Projects: Space Information
The Planetary Report
Volume XXI, Number 4, July/August 2001
Credit: MOLA science team and G. Shirah, Goddard
Space Flight Center |
On the Cover
Socrates declared he knew nothing except the fact of
his ignorance. Indeed, when it comes to Mars, the more we see, the less
we understand, thus realizing the extent of our ignorance. This Mars Orbiter
Laser Altimeter (MOLA) image of the Red Planet's Argyre planitia was produced
by combining MOLA altimetry with color from a Viking image mosaic. The Argyre
impact basin, measuring 1,200 kilometers (about 745 miles) in diameter,
formed when a large object struck Mars about 4 billion years ago.
From The Editor
We can't say it enough: space exploration
is hard. Nearly every step
forward is a step into unexplored territory,
whether technical or scientific. We have to
expect the unexpected and prepare to deal
with failure. In fact, that's why we test new
spacecraft, again and again, to discover
where potentials for failure may lie. And
that's why we have a test phase in our
Cosmos 1 solar sail project.
You've probably heard by now that our
sail deployment test went awry when the
third stage of the Volna rocket failed to
release the test capsule. They fell together
somewhere in Kamchatka. Executive
Director Lou Friedman is still in Russia,
meeting with the project's technical
teams to determine exactly what went
wrong and to figure out what we do next.
The test mission launched just as we were going to press with this issue of
The Planetary Report. So in the next issue we will bring you a full report
on the separation failure and update you on the project's status.
Our orbital flight is still planned for late this year. The Planetary Society
and our Cosmos 1 sponsors, Cosmos Studios and the Arts and Entertainment Network,
remain committed to the project. Our goal is an orbiting solar sail spacecraft
that gains orbital energy from sunlight and begins to spiral away from Earth.
Planetary Society members have let us know over and over again that, in spite
of the setbacks, you, too, remain committed to the project. Together we will
fly the first solar sail.
— Charlene M. Anderson
Features
Opinion: Let's Put Martian Life First
Planetary Society Board member
Chris McKay is a leader in the scientific study of
the possibility of life on other worlds. Such a professional focus naturally
leads to rumination
on the ethical implications of interplanetary contact between life-forms,
and Chris here
shares his thoughts with our members.
Cosmos 1 Test Capsule Repaired After Prelaunch Accident
It hasn't been an easy road to the first orbital flight of our Cosmos
1 solar sail -- still
planned for late this year. Here we report to Planetary Society members
on the accident
that took place in April while preparing for launch. In the next issue
we'll bring you a
complete report on the upper-stage separation failure. This is why we test:
to expose potential
problems before we attempt a true solar sail flight in Earth orbit.
Solar Sail Watch: Coming Soon to a Backyard Near You
It's still full speed ahead for the orbital flight of Cosmos 1 late
this year. There are ways
everyone can be involved and contribute to this test flight -- through
our Solar Sail Watch.
Get the details here on what to expect and how to prepare.
Mars, Old and New: A Personal View by Bruce Murray
Bruce Murray, in addition to being president of The Planetary Society,
is a leading planetary
scientist who for 30 years has focused his research on the Red Planet.
Now Mars
Global Surveyor is overturning previous conceptions of the processes that
shape Mars,
and here Bruce discusses how old paradigms are being shattered.
Merton Davies, Space Pioneer, Warmly Remembered
The editorial staff of The Planetary Report maintains an unofficial (and
secret except
among ourselves) honor roll of people whose exceptional helpfulness and
just plain niceness
sets them apart from others we work with. We call them “sweethearts,” and
for 20
years Mert Davies led the list. Mert's recent death truly has left a
void in the lives of all
who knew him -- he was that special. His longtime friend Bruce
Murray,
president of The
Planetary Society, remembers him here.
DEPARTMENTS
Members' Dialogue
World Watch
Questions and Answers
Society News
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