The Planetary Report • January/February 1992

Planet Kamchatka

On the Cover: Lightning generated in a plume of ash strikes the volcano Tolbachik, while fresh and still incandescent ash glows on its summit. This volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula erupted almost continuously from 1971 to 1975, laying down a carpet of ash that has proved to be excellent for testing the mobility of the Mars Rover. In August 1991 Tolbachik was visited by The Planetary Society's Mars Rover team and by a team of U.S. volcanologists. In this issue, we feature reports from both teams.

Features

4 On the Way to Mars: The 1991 Kamchatka Rover Tests: Charlene Anderson documents part of a continuing series of experiments being conducted in preparation for the Mars '96 mission.

6 Project Kamchatka: Dave Pieri presents a new place to explore on Earth where we can learn about Mars in the process.

12 Europa: A World of Superlatives: Charlene Anderson asks: Will we ever be able to solve the mysterious of Europa? Galileo may help.

16 Mapping Out a Strategy: A Report From the 1991 SETI Conference: Thomas McDonough summarizes this meeting on life in the universe for our members.

Departments

3 Members' Dialogue Sending humans to Mars.

11 World Watch The Space Exploration Initiative; Mars '94/'96.

14 News & Reviews The power of photographs.

15 Society News Scholarship winners; Mars Observer launch tour.

20 Q&A Will it be possible to steer the Mars Balloon?

The Planetary Report • January/February 1992

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