Development and Execution of End-of-Mission Operations Case Study of the UARS and ERBS End-of-Mission PlansThis Paper is a case study of the development and execution of the End-of-Mission plans for the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) and the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The goals of the End-of-Mission Plans are to minimize the time the spacecraft remains on orbit and to minimize the risk of creating orbital debris. Both of these Missions predate the NASA Management Instructions (NMI) that directs missions to provide for safe mission termination. Each spacecrafts had their own unique challenges, which required assessing End-of-Mission requirements versus spacecraft limitations. Ultimately the End-of- Mission operations were about risk mitigation. This paper will describe the operational challenges and the lessons learned executing these End-of-Mission Plans
Document ID
20080039323
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hughes, John (General Dynamics Corp. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Marius, Julio L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Montoro, Manuel (Boeing Co. Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Patel, Mehul (Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. Greenbelt, MD, MD, United States)
Bludworth, David (Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. Greenbelt, MD, MD, United States)