1998 MARS SURVEYOR PROJECT
STATUS REPORT
November 13, 1998
John McNamee
Mars Surveyor 98 Project Manager
Mars Climate Orbiter:
Orbiter launch processing activities are proceeding on schedule in the
Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) facility at
Kennedy Space Center (KSC) with launch vehicle 3rd stage mate 11 days away
and launch 27 days away. Mission system testing of the
cruise/trajectory correction maneuver flight sequence was run
successfully. This completes the planned sequence verification testing
on the orbiter vehicle. Power on/stray voltage testing and the final
ordnance electrical mate was completed. The decision was made to pull
the flight Pyro Initiation Unit (PIU) immediately following spin
balance for rework to eliminate the potential for latchup as occurred
in mission system testing of the launch/initialization sequence. Cause
of the PIU anomaly is due to sensitivity of programmable logic device
inside the PIU to residual voltages on the power input prior to power
up. This condition can result in a latch up during the power up
sequence. The residual voltage has been tracked to a design feature
within the Power Distribution and Drive Unit (PDDU) power switches. The
unit will be returned to the vehicle on November 21.
The JPL Director's Mission Readiness/ LMA President's Reviews were
conducted in Denver. The orbiter was found to be ready for launch
pending successful completion of planned activities.
Mars Polar Lander:
Lander launch processing activities are proceeding on schedule in the
SAEF-2 facility at KSC with launch vehicle 3rd stage mate 32 days away
and launch 51 days away. Mission system testing of the entry, descent,
and landing phase (both 1"g" and scripted attitude) was completed
successfully. The Deep Space 2 (DS2) microprobes arrived at KSC and were
installed on the lander cruise stage without incident. The decision was
made to pull the flight Pyro Initiation Unit (PIU) immediately following
mission system testing of the cruise sequence for rework to eliminate
the potential for latchup as occurred in mission system testing of the
orbiter launch/initialization sequence. Cause of the PIU anomaly is due
to sensitivity of programmable logic device inside the PIU to residual
voltages on the power input prior to power up. This condition can
result in a latch up during the power up sequence. The residual voltage
has been tracked to a design feature within the Power Distribution and
Drive Unit (PDDU) power switches. The unit will be returned to the
vehicle on November 19.
Time Lapse Movie
Mars Surveyor 98 Spacecraft At
Kennedy Space Center
November 13, 1998
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Mars Climate Orbiter
MPEG Movie - 3.0 MB
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Mars Polar Lander
MPEG Movie - 742K
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