbling that was finally controlled by an onboard control system that
is used to maneuver and keep the spacecraft pointing at Earth.  Ground
controllers must be in constant contact with the spacecraft to carry
out this technique, allowing the onboard system to detect and reduce
unwanted motion. 

     Today Ulysses is traveling at a velocity of about 74,000
kilometers per hour (46,000 miles per hour) with respect to the sun. 

                           #####

From:	US4RMC::"[email protected]" "AIP listserver" 23-AUG-1994 19:28:00.10
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	update.191

PHYSICS NEWS UPDATE
A digest of physics news items by Phillip F. Schewe, American
Institute of Physics
Number 191   August 23, 1994                   [email protected]

ULYSSES NEARS THE ANTIPODES.  Like Homer's wayfaring
hero, the Ulysses spacecraft has now gone where others have never
gone before, in this case beneath the Sun's south pole.  Ulysses' orbit
around the sun (at a radius of 2.4 astronomical units) should take it
over the north pole next summer.  Two discoveries so far: the solar
magnetic field strength has not increased toward the pole as it was
supposed to do; and the speed of the solar wind has been measured
to be twice as great at the pole as in the plane of the solar equator. 
(Science News, 6 August 1994.)

PLASMA CRYSTALS, macroscopic ensembles of dust particles held
in a crystal-like array by a plasma of weakly ionized argon atoms,
have been devised by a Garching-Cologne-Iowa team of physicists (H.
Thomas et al., Physical Review Letters, 1 August).  The dust
assembly, consisting of 7-micron plastic balls, is contained between
two electrodes and illuminated by a laser beam.  Even with the
unaided eye, one can see that the particles arrange themselves
regularly in as many as 18 planes parallel to the electrodes.  Plasma
crystals might be useful in modeling interstellar clouds, which are
dusty plasmas, and in plasma-assisted manufacturing techniques,
prominent in the microelectronics industry.  (Science News, 6
August; Nature, 11 August.)

A DIGITAL HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE SYSTEM, one actually
integrated with a computer hard drive, has been developed by
scientists at Stanford.  In such a system data is converted into light
patterns.  The light waves enter a photorefractive medium, where
they bring about microscopic rearrangements of electric charge which
in turn affect the local index of refraction.  To read out the data, a
reference laser beam is sent into the medium; the refracted beam,
bearing the decoded data, is detected with a charge-coupled device. 
Data can be stacked up in the hologram by recording at several
angles.  By home-computer standards, the Stanford results so far are
modest: total storage capacity of 163 kB and a data transfer rate of
6.3 MB per second.  The researchers believe future hologram
performance should be much better: terabytes of storage and transfers
above 1 gigabit per second.  (John F. Heanue, Matthew C. Bashaw,
Lambertus Hesselink, Science, 5 August.)

"THE LIFE AND TIMES OF EDWARD LEPTON," by Carl
Norman, is one of the winning entries in the 1994 Science in Print
award, sponsored jointly by Britain's National Physical Laboratory
and by the Institute of Physics in London.  Norman, who works at
Imperial College, London, tells the fanciful story of a single electron
on its journey through the world.  Starting out as a yeoman outer
electron in a silicon atom, Eddie (as the electron is known) is
liberated by the appearance of an impurity phosphorus atom next
door.  Thereafter drawn on by electric potential, Eddie does
journeyman work through one circuit after another.  He gets the ride
of his life when he is shot at high speed by the gun of a scanning
electron microscope into a specimen, where he frees thousands of
brother electrons from surface atoms.  His energy spent, Edward lives
out his days in semi-retirement attached once again, as most
terrestrial electrons must be, to an atom.  (Physics World, July 1994.)

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Tue, 23 Aug 94 16:04:19 EDT
% From: [email protected] (AIP listserver)
% Message-Id: <[email protected]>
% To: [email protected]
% Subject: update.191

From:	GEMVAX::US4RMC::"ESAPRESS%[email protected]" "ESAPRESS list" 
        30-AUG-1994 16:55:38.63
To:	Multiple recipients of list ESAPRESS <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>
CC:	
Subj:	 

Press Release No.25-94
Paris, 30 August 1994

Ulysses* reaches the South Pole of the Sun After almost four years, an
exploratory voyage crossing regions of the cosmos never before visited
by spacecraft is approaching its climax. On 13 September 1994, ESA's
Ulysses spaceprobe will reach a point less than 10 degrees from the
Sun's south pole. One of the many investigations being carried out is
a search for the Sun's south magnetic pole. As in the case of the
Earth, the magnetic pole is offset from the rotation axis, and at some
time in September it should sweep directly into line with Ulysses. 

Just as the polar regions of the Earth were the last to be explored,
so it is with the Sun. For more than thirty years spacecraft have
investigated the stream of electric particles know as the solar wind.
Ulysses, developed by ESA, built by European Industry and flown in
collaboration with NASA, is the first to fly through the solar wind
coming from the poles. 

As Ulysses reaches its highest solar latitude of 80.2 degrees on 13
September, European and American researchers will gather at the
ESA/ESTEC, the European Space Research and Technology Centre in
Noordwijk, the Netherlands, for a scientific workshop at which they
will assess the results from the nine experiments carried by the
spacecraft. 

For the week of the workshop, the ESA/ESTEC conference centre will be
transformed into a busy scientific laboratory. The large meeting rooms
will be divided into 24 working areas, where the Ulysses experiment
teams will take up temporary residence. Bringing a variety of
computing equipment with them, the scientists will be able to retrieve
the latest data from the spacecraft and perform detailed analyses. The
emphasis will be on informality, with exchange of scientific ideas -
and data - the key ingredient, leading ultimately to a better
understanding of the fascinating information being gathered by Ulysses
on its unique exploratory journey. 

Presentations to the media at ESA/ESTEC will start at 10h00 on 16
September. Media representatives wishing to attend are kindly
requested to fill out the attached form and return it - preferably by
fax (+33.1.42.73.76.90) - to : 

ESA Public Relations Division, 8/10, rue Mario Nikis - 75015-PARIS.

Note to Television Editors :
A video index, containing extensive background material on the Ulysses
voyage (including specially created 3-D animation), is available on
Betacam SP together with a VHS time-coded copy and printed
information. This package is available on request. 

On Thursday 15 and Friday 16 September video news releases explaining
this memorable event will be distributed by Reuters London via
satellite to all European broadcasters. 

*   Ulysses is a joint ESA/NASA mission. ESA developed
    the probe and is contributing an estimated ECU 170
    million up to 1995 to its in-flight operation. European
    research laboratories provided half of the scientific
    instruments. NASA provided the other half of the
    experiments flown, a radio-isotopic power generator
    and the launch; it is also maintaining day-to-day
    communications with the probe via its dedicated antennas.

% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date:         Tue, 30 Aug 1994 17:18:19 EST
% Reply-To: ESAPRESS list <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>
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% From: MAILRP%[email protected]
% To: Multiple recipients of list ESAPRESS <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon"  1-SEP-1994 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses status 9/1/94

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011

                   ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                     September 1, 1994

     The Ulysses spacecraft is continuing to explore high latitude
regions of the Sun's southern pole, providing scientists with their
first chance to obtain measurements directly from regions never before
visited by spacecraft.  Ulysses is currently 79.5 degrees south of the
sun's equator and has traveled nearly 2 billion kilometers (1.2
billion miles) since launch on Oct. 6, 1990. 

     All spacecraft operations and science experiments continue to go
well.  Ground controllers are carrying out routine data-gathering
activities and experiment adjustments as needed.  The European Space
Agency's tracking facility at Kourou, French Guiana and NASA's Deep
Space Network facility at Canberra, Australia are being used to track
the spacecraft 24 hours a day now that Ulysses has moved into the
Sun-Earth region where the spacecraft's axial boom is illuminated by
the Sun.  This illumination causes uneven heating of the boom which,
in turn, can cause a slight wobbling of the spacecraft.  However, no
wobbling has occurred.  Ground controllers will continue to stay in
constant contact with the spacecraft and use an onboard control system
to maneuver and keep the spacecraft pointing at Earth during this
phase of the mission. 

     Ulysses will reach its highest latitude of 80.2 degrees south of
the Sun's equator on Sept. 13.  The European Space Agency will be
sponsoring a three-day science conference beginning that day to
discuss preliminary science results from this unique region of space. 
The conference will be held at the European Space and Technology
Center in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.  A press conference will be held
on Sept. 16 and taped for later distribution to members of the press
in the United States. 

     Today Ulysses is traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about 79,000 
kilometers per hour (49,000 miles per hour) with respect to the Sun. 

From:	US1RMC::"[email protected]" "Ron Baalke"  4-SEP-1994 
To:	[email protected]
CC:	
Subj:	Ulysses Reaches Sun's Southern Pole

From the "JPL Universe"
June 30, 1994

Ulysses reaches sun's southern pole
By DIANE AINSWORTH

   After nearly four years in flight, the Ulysses spacecraft
reached the sun's southern pole on June 26--the first spacecraft
ever to explore that region of space--and began its primary mission.

   Ulysses has climbed to 70 degrees south of the sun's equator,
where it will spend the next four months gathering data on the
complex forces at work over the sun's polar region, scientists
from the joint NASA-European Space Agency (ESA) mission reported.

   The Ulysses spacecraft took an intricate flight path to the
sun, using Jupiter's powerful gravity field to swing out of the
ecliptic plane in which the planets orbit. In February 1992,
Ulysses spent nearly 11 days exploring unknown regions of Jupiter
before gaining enough momentum to loop out of the ecliptic plane
and onward to the poles of the sun.

   Scientists are elated to be able, finally, to carry out
observations in the sun's polar regions, said NASA Project
Scientist Dr. Edward Smith of JPL's Space Physics Element (3239).

   "We have been like explorers confined to travel near the
Earth's equator without being able to journey to the arctic
regions," Smith said.

   "For a long time, we have suspected that much of the solar
phenomena studied at, and near, the Earth was controlled by
conditions in the sun's polar regions," added ESA project
scientist Dr. Richard G. Marsden. "But never before have we been
able to observe those processes."

   The lack of knowledge about these vital regions of the sun has
resulted, in large part, from the limited view that Earth-based
instruments or spacecraft orbiting the Earth have had of the sun.
In addition, many complex solar phenomena cannot be observed
remotely, but require direct measurements. The advance of space
technology has made it possible in the last few decades to send
properly instrumented robotic spacecraft such as Ulysses to
previously inaccessible regions to make those direct measurements.

   The polar regions of the sun--which remain mysterious in many
ways--have long captivated scientists' interest.

   "The existence of a global magnetic field means that the sun
has magnetic poles much like the Earth," Smith said. "However, the
properties of the polar magnetic fields, which switch polarity
every 11 years in conjunction with the sunspot cycle, are poorly
understood.  Nevertheless, their existence introduces a basic
north-south asymmetry into the solar atmosphere and space
surrounding the sun."

   A better understanding of the sun's magnetic field will be
important, the scientists contended, because magnetic fields play
a key role in the physics of the sun's outer atmosphere, the
corona, and its extension outward into space.

   "The characteristic structure of the corona is imposed by the
sun's magnetic field," Smith said. "Furthermore, the source of the
heat that creates the corona is unknown, but it is generally
believed to be energy originally stored in the sun's twisted and
irregular magnetic fields."

   Whatever the heat source may be, scientists think the corona is
generally too hot to be restrained by even the massive gravity
field of the sun. Unless the magnetic field can hold back the
coronal gas, that gas flows outward into space as the solar wind
picks up speed.  The solar wind is known to reach velocities many
times the speed at which sound waves travel.

   On the other hand, Smith added, if magnetic fields are directed
outward from the sun, they can channel the flow and assist in the
escape and acceleration of the coronal gas. Coronal holes, regions
of the corona that appear to be dark, are known sources of the solar wind.

   Although these general observations are clear, many details
remain obscure and will become the focus of Ulysses' measurements,
Smith added.

   For instance, in the sun's polar caps, the magnetic field
extends outward through semi-permanent, very large coronal holes.
By virtue of being directly above these sources and in the absence
of complications introduced by the sun's rotation, Ulysses is
expected to contribute significant new knowledge about the escape
and acceleration of the solar wind and, possibly, about the
heating of the corona itself.

   The magnetic field also exerts a crucial influence on matter
arriving in the vicinity of the sun from the Milky Way galaxy and,
in particular, from the nearby interstellar medium.

   Incoming cosmic rays, the nuclei of atoms traveling at nearly
the speed of light, are subject to forces exerted by the magnetic
field and its superimposed irregularities. The structure of the
sun's magnetic field is thought to favor entry of the cosmic rays
by way of the polar regions.

   Two questions of scientific importance, Smith noted, are the
extent to which the galactic cosmic rays observed at Earth use
this route and the ways in which their properties are modified as
a consequence.

   "We hope to gain more knowledge of the intensity and properties
of the cosmic rays far from the sun, something that is presently
un- known," Smith said. "The Ulysses mission will be able to shed
new light on these longstanding riddles, as the instruments on
board measure the magnetic field and the properties of the solar
wind and the cosmic rays."

   The Ulysses mission is managed jointly by the European Space
Agency and NASA to study the regions over the sun's poles. JPL
oversees the U.S. portion of the mission for NASA's Office of
Space Science.

From:	GEMVAX::US4RMC::"ESAPRESS%[email protected]" "ESAPRESS list" 
        16-SEP-1994 12:07:58.33
To:	Multiple recipients of list ESAPRESS <ESAPRESS%[email protected]>
CC:	
Subj:	 Ulysses to Sol

          PRESS RELEASE No 26-94
          Paris, 16 September 1994

ULYSSES DISCOVERS THE MYSTERIES OF THE SUN'S SOUTH POLE

The pass over the Sun's south pole currently being carried out by
ESA's probe Ulysses* has so far been a total success and has already
yielded a first clutch of surprise results concerning this unexplored
region. Scientists at ESA's space research and technology centre in
Noordwijk (the Netherlands) this morning gave a very positive account
of the South polar pass phase, which started in June and will be
completed in November.  In particular they concluded that the south
polar region displayed unexpected magnetic and dynamic characteristics; 
this probably means that the thinking on the magnetic structure of the 
Sun will have to be revised. 

The first thing that surprised the scientists was the low cosmic
radiation activity above the south pole and the remarkable apparent
absence of a south magnetic pole. 

Richard Marsden, ESA's project scientist, explained: "We expected the
Sun to have a relatively simple magnetic field, such as the Earth's or
that of a magnetised iron bar.  We thought we were going to find a
local increase in the field's intensity.  But the probe did not detect
any such thing and all the evidence so far suggests that the Sun has
no south magnetic pole. 

Could it be that the Sun has no south magnetic pole? Or is one
suddenly going to appear before Ulysses completes its pass?  These are
some of the questions exercising the minds of the team of scientists
working on the project, who are keenly looking forward to comparing
these results with those that will be coming through next year when
the probe passes over the Sun's north geographic pole. 

It is however already manifestly clear that the structure of the solar
magnetic field in the southern polar region is not as predicted by the
models.  In particular, the instruments on board Ulysses have detected
a new type of very slowly varying electromagnetic waves, with
oscillation periods of 10 to 20 hours.  The experts' theory is that
this is due to an unexpected phenomenon that conveys the solar
magnetic field into space through the solar wind. 

It is still far too early to say what effect these new findings are
going to have on our overall understanding of the Sun and the
interplanetary wind it generates.  A vast volume of data running into
billions of bits, all of it of great scientific value, has been
acquired during the first part of this polar pass.  Detailed analysis
is going to take many months.  However, one thing about which there is
no doubt is the complexity of the phenomena observed, which involve
the combined effects of the solar wind, magnetic field, electromagnetic 
waves and fast-moving bursts of particles.  Further insights will 
probably be gained when Ulysses passes over the Sun's north pole in 1995  
and, if the mission is extended, when it makes two further polar passes 
in 2000-2001, during a period of intense magnetic activity. 

____________
*Ulysses is a joint ESA/NASA mission.  ESA developed the probe and is
contributing an estimated ECU 170 million up to 1995 to its in-flight
operation.  European research laboratories provided half of the
scientific instruments.   NASA provided the other half of the
experiments flown, a radio-isotopic power generator and the launch; it
is also maintaining day-to-day communications with the probe via its
dedicated antennas. 

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Article: 6502
From: [email protected]
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses status 10/1/94
Date: 30 Sep 1994 20:56:39 -0700
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Pasadena CA
Sender: [email protected]
 
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                   ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                      October 1, 1994
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft, the first probe to fly over the
sun's south pole, is providing scientists with valuable new
data about the forces at work in this region of space after
a 2-billion-kilometer (1.2-billion-mile) journey.
 
     Scientists reported preliminary results of Ulysses's
travels at a science conference held in mid-September at the
European Space and Technology Center in Noordwijk, The
Netherlands.  The spacecraft reached its most extreme
latitude of 80.2 degrees south of the sun's equator at that
time, and is now looping back around the sun toward the
equator.  Ulysses will cross the sun's equator in February
1995 and begin its pass over the north pole of the sun in
June 1995.
 
     Ulysses has discovered that the solar wind emanating
from the southern pole flows at nearly double the rate --
800 kilometers per second, or about 2 million miles per hour
-- that it does at lower latitudes in the equatorial region.
The composition of the solar wind also appears to differ in
the polar regions, and the sun's magnetic field seems to be
surprisingly uniform. Continued measurements will yield more
information about other solar phenomena as well, such as the
mysterious 11-year cycles of solar activity which produce
sunspots that are visible from Earth and indicate very hot
regions in the sun's corona, or outer atmosphere.
 
     All spacecraft operations and science experiments
continue to go well. Ground controllers are carrying out
routine data-gathering activities and experiment adjustments
as needed.  The European Space Agency's tracking facility at
Kourou, French Guiana and NASA's Deep Space Network facility
at Canberra, Australia are being used to track the
spacecraft 24 hours a day now that Ulysses has moved into
the sun-Earth region where the spacecraft's axial boom is
illuminated by the sun.  In the past, this illumination has
caused a slight wobbling of the spacecraft, but an on-board
control system is operating to stabilize Ulysses and keep it
pointed at Earth.
 
     Today Ulysses is about 79 degrees south of the sun's
equator, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of about
83,000 kilometers per hour (52,500 miles per hour) with
respect to the sun.
 
                            #####

From: "Andrew Yee, Science North" <[email protected]>
Subject: Ulysses probes the Sun's south pole
Date: 2 Nov 1994 00:56:40 -0800
Organization: Science North
 
European Space Agecny
Press Information Note No. 22-94
Paris, France					23 August 1994
 
Mission's historic turning point:
ULYSSES PROBES THE SUN'S SOUTH POLE
 
A historic step will be taken during the European Space Agency's 
Ulysses mission (*) on 13 September 1994, when the spaceprobe 
reaches a latitude of 80.2 degrees South below the Sun's equator.  It will 
then be almost over the Sun's south pole, which -- along with the north 
pole -- is the probe's main target for exploration.  This will be the climax 
of the south polar pass phase, which began on 26 June.  Already proving 
very fruitful, this phase will end on 5 November.
 
(*) Ulysses is a joint ESA/NASA mission.  ESA developed the probe and 
is contributing an estimated ECU 170 million up to 1995 to its in-flight 
operation.  European research laboratories provided half of the scientific 
instruments.  NASA provided the other half of the experiments flown, a 
radioisotopic power generator and the launch; it is also maintaining day-
to-day communications with the probe via its dedicated antennas.
 
On 16 September journalists will be invited to ESA's space research and 
technology centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands.  There they will have an 
opportunity to meet Ulysses investigators and members of the project 
team, who will give a presentation on the most important results obtained 
over the summer.
 
So far the mission has been a complete success.  The probe and its 
instruments are performing perfectly.  They are transmitting 60 million bits 
of data daily and the information accumulated has already yielded major 
discoveries concerning the Sun's environment at high latitude.  In 
particular, Ulysses has detected: solar wind shock waves at high latitude; 
very long-period electromagnetic waves (over ten hours); surprising 
residual activity of energetic particles above the Sun's south pole; and, it 
would seem, the equally surprising behaviour of energetic cosmic 
radiation in this region.
 
In the opinion of Roger Bonnet, the director of ESA's science programme: 
"Flying over the Sun's south pole is a major scientific first.  This is our 
first ever 'bird's eye view' of the Sun's magnetic poles.  This new perspective 
will cast some light on the origins of the solar wind and is going to 
improve our models of the solar interior.  It may also enable us to better 
anticipate the variations of solar activity and forecast their effect on 
Earth."
 
				**********
 
This is the second information note on the Ulysses mission issued by the 
Agency this year.  It explains the value and challenge of the feats 
currently being achieved above the Sun's south pole and presents some 
early findings recorded at the start of the high-latitude pass.
 
The broad aim of the mission is to explore for the first time the overall 
structure of the Sun's environment, from the equator to the poles.
 
The Sun is not in fact the clearly delimited sphere as would appear in 
conventional optical images.  Beyond its bright gaseous surface is an 
atmosphere that is 200 times hotter, thousands of millions of times less 
dense and millions of times less bright.  Furthermore, this corona -- which 
can be observed in the x-ray and radio wave ranges, and in white light 
during solar eclipses -- is unstable.  As it is too hot to be confined by the 
Sun's gravity, it evaporates, producing a continuous outflow of magnetic 
gas, which spreads across the entire planetary system.  This is the solar 
wind, whose density at the Earth reaches 5 atoms/cubic cm and whose 
speed fluctuates between 1.5 and 3 million kilometres per hour.
 
Up until only a few months ago, our knowledge of the corona and the 
solar wind has been lacking in one important aspect.  Prior to then, the 
properties of the solar wind has been measured essentially only in one 
plane: that of the ecliptic, the path of the planets of the solar system.  No 
direct information had therefore been available concerning the solar 
wind outside that plane.  Ulysses has now been out of the ecliptic for two 
years.  In flying over the Sun's south pole this year and north pole next 
year, it is going to provide an entirely new perspective on the region 
surrounding the Sun: the heliosphere.
 
The solar wind also exerts an influence on the planets, and in particular 
on technological networks on Earth.  From a distance of tens of 
thousands of kilometres, its activity triggers showers of particles and 
veritable magnetic storms in the terrestrial magnetosphere.  Here on the 
ground, this phenomenon can cause interference to radio communications and 
massive disruption of power supplies.  In space, it can lead to the loss of 
satellites and even endanger the lives of astronauts.  Understanding more 
about the dynamics of the solar wind would therefore be very useful in terms 
of explaining the causes of these undesirable effects and perhaps anticipating 
them.
 
Exploring the third dimension of the solar system is therefore doubly 
worthwhile in scientific and practical terms.  However it also gives rise to 
an unprecedented challenge in that it requires the first ever departure of 
a spacecraft from the plane of the planets: the ecliptic.  Before Ulysses, 
no spacecraft had ever really left that plane.  Even Pioneer and Voyager, 
which had journeyed furthest from the Sun in visiting the more distant 
planets, had only done so to a limited degree.  In order to extricate itself 
from the ecliptic, Ulysses had to undergo a series of powerful 
accelerations.  Launched by the Shuttle Discovery on 6 October 1990, 
the probe was successfully accelerated by its two booster stages to a 
speed of 150 000 km/h and then again with the aid of Jupiter's 
gravitational pull.  On 8 February 1992, just after the gravitational 
"slingshot" manoeuvre, it effectively left its original orbital plane to enter 
altogether unexplored region of the solar system.
 
Ulysses' nominal journey is a three thousand million km trek across the 
cosmos over five years, with two major milestones: its passage under the 
Sun's south pole after two thousand million km and four years, followed 
one year later by its passage over the north pole.  The first of these two 
phases has been underway since the probe went beyond a latitude 70 
degrees South of the Sun's equator on 26 June (it was then 430 million 
km from the Sun).  Interest and emotion will peak on 13 September when 
Ulysses reaches its maximum southerly latitude of 80.2 degrees (it will 
then be 350 million km from the day star).  The first polar pass will be 
completed on 5 November when Ulysses again passes latitude 70 
degrees South (190 million km from the Sun) on its way back to the 
equator.
 
The 3 x 3 x 2 m probe weighing 370 kg is comparable in size and weight 
to a small car.  One of its special features is that it was specifically 
designed to enable very sensitive measurements of electrical and 
magnetic fields.  These ambient fields and waves are measured by two 
(7.0 m and 7.5 m) antennas and two magnetometers positioned on a 5.5 
m deployable arm.  All onboard equipment has been designed in order 
to keep electromagnetic interference to a minimum.  Indeed, for a long 
time to come Ulysses will remain the only spacecraft providing such a 
level of "electromagnetic cleanliness".
 
The scientific core of the system comprises 9 instruments weighing a total 
of 55 kg.  Sicne the start of the mission, they have been continuously 
measuring the solar wind, magnetic field, energetic particles and radio 
and x-ray emissions from the Sun.  Taking advantage of the trajectory 
chosen, they are also measuring the characteristics of the flow of matter 
(atoms, ions, dust, energetic particles) and gamma radiation, which cross 
the solar system and come from the Galaxy or the outer reaches of the 
cosmos.
 
Ulysses is tracked for eight hours every day, when data stored on board 
during the previous 16 hours are transmitted to Earth together with the 
real-time information.  In all, 10 gigabytes of highly valuable scientific 
information has been gathered in nearly four years -- enough to fill 25 
CD-ROM format laser compact disks (equivalent to 100 magnetic tapes).  
The data is distributed to 120 investigators at 47 laboratories in 12 
countries in Europe and North America.
 
The south polar pass currently underway is making it possible for the first 
time to directly probe a very "pure" form of solar wind, hardly disturbed 
since its emission by the Sun and, therefore, to learn more about the 
origin of the solar wind in general.
 
Several important observations were made during the climb to high 
latitudes.  The first of these concerns the formation of shock waves in the 
solar wind away from the ecliptic.  ESA project scientist Richard Marsden 
explains: "We know that the Sun produces two kinds of solar wind 
travelling at different speeds: the slow solar wind, flowing at 1.5 million 
km per hour, which we find in the ecliptic, and fast solar wind flowing at 
nearly twice the speed, which we know to come from coronal holes.  
When fast wind collides with slower wind ahead, as often happens in the 
ecliptic, shock waves are formed very much like the shock waves caused 
by a supersonic aircraft."  The new result revealed by the Ulysses 
measurements is that these shock waves travel to much higher latitudes 
than previously expected.
 
The second -- also unexpected -- observation concerned periodic 
increases in the number of energetic particles recorded by the 
instruments on board Ulysses.  From measurements made near the 
ecliptic, scientists know that shock waves in the solar wind can be very 
effective in energising charged particles.  During the early part of its climb 
out of the ecliptic, Ulysses detected regular bursts of particles (once per 
solar rotation) that were clearly associated with shocks that formed at the 
boundary of fast and slow solar wind.  What was not expected, however, 
was that these regular bursts would continue to occur at high latitudes.  
Experts believe that the particles are being energised by shock waves 
that have travelled to high latitudes beyond Jupiter's orbit (over 700 
million km from the Sun), and that they then flow back in towards the Sun 
along magnetic field lines that "connect" Ulysses to the shocks.  Richard 
Marsden concludes: "This shows that the heliosphere is really a complex 
three-dimensional entity in which each part interacts with the others and 
cannot be understood separately."
 
Another equally unexpected phenomenon was observed in galatic 
cosmic radiation: its intensity measured at the start of the southern polar 
pass remained relatively constant, whereas it had been expected to 
increase over the poles.  Scientists had hoped that the magnetic field in 
the polar regions, which ought to be much less tangled than in the 
ecliptic because of the greatly reduced effects of the Sun's rotation, 
would allow the cosmic radiation to have easier access over the poles.  
There are two possibilities: either the theory is flawed or the flow of 
cosmic ray particles will increase suddenly before Ulysses reaches its 
maximum latitude.  We shall soon know.
 
Ulysses' magnetometers detected an unusual kind of slowly varying 
electromagnetic waves.  "These very long-period waves (10 - 20 hrs) 
travel along the magnetic field lines, rather like the acoustic vibration of a 
guitar string," says Marsden.  "We believe that these waves could play an 
important role in heating the Sun's corona, and perhaps they are 
responsible for excluding the cosmic radiation."  Measurements over the 
poles will help to unravel this mystery.
 
Lastly, Ulysses has detected several enormous clouds of ionised gas 
emitted by the Sun.  This was the first time that the emission of such 
clouds -- equivalent to approximately 10 thousand million tonnes and 
stretching over 50 million km -- had been directly observed (in situ) at 
high solar latitudes.  Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are a well-known 
phenomenon in the ecliptic plane, where they are the prime cause of the 
geomagnetic effects of the Sun: polar auroras and magnetic storms.  
Studying them at high latitudes, under particularly favourable conditions, 
will improve our understanding of how they come into being and evolve -- 
and perhaps also enable us to better anticipate their disrupting effect 
on technological activities on Earth.
 
A 35-year-old dream is starting to come true.  The idea of an automatic 
mission flying over the two poles of the Sun was first proposed at a 
scientific symposium held in 1959, two years after the launch of the first 
Sputnik.  The preliminary results described in this note are fascinating.  
But the best is yet to come.  Firstly because in a few days' time we shall 
have a full picture of this summer's activities.  Next, because this first 
high-latitude pass still has another two months to go and a great deal 
more data will be obtained.  Also because it will then be followed in 1995 
by a pass over the north pole.  This will take place from 20 June to 30 
September, with the satellite reaching its maximum northerly latitude of 
80.2 degrees on 31 July.
 
Lastly, beacuse Ulysses' epic journey will not necessarily be ending in 
October 1995 as nominally scheduled.  In any event, after that date, the 
spacecraft will continue to orbit the Sun and will again fly over the north 
and south poles in autumn 2000 and 2001.  It is therefore tempting to 
envisage extending scientific operations to early next century, especially 
as by that time the day star's magnetic activity will be at its peak -- a 
splendid opportunity to conduct a three-dimensional study of solar flares 
and the emissions of matter that disturb the Earth's environment.  
Discussions are therefore underway with NASA with a view to continuing 
the mission accordingly.  ESA, for its part, has already approved the plan, 
subject to US participation, which is technically essential.

From: "Andrew Yee, Science North" <[email protected]>
Subject: The escape from flatland
Date: 2 Nov 1994 00:57:17 -0800
Organization: Science North
 
[From ESA's ULYSSES UPDATE, September 1994.]
 
THE ESCAPE FROM FLATLAND
 
Ulysses used Jupiter's gravity to leap out of the realm of the 
planets.  This is a major first, both in spaceflight and in solar 
exploration.
 
Until now, the human species had only a foreshortened view of the 
Sun's poles, and no direct knowledge of the magnetism and solar 
wind that they extrude into space.  The Earth orbits in a flatland 
called the ecliptic plane, which makes an angle of only 7 degrees 
with the equator of the Sun.  The other major planets remain very 
close to the same plane, because they all formed from loose 
material orbiting in a disc around the newborn Sun.
 
Even when spacecraft went out to explore the Solar System, they 
were confined to the ecliptic.  It was fortunate that the prime 
targets for planetary exploration lay in the same flatland, 
because the probes couldn't go anywhere else.  For example, when 
Europe's Giotto and four Soviet and Japanese spacecraft went to 
Halley's Comet, they all had to intercept it in March 1986, when 
the comet's slanting path crossed the ecliptic.
 
Existing rockets are too feeble to send a probe out of the 
ecliptic.  The Earth orbits at 30 kilometres per second around the 
Sun, and rockets can only add or subtract a little speed.  Ulysses 
attained 41 kilometres per second, relative to the Sun, at its 
launch in October 1990, making it the fastest interplanetary 
spacecraft ever dispatched.
 
But to quit the ecliptic a spacecraft has to cancel the Earth's 
motion and build up speed in a new direction.  Spacecraft 
navigators achieve drastic changes of course, beyond the capacity 
of their rocket power, by using a planet's gravity to deflect a 
spacecraft.  In effect, the spacecraft steals from the planet the 
energy it needs to attain a new orbit.
 
Jupiter is the nearest planet massive enough to deflect a 
spacecraft into an orbit that will go over the polar regions of 
the Sun.  After a 16-month journey from the Earth, Ulysses 
approached Jupiter at 16 kilometres per second, on a carefully 
calculated route carrying it north of the giant planet.  The 
science team used the visit to make fresh studies of the fierce 
battle between the solar wind and the planet's magnetism.
 
Jupiter's gravity took charge, bending the trajectory southwards.  
The spacecraft was closest to the planet on 8 February 1992, still 
swinging around it.  By the time it escaped from Jupiter's 
clutches, Ulysses was heading southwards out of the ecliptic at 8 
kilometres per second on its new, solar-polar orbit.
 
Progress southwards
 
For explorers of the Sun, the solar latitude is what matters.  
This is the angle between the spacecraft-Sun line and the plane of 
the Sun's equator.  The higher the solar latitude, the deeper the 
penetration into unknown zones of the Sun's environment.
 
The maximum solar latitude achieved by any previous spacecraft was 
that of Voyager 1, following a close encounter with Saturn in 
1980, which diverted it northward.  Ulysses began breaking records 
in June 1993, when it dived through the solar latitude of 32 
degrees south, and so surpassed Voyager 1, which was then at 32 
degrees north.
 
By September 1993, Ulysses was at 40 degrees south and already 
fully immersed in the fast solar wind that blows from the south 
coronal hole of the Sun.  The Sun's weather was moderating.  In 
March 1994, at 55 degrees south, Ulysses experienced the last of 
many shock waves due to solar outbursts.
 
Early in June the spacecraft reached 66.5 degrees south.  Although 
this had no physical significance, it was equivalent to crossing 
the Earth's Antarctic Circle.  For mission planning purposes, the 
Sun's polar region was deemed to start at 70 degrees south.  
Ulysses was there at the end of June.
 
During July and August, the latitude increased at roughly a degree 
a week.  By 31 August, at 79.5 degrees, the rate of southward 
penetration had slackened.
 
After Ulysses attains its furthest south polar latitude, at 80.2 
degrees on 13 September, it will return quite rapidly to the Sun's 
equator, crossing it at 32 kilometres per second early in March 
1995.  Its orbit will then carry it across the north polar regions 
of the Sun in mid-1995, and onward towards the orbit of Jupiter.

Donald Savage
Headquarters, Washington, DC            November 10, 1994
(Phone:  202/358-1547)
 
Diane Ainsworth
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
(Phone:  818/354-5011)
 
RELEASE:  94-187
 
 
ULYSSES SPACECRAFT COMPLETES SOUTHERN SOLAR PASS
 
        The Ulysses spacecraft -- the first probe to explore the Sun's
environment at high latitudes --  completed a pass Saturday over the
southern solar pole, ending the first phase of its primary mission.
 
        The spacecraft reached 70 degrees south of the Sun's equator
at 3 p.m. EST on Nov. 5, crossing back into what scientists have
defined as a lower latitude region of the Sun's environment, members
of the mission operations team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL), Pasadena, CA, have reported.  Just as the Arctic Circle on
Earth lies at about 67 degrees north of the Earth's equator, so too
have the polar regions of the Sun been theoretically defined as lying
about 70 degrees north and south of the Sun's equator.
 
        As the spacecraft leaves an area of high scientific interest,
project scientists have reported some early findings, including:
 
   *  In the Sun's polar regions, the solar wind -- a very hot,
ionized flow of gases and energetic particles emanating from the Sun
 --  was found to be flowing at a very high velocity of about 750
kilometers per second (about two million miles per hour), nearly
double the speed at which the solar wind is known to flow at lower
latitudes.
 
   *  The way that Ulysses sees the Sun's magnetic field is very
different from the way it is seen by observations from Earth.  Measurements
from Earth show the Sun having a magnetic field with magnetic poles that
are not the same as the Sun's north and south poles; as the Sun
rotates, the magnetic poles go around.  Ulysses, however, found a
uniform magnetic field at the Sun and did not detect any magnetic
poles.
 
   *  Cosmic ray intensity in this high latitude region increased, but
not nearly to the extent that scientists had predicted.
 
        Over the next four months, Ulysses will be heading back toward
the Sun's equator, where it will make its closest approach of about
1.3 astronomical units (192 million kilometers or 120 million miles)
on March 12, 1995.  At that time scientists plan to conduct a "coronal
sounding" experiment in which they will use the spacecraft's radio
beam to measure the electron content of the Sun's corona.  Ulysses
will then continue its northern ascent to traverse the Sun's northern
pole beginning on June 19, 1995.
 
        Ulysses is managed jointly by NASA and the European Space
Agency to study the regions above the Sun's poles.  The Jet Propulsion
Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the mission for NASA's Office
of Space Science, Washington, DC.

From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Subject: Ulysses Update - 12/01/94
Date: 12 Dec 1994 11:55:13 -0800
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                   ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                      December 1, 1994
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft has completed the first phase of 
its primary mission to explore the polar regions of the Sun 
and is now headed for the Sun's equator, where it will make 
its closest approach of 1.3 astronomical units (192 million 
kilometers or 120 million miles) on March 12, 1995.
 
     Today the spacecraft is just under 60 degrees south of 
the Sun's equator, traveling at a heliocentric velocity of 
about 97,000 kilometers per hour (61,000 miles per hour) 
with respect to the Sun.  All spacecraft operations and 
science experiments continue to go well.  Ground controllers 
are monitoring the spacecraft and an on-board control system 
that is designed to stabilize Ulysses and keep it pointed at 
Earth while its axial boom is illuminated by the Sun. 
 
     Scientists are reporting some surprises in the solar 
environment at high latitude from data acquired during the 
first pass.  Most notably, the gas being continuously 
carried by the Sun's solar wind was found to be flowing very 
fast and very smoothly.  Surprisingly, scientists found that 
the strength of the Sun's magnetic field over the polar 
region did not increase as much as expected.  Large 
amplitude waves are continuously present in the polar region 
and may contribute to the heating and speeding up of the 
solar wind.
 
     In addition, the intensity of cosmic ray particles 
arriving from the galaxy did not increase as much as was 
expected when Ulysses headed toward the southern pole, 
another condition which surprised scientists.  These and 
other findings will be presented in more depth at the 1994 
fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union, being held 
in San Francisco the week of December 5-9. 
 
                           #####
 

Article: 6897
From: [email protected] (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Ulysses Update - 02/01/95
Date: 10 Feb 1995 17:28:10 -0800
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Sender: [email protected]
 
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
 
                    ULYSSES MISSION STATUS
                        February 1, 1995
 
     The Ulysses spacecraft is racing toward the sun's 
equator, traveling today at a heliocentric velocity of about 
113,000 kilometers per hour (70,000 miles per hour) with 
respect to the sun -- much faster than it had traveled during 
its pass over the sun's southern pole.  The spacecraft is 
about 24 degrees south of the sun's equator and expected to 
cross that mark on March 12.  At that time, Ulysses will make 
its closest approach to the sun -- about 1.3 astronomical 
units (192 million kilometers or 120 million miles) -- the 
closest it will ever come to the sun since it was launched in 
October 1990.   
 
     All spacecraft operations and science experiments 
continue to go well aboard the spacecraft. Flight controllers 
report that the slight wobbling onboard the craft, caused by 
illumination of the axial boom, has been stabilized, probably 
because the angle of the spacecraft to the sun has shifted 
and the axial boom is now shaded from the sun's heat. Flight 
controllers, however, are continuing to make adjustments to 
Ulysses' thermal control system to keep temperatures stable 
as the spacecraft approaches the sun.  
 
     A radio science experiment is planned later this month 
to measure the electron content of the sun's outer 
atmosphere, called the corona, as Ulysses passes in back of 
the sun as seen from Earth. The S-band transmitter will be 
turned on February 22. This transmitter, in conjunction with 
the X-band transmitter, will beam signals through the corona 
to provide measurements of the electron content. The 
experiment will be carried out over three weeks, ending on 
March 15.
 
                            #####