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Mars Pathfinder Update - October 1, 1997

PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

            Mars Pathfinder Mission Status
                  October 1, 1997

     After experiencing difficulties in communicating with the 
Mars Pathfinder spacecraft for the past three days, the 
operations team was able to reestablish a brief two-way 
communications session Tuesday using the lander's auxiliary 
transmitter. Receipt of this beacon signal indicated that the 
spacecraft is still operational. 

     The team began having communications problems with the 
spacecraft on Saturday, Sept. 27.  These problems could be 
related to degradation of the spacecraft's battery. The last 
successful data transmission cycle from Pathfinder was completed 
at 3:23 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Sept. 27, which was Sol 83 
of the mission.  

     No signal was received from the spacecraft on the next 
Martian day, Sol 84, which began in the evening of Sept. 27. The 
team's transmission session began at 11:15 p.m. PDT.  The lack of 
a signal, at that time, was thought to be caused by a possible 
computer reset incident, ground system problem or low voltage 
condition.  A reset or a low voltage condition, caused by the 
aging of the battery, would cause the spacecraft sequence to 
automatically stop and not execute its planned communication with 
Earth.  

     The team attempted to communicate with the spacecraft again 
on Sept. 29 (Sol 85) and Sept. 30 (Sol 86) with no success. 

     Tonight, on Sol 88 of the mission, the team will use the 
auxiliary transmitter again to attempt to acquire engineering 
data that will help them assess the cause of the communications 
problem. Meanwhile, the rover, which receives its instructions 
from Earth via the lander, is currently running a contingency 
program which has instructed it to stand still rather than begin 
its trek around the lander.  

     The team will repeat these activities on subsequent days and 
attempt to receive telemetry that will give them more information 
about the health of the lander and rover.  

     If Pathfinder operations do not return to normal tonight, a 
Mars Pathfinder team representative will provide an update on the 
situation at the beginning of the planned Mars Global Surveyor 
science news briefing at 9 a.m. PDT on Thursday, Oct. 2.

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