MARS OBSERVER MISSION
STATUS
August 22, 1993
8 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time
Engineers are continuing to attempt to reestablish
communication with the Mars Observer spacecraft, after losing
contact with the spacecraft at 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on
Saturday, Aug. 21, three days before the craft's capture in orbit
around Mars.
The spacecraft's on-board sequence to begin preparing for
orbit insertion was uplinked on Friday, Aug. 20. Controllers
have no reason to believe that the spacecraft is not carrying out
those instructions even though communication has been
interrupted. The spacecraft is set to enter orbit around Mars at
approximately 1:30 p.m. PDT on Tuesday, Aug. 24.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory Public Information Office will
be closed until 8 a.m. PDT on Monday, Aug. 23.