PDS_VERSION_ID          = PDS3
RECORD_TYPE             = STREAM

OBJECT                  = TEXT
   INTERCHANGE_FORMAT   = ASCII
   PUBLICATION_DATE     = 2009-09-29 
   NOTE                 = "PC-Kernel Information"
END_OBJECT              = TEXT
                                                                     
END 


General information about SPICE PC-kernels
==========================================

   In the SPICE system, a PC-kernel (PcK) contains attitude and
   body shape information for planets, their satellites, the sun
   and sometimes for comets and asteroids.
   
   The purpose of the PCK kernels and associated software is to provide
   SPICE users with a convenient mechanism for supplying planetary
   physical constants to application programs. SPICE PCK software is
   able to read files conforming to the PCK format and return to a
   calling application program both the data contained in such files
   and a small number of commonly used numeric quantities derived from
   the kernel data. This software is part of the SPICELIB library, the
   major component of the NAIF Toolkit. Information about obtaining the
   SPICE Toolkit is located in the "software" subdirectory of the main
   directory of this dataset.

   Refer to the PCK Required Reading (pck.req) document provided with
   the toolkit or available from the NAIF Node of the PDS, to get more
   information on how to access PC-Kernel data.


Cassini PC-kernel contained on this volume
==========================================

   The following PC-kernel files are included on this volume (only name
   portion of the file name is shown on the right; the extension of all
   file names is ".tpc".
     
       cpck[ddmmmyyyy]                Cassini PCK file containing
                                      information for the Sun, the planets
                                      and the large natural satellites
                                      of the planets, and

       cpck_rock_[ddmmmyyyy]_merged   Cassini PCK file containing
                                      attitude and body shape information
                                      as well as frame specifications
                                      for the small satellites (rocks)
                                      of Saturn.

   where:

 
      [ddmmmyyyy]                     is the date of the latest update.


Kernel File Details
===================

   The most detailed description of the data in a text PCK file is
   provided in metadata included inside the descriptive text areas within
   the file. This information can be viewed using any text editor.


Kernel File Usage
=================

   Some PCK files are compatible with certain ephemeris (SPK) files. Below
   is a list of PCK files and the time coverage that preserves this
   compatibility.

      ------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Coverage range
        PCK file                                      Start End
                                                     (YYDOY YYDOY)
      ------------------------------------------------------------
      cpck30Sep2004_jupiter.tpc                       97288 01066
      cpck14Oct2004.tpc                               01066 04199
      cpck07Jan2005.tpc                               04199 04247
      cpck28Feb2005.tpc                               04247 04336
      cpck04May2005.tpc                               04336 05015
      cpck12Apr2005.tpc                               05015 05034
      cpck21Apr2005.tpc                               05034 05060
      cpck04May2005.tpc                               05060 05081
      cpck05May2005.tpc                               05081 05097
      cpck19May2005.tpc                               05097 05114
      cpck09Jun2005.tpc                               05114 05132
      cpck05Jul2005.tpc                               05132 05150
      cpck11Jul2005.tpc                               05150 05169
      cpck02Aug2005.tpc                               05169 05186
      cpck26Aug2005.tpc                               05186 05205
      cpck08Sep2005.tpc                               05205 05225
      cpck23Sep2005.tpc                               05225 05245
      cpck11Oct2005.tpc                               05245 05257
      cpck21Oct2005.tpc                               05257 05275
      cpck15Nov2005.tpc                               05275 05293
      cpck13Dec2005.tpc                               05293 05320
      cpck12Jan2006.tpc                               05320 05348
      cpck14Feb2006.tpc                               05348 06005
      cpck21Mar2006.tpc                               06005 06036
      cpck19Apr2006.tpc                               06036 06068
      cpck15May2006.tpc                               06068 06099
      cpck14Jun2006.tpc                               06099 06130
      cpck20Jul2006.tpc                               06130 06162
      cpck11Aug2006.tpc                               06162 06193
      cpck07Sep2006.tpc                               06193 06217
      cpck26Sep2006.tpc                               06217 06240
      cpck16Oct2006.tpc                               06240 06260
      cpck08Nov2006.tpc                               06260 06276
      cpck16Nov2006.tpc                               06276 06292 
      cpck01Dec2006.tpc                               06292 06308
      cpck14Dec2006.tpc                               06308 06318
      cpck10Jan2007.tpc                               06318 06332
      cpck17Jan2007.tpc                               06332 06342
      cpck26Jan2007.tpc                               06342 06356
      cpck09Feb2007.tpc                               06356 07008
      cpck14Feb2007.tpc                               07008 07023
      cpck12Mar2007.tpc                               07023 07042
      cpck04Apr2007.tpc                               07042 07062
      cpck01May2007.tpc                               07062 07077
      cpck08May2007.tpc                               07077 07094
      cpck17May2007.tpc                               07094 07106
      cpck06Jun2007.tpc                               07106 07125
      cpck25Jun2007.tpc                               07125 07140
      cpck09Jul2007.tpc                               07140 07155
      cpck30Jul2007.tpc                               07155 07170
      cpck23Aug2007.tpc                               07170 07191
      cpck18Oct2007.tpc                               07191 07221
      cpck27Nov2007.tpc                               07221 07262
      cpck22Jan2008.tpc                               07262 07309
      cpck25Jan2008.tpc                               07309 07329
      cpck27Feb2008.tpc                               07329 07345
      cpck10Mar2008.tpc                               07345 07365 
      cpck28Mar2008.tpc                               07365 08045
      cpck02May2008.tpc                               08045 08067
      cpck15May2008.tpc                               08067 08078
      cpck06Jun2008.tpc                               08078 08126
      cpck18Jun2008.tpc                               08126 08141
      cpck05Sep2008.tpc                               08141 08206
      cpck16Sep2008.tpc                               08206 08220
      cpck31Oct2008.tpc                               08220 08272
      cpck03Dec2008.tpc                               08272 08294
      cpck17Dec2008.tpc                               08294 08319
      cpck20Jan2009.tpc                               08319 08334
      cpck02Feb2009.tpc                               08334 08350
      cpck26Feb2009.tpc                               08350 09028
      ------------------------------------------------------------

   Merged rock PCK files are not present in every data release.


Contact Information
===================

   Regarding Cassini project specific information provided in this
   data set and for general information about SPICE system:
   
      Boris Semenov
      (818)-354-8136
      Boris.Semenov@jpl.nasa.gov
      
   address:
   
      Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF)
      Jet Propulsion Laboratory
      MS 301-125L
      4800 Oak Grove Drive
      Pasadena CA 91109 USA 

