This Echo is READ ONLY !   NO Un-Authorized Messages Please!
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Genesis Mission Status Update
April 14, 2003

The Genesis spacecraft continues its mission collecting solar wind
material expelled from the Sun. Telemetry from the Genesis spacecraft
indicates the spacecraft is in overall good health and as of the
morning of April 14, the spacecraft was about 1.473 million
kilometers (.915 million miles) from Earth. 

On April 4, the Genesis flight team performed a "concentrator
rejection grid test." This test demonstrated a new maximum voltage of
2120 V for the rejection grid and was a complete success.

Recent solar activity has called for the "high solar speed" collector
array to be deployed 60% of the time. The low-speed array has been
deployed 26% of the time and holding down the fort in last place has
been the "E-Array" which has been unshaded 14% of the time. The
"E-Array" is deployed when sensors on the spacecraft detect a coronal
mass ejection. 

There are three collector arrays aboard Genesis that are exposed to,
or hidden from, the solar wind. One collector array for each of the
three solar wind regimes. Which collector array is exposed is
determined by the data received by sensitive ion and electron
monitors located on the spacecraft's equipment deck. These monitors
scrutinize the solar wind passing by the spacecraft and relay this
information to the onboard computer, which in turn commands the
collector arrays to deploy and retract as needed. 

Genesis Vital Statistics: 
- 615 days since launch. 
- 355 days to planned completion of solar particle collection. 
- 512 days to Genesis return to Earth.

 - END OF FILE -
==========

@Message posted automagically by IMTHINGS POST 1.30
---