1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT
STATUS REPORT
October 10, 1998
John McNamee
Mars Surveyor 98 Project Manager
The 1998 Mars Surveyor orbiter is 2 months from launch and the lander
is 2 months plus 24 days from launch.
Mars Climate Orbiter:
The orbiter spacecraft has been fully assembled, checked out functionally,
and has successfully completed the environmental test program. The full
science payload is integrated and ready for flight. The orbiter
arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) via C-17 aircraft on September 11 and
moved to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) as
planned. Prior to shipment, the Power Distribution and Drive Unit (PDDU) was
removed and inspected for cracked glass body diodes and excessive conformal
coating. The PDDU was reworked successfully (12 cracked diodes
replaced), remated with the orbiter at KSC, and the interface has been
reverified. Loading of hydrazine fuel and Nitrogen Textroxide (NTO) oxidizer
to the spacecraft is complete. Deep Space Network (DSN) end-to-end
to the spacecraft is complete. Deep Space Network (DSN) end-to-end
compatibility testing using MIL-71 was accomplished successfully. Remaining
activities primarily involve conducting mission system tests on the vehicle.
Mars Polar Lander:
The lander spacecraft has been fully assembled, checked out functionally,
and has successfully completed the environmental test program. The full
science payload is integrated and ready for flight. The lander pre-ship
review was conducted successfully on September 15. Subsequently, the
decision was made to inspect/rework the lander PDDU and Command and Data
Handling (C&DH) box for cracked glass body diodes and excessive conformal
coating. The PDDU and C&DH boxes were removed from the lander and the
lander was shipped to KSC early on October 1 to take advantage of the
electrical down time on the vehicle. The PDDU and C&DH were reworked
(2 and 4 cracked diodes discovered, respectively), retested successfully, and
reinstalled on the lander spacecraft on October 10. System level
reverification activities are in process.
Time Lapse Movie
Mars Climate Orbiter Spacecraft At
Kennedy Space Center
October 10, 1998
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Mars Climate Orbiter (top) & Mars Polar Lander (bottom)
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MPEG Movie - 1.2 MB
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