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Cassini Titan Science Integration: Getting a 'Jumpstart' on the ProcessThe Cassini spacecraft has been in orbit for five years, returning a wealth of scientific data from Titan and the Saturn system. The mission is a cooperative undertaking between NASA, ESA and the Italian Space Agency and the project is currently planning for a second extension of the mission. The Cassini Solstice Mission (CSM) will extend the mission's lifetime until Saturn's northern summer solstice in 2017. The Titan Orbiter Science Team (TOST) has the task of integrating the science observations for all 126 targeted Titan flybys (44 in the Prime Mission, 26 in the first extension (Equinox Mission), and 56 in the second extension (Solstice Mission)) contained in the chosen trajectory. Cassini science instruments are body-fixed with limited ability to articulate; thus, the spacecraft pointing during the flybys must be allocated among the instruments to accomplish the mission's science goals. The science that can be accomplished on each Titan flyby also critically depends on the closest approach altitude, which is in turn determined by the attitude, but changing the altitude impacts the overall trajectory for the Solstice Mission. During the Prime and Extended missions, TOST has learned that the best way to achieve Cassini's Titan science goals is via a 'jumpstart' process prior to final delivery of the trajectory. The jumpstart is driven by the desire to balance Titan science across the entire set of flybys during the CSM, and to influence any changes (tweaks) to the flyby altitudes. By the end of the jumpstart, TOST produces Master Timelines for each flyby, identifying each flyby's prime science observations and allocating control of the spacecraft attitude to specific instrument teams. In addition, developing timelines early, while the science and operations teams are still fully funded, decreases the future workload in integration and implementation.
Document ID
20150008837
Acquisition Source
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Document Type
Conference Paper
External Source(s)
Authors
Steadman, Kimberly B.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Pitesky, Jo E.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Ray, Trina L.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Burton, Marcia E.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Alonge, Nora K.
(Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
May 26, 2015
Publication Date
April 25, 2010
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: SpaceOps 2010 Conference
Location: Huntsville, AL
Country: United States
Start Date: April 25, 2010
End Date: April 30, 2010
Sponsors: American Inst. of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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