Mars is the world next door the fourth
planet from the Sun and quite likely the
first planet on which human explorers
will one day land spacecraft have
surveyed its immense canyons and
towering volcanoes Landers have
photographed pink skies and a desert
filled with boulders like Earth Mars has
seasons that turn summers in two winters
raging dust storms sometimes sweep over
the planet blocking its surface from
view while past missions to Mars have
enhanced our knowledge of the planet
discoveries have led to important new
questions to answer some of these
questions NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory is sending a spacecraft on a
journey in 1992 to map the Martian
environment
unlike Earth Mars lost most of its
atmosphere long ago it grew cold and dry
so cold that some of its thin carbon
dioxide atmosphere froze at the winter
Pole how did a world formed at the same
time and of the same materials as Earth
become so cold parched and relatively
airless dr. Arden all be of the
california institute of technology is
the project scientist representing more
than a hundred scientists throughout the
world who work with the Mars Observer
data to understand these questions about
Mars and to investigate others the Mars
Observer spacecraft will map the entire
surface of the planet much the same way
that Earth orbiting satellites study the
surface of our earth mapping from pole
to pole primary goals of the mission are
to understand the chemical and mineral
nature of the surface the measure the
surface topography and to create a
relief map of the entire planet study
the gravity field and to search for a
magnetic field this mission will help us
to understand the planet's climate now
and in the past
Mars Observer will give us a basic
global understanding of the planet or
future exploration NASA and JPL
contracted with General Electric
Corporation Zastrow space division to
build the spacecraft weighing more than
5,000 pounds Mars Observer was specially
designed for launch aboard a Titan three
rocket booster built by the Martin
Marietta astronautics cool Mars Observer
sits atop his 12 story idea after the
Titan has placed the spacecraft into
Earth orbit a second rocket booster the
transfer orbit stage from orbital
sciences corporation will fire to free
the space craft in Earth's gravity Mars
Observer will then be on its way from
some of the spacecraft solar panels it's
dish shaped communications antenna and
two booms carrying science instruments
will be partially deployed right after
launch the spacecraft will first unfold
four of its solar panels to begin
drawing solar power then to science
booms will be deployed one carrying the
magnetometer the other supporting the
gamma ray spectrometer that's the way we
will fly to Mars in August 1993 after
333 days in space spacecraft will reach
Mars and enter elliptical orbit around
the planet the flight path will be
carefully adjusted over four months
until Mars Observer is in a nearly
circular orbit around the poles at that
time all booms will be fully deployed in
other words the spacecraft will open up
like a flower
the spacecraft will keep its scientific
payload continuously pointed at Mars
seven science instruments will spend an
entire Martian year about 687 earth days
exploring the planet on a global scale
you
acting as a remote weather station mars
observer will report on the planets thin
hazy atmosphere and changing climate
volcanoes and other landforms will be
studied to determine the geological
processes that have shaped the surface
of Mars
a search will be conducted for evidence
of a magnetic field scientists will want
to know if water once flowed on Mars as
the Mariner and Viking missions
suggested if so where is it now were
conditions for life on Mars more
favorable in the distant past JPL's
advanced multi mission control center
will be supported by NASA's Deep Space
Network the mission will be the first to
provide a database at JPL that
scientists will be able to access from
their home institutions specially
designed workstations will connect them
to the data center at JPL
as part of an international effort
Russian instrument packages will be
landed on the Martian surface in the
mid-1990s Mars Observer carries a radio
system supplied by the french space
agency to support these missions this
radio system will allow the spacecraft
to receive and relay data from the
instrument packages on the surface
as the data is processed the Mars
Observer mission will help us understand
the evolution of our planetary neighbors
and provide a legacy for human
exploration
you