ACE Weekly 07/22/2009 - 07/28/2009

All ACE spacecraft subsystems are performing nominally.

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Orbit/Attitude:

No maneuvers were performed this week.  The next attitude maneuver is
scheduled for Monday 08/03/2009.

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OCRs:

None

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Activities:

Data Capture:  100%  DOY 200-207 2009

DSS-46 will close on Monday August 3 2009.  ACE has been using the
following DSN stations
Goldstone, California   DSS-24, DSS-27
Canberra, Australia     DSS-34, DSS-45, DSS-46 (closed 8/3/2009)
Madrid, Spain           DSS-65, DSS-54 (closed until 10/3/2009)

Background Information on DSS-46
Over the past 2 years, ACE has used DSS-46 for 15% of the daily tracking
passes.  ACE also has short 1-hour RNG ONLY passes so that the Orbit
Determination team will have sufficient ranging from the southern
hemisphere.  ACE averages ~120 RNG ONLY passes a year, of which 75% have
been with DSS-46.

DSS-34 and DSS-45 are available to ACE.  Over the past 2 years, ACE has
used these 2 stations for 5% of the TKG PASSES and 20% of the RNG ONLY
passes.  With the closing of DSS-46, scheduling passes will be more
difficult but not impossible.  

The ACE Flight Ops Team thanks DSS-46 for their support over the years.
Especially the recovery on 08/15/2003 (AR# S03-0017) when the antenna
for C&DH B (backup C&DH) switched to the top deck.  DSS-46 was the only
antenna able to lock onto the top deck broadbeam antenna so that C&DH B
could be commanded back to using the bottom deck antenna.

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Anomalies:

None