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Aqua Maneuvers

This page lists Aqua orbital maneuvers and anomalies that may result in loss of data or affect data quality. Beginning June 2005, a quality flag will be set in AMSR-E products if Aqua fails to meet the 400 m ephemeris requirement.

25 August 2005:
Aqua failed to meet the 400m predictive ephemeris requirement for FDS products. The maximum RSS position difference with the definitive ephem was 786.680m. The prediction error was attributed a large spike up to 110 in the Planetary A index.

03 August 2005: AQUA Drag Makeup Maneuver #22
Slew Out Start: 15:55:00
Slew Out End: 16:04:10
Burn Start: 16:40:00
Burn End: 16:40:21
Slew Back Start: 16:55:00
Slew Back End: 17:04:10
FPM: 16:40:55
Maneuver Complete: 17:04:10
Duration Of Burn: Approximately 21 seconds
Orbit Number: 17307

23 May 2005: Aqua failed to meet the 400m predictive ephem requirement for the following days:

DOY133 (2005) FDS products. The maximum RSS position difference with the definitive ephem was 547.28 m. The prediction error was attributed to the hot (9.1%) DMU#21 scheduled for DOY133.

DOY134 (2005) FDS products. The maximum RSS position difference with the definitive ephem was 599.92 m. The prediction error was also attributed to the hot (9.1%) DMU#21 scheduled for DOY133.

DOY136 (2005) FDS products. The maximum RSS position difference with the definitive ephem was 863.88 m. The prediction error was attributed a large spike up to 105 in the Planetary A index .

19 May 2005: AQUA MODIS Lunar Calibration Roll Maneuver 29
Type of Maneuver: _X_Roll Maneuver -7.0831 (deg)
Slew Out: 12:16:01 (Loss of Pointing Accuracy)
Slew End: 12:22:27
Slew Back: 12:30:57
Slew End: 12:37:23
Regain Pting Accuracy: 12:42:23
Orbit Number 16183

13 May 2005: AQUA Drag Makeup Maneuver #21
CANCELLED

16 April 2004: Approximately 20 min of science data was lost due to the Svalbard and Alaska ground station failures.

19 February 2005: AQUA MODIS Lunar Calibration Roll Maneuver 26
Type of Maneuver: _X_Roll Maneuver -14.4239 (deg)
Time of Maneuver: Saturday, Feb. 19, 2005 DOY (2005-050)
Slew Out: 03:41:20 (Loss of Pointing Accuracy)
Slew End: 03:50:31
Slew Back: 03:59:01
Slew End: 04:08:12
Regain Pting Accuracy: 04:13:12

22 January 2005:
Aqua failed to meet the 400 m predictive ephem requirement for the DOY022 FDS products. The maximum RSS position difference with the definitive ephem was 561.39 m. The prediction error was attributed to the recent solar storm with a trailing spike down and up of the Planetary A index.

12 January 2005: AQUA Drag Makeup Maneuver #19
Slew Out: 17:49:30 Z (Start of loss of pointing accuracy)
Burn Start: 18:42:00 Z
Slew Back: 19:28:00 Z
Regain pointing accuracy: 19:40:00
Duration Of Maneuver: Approximately 20 seconds
Orbit Number: 14337

21 December 2004: MODIS Lunar Calibration Roll Maneuver #24
Slew Start: 16:41:46 (Slight loss of ptg accuracy begins)
Slew Complete: 16:44:28
Data Collect Begin: 16:46:38
Slew Return Start: 16:53:08 (Data Collect End time)
Slew Complete: 16:56:00
Regain Ptg Accuracy: 17:01:00
Orbit Number: 14016
Slew Time: 2 min 52 sec
Settle: 2 minutes
Slew Angle: -1.4013 degrees
Total Collect Duration: 6 minutes 30 seconds
Sun-Moon-MODIS Phase Angle: 55.36 degrees

18 November 2004: AQUA Drag Makeup Maneuver #18
Slew Out: 14:32:30
Burn Time: 15:32:02
Burn Duration: 40.75 seconds
Slew Back: 16:16:00

11 November 2004
The Aqua predictive ephemeris violated the 400 m requirement. The maximum predictive versus definitive ephememris RSS position difference was 1428.6 m on 10 November, 1212.2 m on 08 November, and 469.3 m on 07 November.

23 October 2004: AQUA MODIS Lunar Calibration Roll maneuver
Type of Maneuver: _X_Roll Maneuver -16.6865(deg)
Time of Maneuver: 10/23/04 (DOY 297)
Slew Start: 22:13:02 (Slight loss of ptg accuracy begins)
Slew Complete: 22:22:55
Data Collect Begin: 22:24:55
Slew Return Start: 22:31:25 (Data Collect End time)
Slew Complete: 22:41:18
Regain Ptg Accuracy: 22:46:18
Orbit Number: 13160
Duration Of Maneuver: Slew Time: 9 min 52.7 sec, Settle: 2 minutes

12 October 2004
Time of Maneuver: 10/12/04 (DOY - 286)
S/C Day/ Night: 15:39:46.000
Slew Out Start: 15:39:46.000
Inclination Burn Start: 15:49:41.000
Duration 550.0 seconds
S/C DSC Node: 15:57.28.000
Inclination Burn End: 15:58:51.000
Slew Back Start: 15:59:21.625
Slew Back End: 16:11:06.625
S/C Night/ Day: 16:12:41.000

28 September 2004
S/C Day/ Night: 15:28:59.000
Slew Out Start: 15:28:59.000
Inclination Burn Start: 15:38:54.000 (Duration 550.0 seconds)
S/C DSC Node: 15:45.12.000
Inclination Burn End: 15:48:04.000
Slew Back Start: 15:48:34.625
Slew Back End: 16:00:19.625
S/C Night/ Day: 16:02:09.000

14 September 2004:
S/C Day/ Night: 15:18:11.000
Slew Out Start: 15:18:11.000
Inclination Burn Start: 15:28:06.000 Duration 550.0 seconds
S/C DSC Node: 15:32:59.000
Inclination Burn End: 15:37:16.000
Slew Back Start: 15:37:47.625
Slew Back End: 15:49:32.625
S/C Night/ Day: 15:51:40.000

09 September 2004: Aqua inclination maneuver #1
AHM Start Time: 15:15:25.000
S/C Day/Night: 15:15:28.000
Slew Out Start: 15:15:28.000
FF Slew Out Burn End: 15:19:38.000
INC Burn Start: 15:27:07.000
S/C DSC Node: 15:29:32.000
INC Burn End: 15:35:32.000
Slew Back Start: 15:36:02.625
FF Slew Back Burn: 15:42:41.625
Slew Bank End: 15:47:41.625
S/C Night/Day: 15:48:46.500

26 July 2004:
The Aqua predictive ephemeris violated the 400 m requirement. The maximum predictive vs. definitive ephemeris RSS position difference was 549 m. The high comparison was due to a spike in geomagnetic activity. The daily Planetary A Index changed from 27 to 122 on 25 July, and decreased back down to 31. Values for the last month have been 20 or below.

28 June 2004: A MODIS roll maneuver was performed with the following schedule:
Slew Start: 12:06:47 (Slight loss of ptg accuracy begins)
Slew Complete: 12:16:28
Data Collect Begin: 12:18:28
Slew Return Start: 12:24:58 (Data Collect End time)
Slew Complete: 12:34:39
Regain Ptg Accuracy: 12:39:39
Orbit Number: 11450
Slew Time: 9 min 40.9 sec
Settle: 2 minutes

22 June 2004: An Aqua spacecraft maneuver was performed with the following schedule:
Slew out time: 19:07:00 Z (Slight loss of pointing accuracy)
Burn time: 20:46:00 Z
Slew Back: 21:00:00 Z
Regain Ptg Accuracy: 21:15:00 Z
Orbit # 11369
Duration Of Maneuver: 10 seconds

02 June 2004:
AMSR-E Onboard System Maintenance (SPC Error Flag reset). Data from AMSR-E were not downlinked for 59 minutes (00:31:28-01:29:36 UTC), due to the command execution during two paths.

30 April 2004: A MODIS roll maneuver was performed with the following schedule:
Slew Start: 17:04:14 (Slight loss of ptg accuracy begins)
Slew Complete: 17:10:38
Data Collect Begin: 17:12:38
Slew Return Start: 17:19:08 (Data Collect End time)
Slew Complete: 17:25:32
Regain Ptg Accuracy: 17:30:32
Orbit Number: 10594
Slew Time: 6 min 23.32 sec
Settle: 2 minutes
Slew Angle: -6.9795 degrees

21 April 2004: A drag makeup maneuver was performed with the following schedule:
Slew out time: 14:46:00 (slight loss of pointing accuracy)
Burn time: 15:49:00
Orbit: 10462
Duration: Approximately 34 seconds
Slew back: 16:25:00
Regain Pointing Accuracy: 16:40:00
Slew out Pass: 14:39:48 - 14:59:48
Burn Pass: 15:35:42 - 15:55:42
Slew Back: 16:19:47 - 16:39:47

31 March 2004:
An inclination maneuver from 15:11:00 to 15:47:21 UTC may potentially affect the quality of data on that day. The Aqua predictive ephemeris violated the 400 m requirement this same day. Maximum RSS position error was 2307.1 m. The reason for the high comparison was prediction errors related to the INC#2 maneuver conducted this day.

04 March 2004:
P1AME040304186MA (01:25 UTC)
P1AME040304186MA, P1AME040304202MD (01:35:28-02:31:44 UTC)
Gain modes and gain values of the 89 GHz AV sensor were also reset from 02:33:28 to 02:34:40 UTC.

02 March 2004:
At 03:47:20, the Aqua Flight Operations Team (FOT) detected an AMSR-E Yellow flag, SPC Error Flag #5 (Observational Data Parity Error). The flag could not be cleared using the standard procedure that had been used on previous occurrences of the flag. As directed by the JAXA AMSR-E instrument operations team, commands were sent to the AMSR-E instrument on 05 March, 08:30 GMT, to clear the SPC Error Flag #5. During the execution of the procedures, the science data flow had to be disabled. Science data were interrupted from day 05 March, 01:35:36 to 02:31:49. The procedures to clear the flag were successfully completed at 02:34:45. The flag has been cleared, and AMSR-E is back in nominal science observation mode. The following products have a partial loss of data resulting from these procedures:

December 2003:
Aqua calibration maneuvers on 4 and 17 December 2003 may potentially affect the quality of data on those days. On 10 December 2003, the Aqua Flight Dynamics System (FDS) was unable to generate its routine products, including the daily ephemeris load that is sent to the spacecraft, due to multiple hardware drive failures. The predicted ephemeris exceeded the 400 m limit on 13-14 December 2003 and 21 December 2003.

30 October to 05 November 2003:
Due to increased solar flares, the Aqua spacecraft was put in a sleep mode. Data are not available from 30 October to 05 November 2003.