Mars Express Bistatic Radar Experiment Operations Plan and Report 19 April 2009 Summary ======= DSN Antenna: 63 Pass: 2150 Orbit: 6795 Orbit Start Time: 2009-04-19T05:30:02 HGA Pointing: Specular Start Center End -------- ---------- -------- Specular Condition (ERT): 06:15:00 06:47:00 07:19:00 Target Latitude (deg N): 30.36 35.12 39.64 Longitude (deg E): 8.37 7.25 9.81 Rp (km): 3375. 3375. 3375. Incidence/Reflection Angle (deg): 56.68 60.68 65.44 Slant Range (km): 11473. 10972. 9975. Slew Angle (deg): 66.65 58.63 49.13 Doppler (carrier, fd; Hz): -21476. -18150. -12522. Doppler (echo, fr; Hz): 1093. 7640. 14243. Doppler Difference (fdd; Hz): -22568. -25790. -26765. Earth-Mars Distance (m): 3.183E+11 3.183E+11 3.183E+11 Experiment Set Up ================= This experiment was conducted using Madrid's DSS 63. Danny Kahan and Gene Goltz were in the Radio Science Support Area (RSSA) at JPL; Dick Simpson was available by telephone. Performance Problems and Notes ============================== No S-RCP data were collected because the maser lost gain after a 'cryogenic glitch' (DR #105313). DSS 63 was switched from spacecraft pointing to planetary pointing shortly after tracking began. This improves the measurement of surface echo power; but the difference is minimal at these Earth-Mars ranges (greater than 2 AU). Data Acquisition ================ RSRs were configured as in Table 1. Table 1 ---------------------------------------------------- RSR Channel Mode ATT FGAIN Operator dB ----- ------- ---- ---- ----- ---------------------- RSR1A S-LCP 1-W auto 60 unknown RSR1B X-LCP 1-W auto 60 unknown RSR2A S-RCP 1-W auto 60 unknown RSR2B X-RCP 1-W auto 60 unknown RSR subchannels (SCHAN) were defined as follows: Table 2 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subchannel Sample Rate Comments ---------- ----------- --------------------------------------------- 1 2 ksps Recording bandwidth for occultations (RCP only) 2 8 ksps backup (not recorded) 3 25 ksps Primary recording bandwidth 4 100 ksps Backup recording Table 3 lists ADC amplitude levels read from RSR displays during the experiment. Times are in UTC and should be considered approximate. "Steps" are as defined in the briefing message. RSR ATT settings are in units proportional to dB. Acronyms are defined after the table. Data compiled by Gene Goltz and Danny Kahan. Table 3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Activity Time Step # S-LCP X-LCP S-RCP X-RCP Notes / Comments 2009/109 RSR1A RSR1B RSR2A RSR2B -------- ----- --------- ----- ----- ----- ----- ------------------------ Pre-Cal 04:42 1 1.3 -15.0 -19.6 -13.9 04:44 att auto -10.1 -10.1 -19.6 -10.1 ADC amplitudes (dB) 04:45 2 -10.0 -0.2 -19.5 -0.2 04:46 3 -0.8 -0.3 -19.5 -0.2 04:47 4 -0.6 -0.3 -19.7 -0.2 Amb load phys temps: S1=16.31 S2=16.38 X1=13.25 04:48 att auto -10.1 -10.0 -19.6 -9.8 Weather: T=5.7C H=90.2 percent sky=partly cloudy 27.5 26.0 0.0 29.0 Atten settings(?) 04:50 rec 3 e -10.2 -10.0 -19.5 -9.6 Begin 25 kHz recording 04:50 5 -10.2 -10.0 -19.5 -9.6 04:55 6 -10.2 -10.0 -19.6 -9.6 04:58 7 -10.1 -21.6 -19.6 -19.6 05:01 8 -10.1 -21.7 -19.7 -21.9 05:04 9 -9.9 -19.5 -19.6 -21.8 Confirm 12.5 noise diode 05:07 10 -10.0 -9.6 -19.7 -9.7 Amb load phys temps: S1=16.44 S2=16.38 X1=13.81 05:10 11 -9.9 -9.9 -19.5 -9.8 Weather: T=5.7C H=86.2 percent sky=partly cloudy 05:13 12 -10.0 -21.5 -19.6 -21.9 05:16 13 -10.1 -21.6 -19.7 -21.9 05:17 14 -10.1 -21.6 -19.7 -21.9 05:18 15 -10.1 -21.5 -19.5 -22.0 Confirm 12.5 noise diode 05:20 16 -9.8 -21.5 -19.5 -21.9 05:23 17 -19.2 -21.7 -19.5 -22.0 05:26 18 -21.1 -21.5 -19.6 -21.9 Amb load phys temps: S1=16.56 S2=16.38 X1=14.06 05:29 Antenna to s/c point BOT 05:35 -20.1 -20.4 -19.5 -20.4 05:38 Switch to planetary pointing predicts 05:49 sfro 3/SX 3k 21k 3k 21k Receiver offsets (Hz) 05:49 sfro 4/X 0 11k 0 11k Receiver offsets (Hz) MiniCal1 05:50 1 -19.9 -19.9 -19.6 -18.7 05:53 2 -20.1 -20.1 -19.5 -20.6 05:56 3 -20.1 -18.4 -19.7 -20.2 05:59 4 -18.5 -20.1 -19.5 -20.1 06:02 5 -20.2 -20.2 -19.6 -20.1 06:05 BSR 06:14 -20.2 -20.2 -19.5 -20.2 Begin 100 kHz recording 07:20 -20.8 -20.8 -19.6 -21.5 End 100 kHz recording MiniCal2 07:21 1 -20.9 -20.9 -19.4 -19.5 07:24 2 -20.8 -21.0 -19.6 -21.6 07:27 3 -20.8 -19.0 -19.5 -21.6 07:30 4 -19.1 -20.9 -19.7 -21.5 07:33 5 -20.9 -21.0 -19.7 -21.5 07:36 -20.8 -21.1 -19.6 -21.6 07:45 sfro 3SX 0 0 0 0 Receiver offsets (Hz) sfrox 4SX 0 0 0 0 Receiver offsets (Hz) EOT 08:00 -20.8 -21.1 -19.5 -20.9 Stow 08:00 -21.2 -21.7 -19.6 -21.9 Post-Cal 08:04 1 -10.1 -10.0 -19.5 -9.9 Amb load phys temps: S1=15.88 S2=16.22 X1=12.58 08:10 2 -10.0 -10.1 -19.6 -9.7 08:13 3 -10.0 -10.1 -19.6 -9.9 08:16 4 -10.1 -9.9 -19.6 -9.8 08:19 5 -10.0 -10.1 -19.6 -9.9 08:22 6 -19.2 -21.6 -19.7 -21.9 08:25 7 -21.2 -19.5 -19.6 -22.0 08:28 8 -21.1 -21.7 -19.6 -21.9 08:31 9 -21.2 -21.8 -19.6 -19.5 08:34 10 -21.2 -21.8 -19.5 -21.9 Amb load phys temps: S1=15.62 S2=16.75 X1=12.19 Weather: T=12.6C H=51.1 percent sky=partly cloudy EOA 08:38 end -21.2 -21.8 -19.5 -21.9 End 25 kHz recording AMB = ambient load BOT = Beginning of Track CNR = Carrier to noise ratio CONSCAN = conical scan tracking CW = continuous wave (carrier only) EOA = End of activity EOT = End of Track FRO = frequency offset HGA = high-gain antenna LOS = loss of signal ND = noise diode No = noise power Pc = carrier power rcvr = receiver S1 = ambient load for S-RCP S2 = ambient load for S-LCP SL = S-LCP SNR = Signal to noise ratio SR = S-RCP TLM = telemetry X1 = Ambient load for both X-band channels XL = X-LCP XR = X-RCP Dick Simpson Original: 2009-08-07