|
PharmaSat Operations Log
June 24-July 19. Ops team is taking several weeks of break. Limited S-Band contact attempts are being made on a weekly basis, and planning is underway to conduct S-Band transceiver testing starting sometime in late July. CK June 15-23. S-Band command troubleshooting continues with supporting analyses and test being conducted by the engineering and operations teams. CK June 15 Amateur Radio Update. Beacon is off. CK June 8-14. Beacon operations conducted from SCU. S-Band command troubleshooting continues with supporting analyses and test being conducted by the engineering and operations teams. The beacon will be turned off on Monday June 15. CK June 6-7. Beacon operations conducted from SCU. S-Band command troubleshooting now includes modified code on the operations hardware simulator in order to better observe key spacecraft processing states as tests are performed. CK June 5 EPO Update: The mission dashboard has had more than 142,000 hits. External amateur radio operators continue to submit beacon packets with more than 1,200 packets received to date. Countries represented to date include the U.S., Brazil, Australia, Germany, Japan and the Netherlands. CK June 1-5. Beacon operations conducted from SCU. Troubleshooting now includes modified code on the operations hardware simulator in order to better observe key spacecraft processing states as tests are performed. CK May 30-31. Beacon operations conducted through the weekend from SCU. CK May 29. Beacon operations conducted from SCU, and continued troubleshooting using the operations hardware simulator was performed. CK May 28 Summary. SCU stations were used to successfully contact the satellite radio in diagnostic mode, but full S-Band commanding is still unsuccessful. Beacon contacts were conducted at SCU with strong reception and many received packets. CK May 27 Summary. SRI was brought back online thanks to the great work by our SRI liaison (MC). However, S-Band contact was not achieved with the vehicle during either of the two primary contacts. The SCU stations were also brought back into operation (their calibration check showed that they did not, in fact, need calibration) and used on a third contact opportunity without any success at establishing S-Band contact; SCU S-Band stations were checked out by conducting good contacts with GeneSat-1. Beacon contacts were conducted at SCU with strong reception and many received packets. CK May 27 Update. Given the download of baseline science data, typical operations log entries will now summarize activities in a daily or or weekly basis. CK OPERATIONS NOTICE. The Science Team has declared that the collected science data to date satisfies PharmaSat's science mission success criteria given the amount and resolution of the data received. Growth and behavior is observable, and they forecast outstanding science value based on analyses to be conducted over the course of the next few months. CK May 26 Summary. An encoder failure at the SRI station prevented standard S-Band operations from being performed. SCU stations are in calibration and will be made available for contacts tomorrow in case SRI is not operational. SRI plans to be operational within 24 hours. Beacon contacts were conducted at SCU with strong reception and many received packets. CK May 25, 6:05 pm PDT. The 3rd and final contact of the day was run from SCU. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 10.4% (367 cmds, 38 responses) yielding 16.88 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 702 bps over a 42 deg EL rise / 78 deg EL max / 30 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception was strong with many decoded packets using a center frequency of 437.457 MHz. CK May 25, 4:35 pm PDT. The 2nd contact of the day was run from SRI. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 55.7% (226 cmds, 126 responses) yielding 61.60 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 1,443 bps over a 31 deg EL rise / 50 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception was strong with many decoded packets using a center frequency of 437.460 MHz. CK May 25, 2:45 pm PDT. The first contact of the day was run from SRI. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 73.1% (186 cmds, 136 responses) yielding 66.35 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 1,181 bps over a 10 deg EL rise / 68.6 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception was strong with many decoded packets using a center frequency of 437.460 MHz. CK May 25, 1:15 pm PDT. The crew is planning on running 3 contacts today. The first 2 will be from SRI and the last one will be from SCU. CK May 24, 8:15 pm PDT. The 4th contact was run from SCU. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The satellite power profile appears to remain positive even with increased heater duty cycling. The S-Band command success rate was 5.9% (339 cmds, 20 responses) yielding 8.49 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 369 bps over a 41 deg EL rise / 66 deg EL max / 23 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception continued to be strong with ~17 decoded packets using a center frequency over a range of 437.462-437.459 MHz. CK May 24, 5:05 pm PDT. The 3rd contact was run from SCU. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 12.5% (280 cmds, 35 responses) yielding 15.73 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 606 bps over a 29 deg EL rise / 55 deg EL max / 20 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception continued to be strong with ~27 decoded packets using a center frequency over a range of 437.462-437.459 MHz. CK May 24, 3:30 pm PDT. The 2nd contact of the day was run from SRI. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 68.6% (175 cmds, 120 responses) yielding 59.5 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 950 bps over a 12 deg EL rise / 62.4 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception continued to be strong with many decoded packets using a center frequency of 437.462 MHz. CK May 24, 1:50 pm PDT. The first contact of the day was run from SRI. Satellite health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 24.8% (214 cmds, 53 responses) yielding 24.64 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 499 bps over a 15 deg EL rise / 39.5 deg EL max / 27 deg EL set profile. Beacon reception was strong with many decoded packets using a center frequency of 437.462 MHz. CK May 24, 1:30 pm PDT. The ops team is planning on running 4 contacts today: 2 from SRI and 2 from SCU. CK May 23, 8:10 pm PDT. Over 71,000 hits on the dashboard. And surprisingly, over 3,000 hits on the public ops log; we wonder if we just got some web press or a significant link, because the ops log traffic has picked up considerably this evening with periods of nearly dozens of hits/min. CK
May 23, 6:00 pm PDT. The 3rd contact of the night was run at SCU in a continuing attempt to characterize 3-meter dish performance in early orbit ops. The team continued to download experiment and bus/payload health data, with all data continuing to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 0.8% (514 cmds, 4 responses) yielding 0.24 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 58 bps while setting from 48 deg EL through 35 deg EL. Strong beacon audible with 1 decoded packet. CK May 23, 4:15 pm PDT. During the 2nd contact, also run at SRI, the team continued to download experiment and bus/payload health data. The S-Band command success rate was 39.7% (151 cmds, 60 responses) yielding 28.54 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 698 bps over a 39 deg EL rise / 57 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Strong beacon audible but no decoded packets. CK May 23, 2:50 pm PDT. The first contact was run at SRI. Improved data throughput as expected with improving orbit estimate. Satellite remains healthy and payload is nominal with respect to temperature, humidity and pressure. The S-Band command success rate was 50.5% (198 cmds, 100 responses) yielding 51.06 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 1,247 bps over a 31 deg EL rise / 48 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Strong beacon audible but no decoded packets. CK May 23, 1:50 pm PDT. For our 5th day of on-orbit operations, the ops crew is planning to run 2 contacts from SRI and then another 2 contacts from SCU. CK May 22, 8:10 pm PDT. As an engineering test, the ops team decided to run the 4th contact of the evening from the 3-m SCU dish. This dish is being baselined for primary operations for the next mission, O/OREOS, and so the team was interested in seeing if it would be possibly to successfully command with such a lower-gain system this early in the mission. The result was a moderate success, but with a performance that was significantly below that of the SRI system for today (although we note it was better than SRI performance on Day 1). The S-Band command success rate was 3.6% (336 cmds, 12 responses) yielding 4.5 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 496 bps over a 41 deg EL rise / 47 deg EL max / 40 deg EL set profile. SCU had faint audible beacon but no decoded packets. CK May 22, 6:30 pm PDT. As outstanding as the current satellite data set appears to be, the ops team is particularly concerned about the satellite's inability to tweet over the past two days. The team is currently developing a contingency operations plan for MMT approval that would implement an immediate reconfiguration of this vital communication channel. The configuration change board will be coordinated via Facebook. Not CK. May 22, 6:20 pm PDT. During the 3rd contact, the team download general satellite data and also started obtaining higher resolution payload data than had been previously downloaded. Health and experimental processing continue to appear nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 38.7% (248 cmds, 96 responses) yielding 48.31 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 1,420 bps over a 29 deg EL rise / 59 deg EL max / 13 deg EL set profile. Beacon was excellent at SRI with decoded packets; SCU had faint audible but no decoded packets. CK May 22, 5:15 pm PDT. Science team reports "THERE IS GROWTH!" in most of the wells in the control bank, which is an outstanding, early indication of a viable experiment. CK May 22, 4:55 pm PDT. During the 2nd contact, the ops team executed the experiment extension procedure without problems. Additional payload and bus health data was collected, and realtime analysis indicated continuing nominal operation. The S-Band command success rate was 40.8% (191 cmds, 78 responses) yielding 35.93 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 949 bps over a 24 deg EL rise / 54 deg EL max / 15 deg EL set profile. Beacon was excellent at SRI with decoded packets; SCU had faint audible but no decoded packets. CK May 22, 3:45 pm PDT. The final nominal step in the processing of the biological experiment is for the ops team to extend the duration of the overall experiment by 24 hours. This is a standing request from the science team that is based on the potential of slower bio growth due to the extra shelf time of the biology as a result of the launch delay. A procedure for this has previously been approved for use, but ops team member "G" proposed a clever, "cleaner" way of achieving the same thing. The ops team proposed a revision to the procedure, and the MMT has just approved the use of this procedure via a Configuration Change Board. The current plan is to execute the procedure later today. CK May 22, 3:33 pm PDT. During the first contact, the ops team collected power and other data to ensure the health of the spacecraft and to characterize experimental progress. The satellite's power state is excellent, and so the duty cycle procedure will NOT be executed (at least in the near term). Given the current state of experimental processing (phase D3), the fluidics setpoint has been lowered, and actual fluidics temperature is holding above that value, as expected. Card mean temperature is holding to within 1/4 of a degree of the mean set-point. Payload pressure and humidity are nominal. The S-Band command success rate was 34.6% (321 cmds, 111 responses) yielding 52.72 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 1,142 bps over a 23 deg EL rise / 58 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Beacon was excellent at SRI with decoded packets; SCU had strong audible but no decoded packets. CK May 22, 2:30 pm PDT. Day 4 of operations! The team is planning on running up to 4 contacts today. The first contact will focus on collecting power data in order to ensure a good power profile for the experiment. If the profile is poor, the team will consider dropping the transceiver duty cycle from the current value of 75% to 60% or perhaps lower. CK May 21, 8:55 pm PDT. During the 4th and final contact for the evening, the team downloaded additional health data in order to verify functional telemetry associated with experimental processing as well as to confirm good satellite state of health. All data showed nominal performance, with critical payload components reaching their commanded temperature set-points, etc. The S-Band command success rate was 32.5% (223 cmds, 73 responses) yielding 34.76 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 765 bps over a 19 deg EL rise / 38 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Beacon was excellent at SRI with decoded packets; SCU had strong audible but no decoded packets. CK
May 21, 6:15 pm PDT. 42,300 hits on the mission dashboard. CK May 21, 5:55 pm PDT. During our second contact, the operations team verified that the experiment was progressing; in fact, the payload had progressed through phases B1 and C and was in phase D0; this indicates that one or both of the conditional setpoint events defining the end of those phases tripped prior to the automatic timeout (which is certainly acceptable, and in fact, desirable). As planned, the team started execution of a procedure to lower the S-Band transceiver duty cycle in order to ensure adequate power margin for the duration of the experiment; the procedure will be completed on the next contact. Satellite health appears good, and payload operation is performing as expected given the start of the experiment, with card and fluidics temperatures rapidly approaching their setpoint. The S-Band command success rate was 57.8% (102 cmds, 59 responses) yielding 28.52 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 793 bps over a 30 deg EL rise / 52 deg EL max / 11 deg EL set profile. Beacon was spot on at SRI with decoded packets; SCU had strong audible but no decoded packets (18). CK May 21, 4:00 pm PDT. During our first of 4 contacts for the day, the ops team executed the procedure that allows the experiment to start early (prior to the 48 hr point) depending on also meeting power requirements. The procedure was successfully executed, with all telemetry verifications indicating proper execution and a continuing healthy state of the spacecraft. The S-Band command success rate was 38.3% (107 cmds, 41 responses) yielding 14.64 kB of downloaded data with an effective data throughput of 329 bps over a 29 deg EL rise / 69 deg EL max / 10 deg EL set profile. Beacon was spot on at SRI with decoded packets; SCU also decoded beacon packets (18). CK May 21, 2:50 pm PDT. Based on good data from our ground test unit, the MMT has given the ops team approval to execute the start experiment procedure (which simply overrides the 48 hr requirement; the automated software control is designed such that the experiment won't start until the power condition is also met. The ops team is preparing to execute this procedure in approximately a half hour. CK May 20, 10:00 pm PDT. During the 5th and final contact for the evening, the SRI team continued to download early orbit health data. They achieved a 7.6% command response success rate (157 cmds, 12 responses) returning 4.9 kB of data with a 231 bps effective data throughput over a pass profile of 20 deg EL rise / 32 deg max EL / 25 deg EL set. Collected satellite health data continued to show nominal satellite health. Audible beacon at both locations but no packets. The team is currently planning to support up to 4 contacts on May 21 running from approximately 3:30 pm PDT through 8:30 pm PDT. CK May 20, 8:00 pm PDT. During the 4th contact, the team continued to collect early orbit health and characterization data. S-Band commanding had an 18% command response success rate (205 cmds, 37 responses) that returned 16.76 kB of data for an effective data throughput of 725 bps for a 31 deg EL rise / 71 deg max EL / 29 deg EL set profile. Collected satellite health data continued to show nominal satellite health. Audible beacon at both locations but no packets. CK May 20, 6:25 pm PDT. During the 3rd contact, the emphasis was on collecting data relating to the stability of the platform relevant to being ready to support the experiment; this included the downloading of power and solar panel current data (the latter used for estimates of spin rates and milli-g levels). A 37.4% command response rate was achieved (171 cmds sent, 64 responses), giving us 31.75 kB of data and an effective data throughput of 1,082 bps from a 28 deg EL rise to an 18 deg EL set. No beacon packets were received at either station although the signal was audible. We note that the pass was northerly. CK May 20, 5:20 pm PDT. During our 2nd contact, we used the new NORAD TLEs with teams at both SRI and SCU, and we had outstanding results, both in terms of making contact as well as what the data told us. SCU received strong beacon signals with about 20 decoded packets throughout the contact, and SRI received much more S-Band data than yesterday with a 40% command response success rate (124 cmds, 50 responses, 21.35 kB, 453 bps effective from a 14 deg El rise to a 11 deg EL set. CK May 20, 2:30 pm PDT. During our first contact, SCU heard strong clear beacon audio, but no packets were decoded. Interestingly, the team ran simultaneous contacts from the SCU ops center: a PharmaSat beacon ops contact and a GeneSat-1 S-Band contact. And we still had another antenna unused! CK
May 19, 11:04 pm PDT. 10,000 hits on the mission dashboard. The count was in the low 2,000's prior to launch. CK May 19, 11:00 pm PDT. The ops team has completed the 3rd and final contact for the evening. Audible beacon but no additional packets. 2 new S-Band responses received (a payload register file and a fluidics register file) out of 234 commanded attempts. The TLEs are still poor and ambiguous, and the max EL was awfully low, so these results are in line with expectations (in fact, we had not anticipated making S-Band contact this evening). Based on the limited data collected so far, satellite health seems good, with nominal temperatures, expected voltages, and proper software and timing parameters. MMT will convene tomorrow at 10 am PDT to review full data set and plan for up to 5 contact opportunities on May 20, running from approximately 2:30 pm PDT through 9:15 pm PDT. CK May 19, 10:00 pm PDT. Congratulations to Cal Poly for making contact with their satellite, launched on the same rocket. CK
May 19, 8:00 PDT. 2nd contact attempt. Beacon audible at both SCU and SRI, but no decoded packets. 2 S-Band packets received (bus register and bus packet) out of 243 command attempts. We used the post-launch vectors for this pass. Next pass, we may move to space-track since they're posting updates. CK May 19, 7:45 PDT. Thanks to the Cal Poly team for tracking PharmaSat and submitting packets! Good luck with your satellite... CK May 19, 7:15 PDT. The team has put the SRI and SCU stations into pre-contact mode in preparation for our next contact around 8 pm. We're also reviewing the results from the first contact. Highlights include receipt of beacon packets at both SRI and SCU via hand trackers, using TLEs generated from the pre-launch estimated launch vector. No 2-way S-Band communications were successful, but surprisingly, analysis of beacon shows that, of the 223 commands sent to the vehicle in an attempt to make contact, 46 were successfully received, and presumably telemetry responses were sent back to ground but not received (due most likely to poor early-orbit tracking based on low-accuracy TLEs). Other beacon data shows, for example, that the payload card temperature (inside the sealed canister) was approximately 14 deg C. Based on the very limited data so far, things look good. CK May 19, 6:24 PDT. Beacon packets decoded - definite functionality from PharmaSat! Received multiple locations by SCU operators. CK May 19, 6:22 PDT. We have faint beacon audio from multiple sources! CK May 19, 6:10 PDT. The ops team is prepping for the first contact opportunity. 4 beacon tracks are being done simultaneously: 1 with the high gain narrow beamwidth SRI antenna (which has a quad feed for simultaneous use), 1 with the SCU OSCAR station, a handtrack at the SRI location, and a handtrack at the SCU location. Plus, ex-patriot PW will be handtracking with DSP post-processing down in Pasadena. Hope for any audio, would cheer for data packets, and would do cartwheels if SRI can get an S-Band packet through (which we're not really expecting during Day 1). CK May 19, 5:17 PDT. If all has gone well, PharmaSat has now ejected from its P-POD. CK
May 19, 4:30 PDT. Minor delays due to a boat in the nearby waters. Countdown reset for 4:55 launch. CK May 19, 4:05 PDT. Ops crews on station at SRI and SCU, and the telecon is open. T-30 min, and Wallops reports "No issues for range,rocket or spacecraft. Range is clear." CK
May 19, 1pm PDT. The PSat team is hoping that today will be the day! We've had 3 previously unsuccessful launch attempts. We're currently about 3 1/2 hours out from the opening of today's launch window, and the countdown counter is clicking away nicely. Official word from Wallops is "Latest forecast at launch is nearly skies, temperature will be 51 degrees, and winds at 13 knots out of the east. Probability of good weather for launch is near 100%." The team has spent the past week coming up with a new set of procedures for possibly modifying the bio experiment timeline given the launch delay and the extra "shelf time" that the bio-payload has experienced as a result. On Friday May 15, the team successfully presented a "Delta Operational Readiness Review" to a NASA review team in order to review status and changes in operations as a result of the delay. CK
|
