Five to Mars
Explanation:
Come December 2003 - January 2004, an armada of
five
new invaders from Earth should arrive on the
shores of the Red Planet -- the Japanese (
ISAS)
Nozomi orbiter,
the European Space Agency's
Mars Express
orbiter carrying the
Beagle 2
lander, and NASA's own two
Mars Exploration Rovers.
While
Nozomi began its interplanetary
voyage in 1998,
the other spacecraft are scheduled for launch windows
beginning this June.
Clearly, earthdwellers remain intensely curious about Mars and
the
tantalizing possibility of
past or present martian life,
with these robotic missions focussing on investigating the planet's
atmosphere and the
search
for water.
This mosaic
of over 100 Viking 1 orbiter images
of Mars
was recorded in 1980 and is
projected to show the perspective seen from an approaching spacecraft
at a distance of 2,000 kilometers.
Exceptional views of Mars will be possible
from earthbound telescopes in August and September.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
