baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke) (12/13/90)
GALILEO STATUS REPORT
December 7, 1990
As of 9AM (PST), December 7, the Galileo spacecraft is 560,309 miles
from Earth as it make its approach for an Earth gravity assist. At 8AM,
the VE-11 (Venus-Earth 11) store sequence went active. The EPD (Energetic
Particles Dectector) instrument started collecting data from the Earth's
magnetotail, magnetosphere, magnetopause, and shock boundaries, and from the
solar wind in the close vicinity of the Earth.
The PWS (Plasma Wave) instrument investigated the magnetotail using
the 1 and 10 kHz wideband modes to observe plasma waves and radio emissions.
This included low frequency auroral kilometric radiation (AKR) wave activity
associated with trapped and escaping continuum radiation, Langmuir waves,
and whistler mode waves. Also investigated by the PWS was the upper hybrid
resonance bands and the electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic bands.
At 12PM (PST), the MAG (Magnetometer) started taking high rate data
(30 vectors/sec) using the snapshot mode. This data will be used for
MAG calibrations and to search for high frequency features in the solar
wind. In addition, this sampling frequency can be correlated to the low
frequency end of the PWS search coil. While in the Earth's magnetosphere,
the MAG can be absolutely calibrated with respect to the Earth's known
magnetic field.
At 7:19 PM, the PPR (Photopolarimeter Radiometer) instrument started
observations to map the lunar disk while the instrument is configured to
make polarization measurements. Phase measurement were made at
approximately every 30 degrees, starting at 150 degrees and stopping at 20
degrees.
The NIMS (Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) took dark level
calibrations used for Earth 1 lunar observations prior to closest approach.
___ _____ ___
/_ /| /____/ \ /_ /|
| | | | __ \ /| | | | Ron Baalke | baalke@mars.jpl.nasa.gov
___| | | | |__) |/ | | |___ Jet Propulsion Lab | baalke@jems.jpl.nasa.gov
/___| | | | ___/ | |/__ /| M/S 301-355 |
|_____|/ |_|/ |_____|/ Pasadena, CA 91109 |