Aug 19 1975
From The Space Library
The Soviet Union might attempt to land an automatic microbiological laboratory on Mars before the U.S. Viking spacecraft, whose twice-delayed launch is now scheduled for 20 Aug., could arrive, the Christian Science Monitor reported Finnish astronomer Heikka Oja as telling the British Interplanetary Society. By launching a probe between 17 Sept. and 3 Oct. and using higher speeds and shorter trajectories, the Russians could reach Mars in May 1976, 2 mo before the scheduled Viking arrival. Between 1971 and 1973 the Soviets had made 4 attempts to land probes on Mars; only Mars 3 (launched 28 May 1971) succeeded in softlanding a capsule (on 2 Dec. 1971). Landing in a dust storm, it ceased transmitting after 20 sec. Oja said the Soviets hoped to repeat this experiment, this time in a region near the south polar cap of Mars where the thin, mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere might contain moisture. (Gatland, CSM, 19 Aug 75)
Marshall Space Flight Center announced the award of a $1.9-million firm-fixed-price contract to the Martin Marietta Corp. for fabrication, acceptance testing, and delivery of 322 pyrotechnic-initiator controllers (PIC) for the Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters. (MSFC Release 75-182)
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