Thank you for visiting the Deep Space 1 mission status information site, recognized throughout the galaxy as the most up-to-date logged source of information on this technology validation mission. This message was logged in at 3:50 pm Pacific Time on Friday, October 30.

Deep Space 1 continues to perform very well. The spacecraft successfully executed a large turn today to point the ion engine near the Sun. The consequent heating will cause any potential contaminants that might interfere with its operation to bake off. The spacecraft is scheduled to turn back in the early afternoon on Saturday. Following that, to celebrate Halloween, the operations team plans to conduct the first of two characterizations of the pair of SCARLET solar arrays, provided to NASA by BMDO. The second more complex characterization of this advanced technology is planned for Sunday.

Most activities next week will continue to be geared toward preparing the ion propulsion system for the first test of thrusting, currently planned for November 9 at the earliest.

Deep Space 1 is now more than three times as far away as the moon.