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The Planetary Report • November/December 1992
Climbing Toward Mars
On the Cover: The Mars Rover reaches the boulder-strewn summit of Mars Hill-in Death Valley, California. The 1992 Planetary Society test program brought together Russian, American, French and Hungarian engineers and scientists who matched the little robot explorer against some of the most Mars-like terrain on Earth. The program marked the first time a private space organization involved the public in the actual tests of a craft designed to explore another world.
Features
4 To Mars on the Back of a Giant Snake: James Cantrell tells the story of this martian balloon mission.
10 Mars Observer: On Its Way: Charlene Anderson gives a status update on NASA's return to the Red Planet.
12 Through Teamwork to Mars: The 1992 Mars Rover Tests: Charlene Anderson prefaces a collection of articles by participants in this monumental mission:
14 The Russian Death Valley Experience, by V.V. Gromov
15 Geomorphology of the 1992 Mars Rover Test Sites, by Laszlo Keszthelyi
16 Reasons to be Proud, by Louis Friedman
17 Lessons of the Great Rover Adventure, by Thomas Heinsheimer
19 Navigating the Rover: The French Stereo Cameras, by Marcel Lamboley
20 Testing the Onboard Computer, by Jósef Biró
21 Thanks for the Rover Tests, by Louis Friedman
Departments
3 Members Dialogue Exploring the solar system.
22 Reader's Service From Stone to Star: A View of Modern Geology.
23 NASA's Search Begins Thomas McDonough introduces the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
24 World Watch Goldin's view for future NASA missions; Russia's Mars mission plans.
25 Toward the Next Millennium: A Vision for Spaceship Earth An excerpt from NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin's speech given to the World Space Congress.
26 News & Reviews Putting Pluto on the fast track.
27 Society Notes Rover Expo report, UN workshop, and Malaysia's support for Mars exploration.
28 Q&A Why don't gas planets have gas moons?
The Planetary Report • November/December 1992
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