The Mars Observer spacecraft will reach Mars on August 24, 1993. Launch and cruise phase operations have gone smoothly, with few spacecraft anomalies. The orbit insertion phase, which spans a three month period and involves a series of seven maneuvers, has been redesigned postlaunch making use of excess spacecraft velocity change (Delta V) capability to advance the mapping phase, now planned to begin November 24, 1993. This is highly desirable since it moves the start of the mapping phase away from solar conjunction and the expected dust storm disturbances. The redesign process involved making tradeoffs between science, operations, and maneuver requirements. At Mars, the spacecraft will continuously record data with a single daily playback through the Deep Space Network's 34-meter high-efficiency antennas for one Martian year.
Mars Observer mission status and orbit insertion phase planning
IAF, International Astronautical Congress ; 1993 ; Graz, Austria
1993-10-01
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Planning the Mars Observer Orbit Insertion Phase
NTRS | 1993
|Mars Observer Lecture: Mars Orbit Insertion
NTRS | 1993
|Mars Observer Orbit Insertion Briefing
NTRS | 1993
Mars Observer Orbit Insertion Briefing
NTRS | 1993
Precision Orbit Determination for the Mars Observer Mission
British Library Conference Proceedings | 1993
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