Date : 12-Dec-2013
The first trajectory correction manoeuvre (TCM) of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) was completed successfully on Tuesday.
The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) would first roll over to achieve the right orientation necessary for carrying out the TCM. MOM will then command the 22 N Thrusters on board to fire for about 44 seconds and attain the necessary incremental velocity.
After the firing, MOM will roll back to an optimal orientation which ensures continuous communication with Earth, uninterrupted power generation and proper solar heating.
"Since MOM is about 2.9 million km away from Earth, the amount of time required for the signal to go and come back is 20 seconds. Hence the entire operation is managed by the onboard computer. The first crucial TCM is scheduled for 6.30am on Wednesday and we will be able to bring you the 'real time' update with a transit delay of 10 seconds," ISRO had said.
Scientists said the mission's plan to handle even the maximum Earth to Mars round-trip light time delay of 42 minutes was in place. "The spacecraft is equipped with autonomy features that will safeguard the spacecraft, when micromanaging the mission from Earth is not feasible due to communication delays. MOM team is gaining hands-on experience in handling the communication delay as it keeps increasing gradually," scientists said responding to queries from 'MOM watchers.'
"After the Trans-Mars Injection, MOM navigators spent days ranging and measuring the velocity of the spacecraft and precisely determined its flight path. Based on this, the firing duration and delta-v has been calculated which will correct the deviations before they have a chance to grow large. During the TCM, accelerometers on board MOM gives the information when the desired delta-v is achieved," scientists said.
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