Effects of an apparent space dust impact on a position sensing solid state detector aboard the Ulysses spacecraft

The High Energy Telescope (HET) is part of the COsmic and Solar Particle INvestigation (COSPIN) aboard the Ulysses spacecraft. The Ulysses mission is to explore the Heliosphere in three dimensions by passing over the polar regions of the sun. Ulysses achieved it present high inclination (>80°) solar orbit via a gravitational sling-shot around Jupiter. During or proximate to Jovian encounter, the HET suffered an apparent dust impact. The dust particle entered through the telescope aperture windows and damaged the top position sensing solid state detector. This paper discusses the evidence of the impact in the data, and the effect of the impact on the detector.