Nov 27 1971
From The Space Library
U.S.S.R.'s Mars 2 probe (launched May 19) ejected capsule 1380 km (858 mi) above Mars on direct trajectory to planet's surface. Capsule, carrying pennant bearing U.S.S.R. hammer-and- sickle coat of arms, became first man-made object to reach surface. After capsule ejection Mars 2 decelerated and entered Martian orbit with 25 000-km (15 500-mi) apogee, 1380-km (858- mi) perigee, 1080-min (18-hr) period, and 48.9° inclination. Mars 2 had traveled 470 million km (292 million mi) to reach Mars. During flight it had explored interplanetary space and three midcourse corrections had been conducted, June 17, Nov. 20, and automatically on Nov. 27. Spacecraft was reported operating normally in Martian orbit. U.S.S.R. did not indicate whether capsule softlanded or hard-landed or what mission was. (NYT, 12/1/71, 20; O'Toole, W Post, 12/1/71, A23; FBIS-Sov-71-231-3, 12/1/71, L1)
Tass reported arrival in Moscow of Dr. Robert R. Gilruth, MSC Director, and group of NASA experts "in connection with the forthcoming technical conference of Soviet and American experts in ensuring compatibility of means of approach and docking of spaceships and stations." Conference would take place Nov. 29 to Dec. 7. (FBIS-Sov-71-230, 11/30/71, Ll)
U.S. would resurrect SST program and have "production model by 1982," FAA Administrator John H. Shaffer predicted in Washington, D.C. Shaffer, who had recently returned from world tour of FAA installations, said France expected to sell three Concordes to Chinese Communists and Romania was expected to attempt purchase of several used U.S. jetliners. (UPI, W Post, 11/27/71, A9)
New York Times editorials commented on recent astronomical events-Nov. 26 Mariner 9 photographing of Martian satellite Deimos and Oct. 7 report by astronomer Dr. Hannes O. Alfven of discovery of asteroid Toro. Deimos' photo was "only the latest of Mariner 9's unique accomplishments. This is the first man-made artificial satellite of an-other major planet in the solar system and it has already journeyed more than a million miles around Mars." Barring Mariner 9 malfunction, "lifting of the dust storm in the days ahead should permit even greater revelations of the nature of this planet that has been a mystery to man throughout the ages." Evidence suggested asteroid Toro might crash into earth after 200 yrs, Times said. "Any such collision could do great damage. It may not be too early for space scientists to begin thinking about ways of nudging Toro out of a collision course with earth when, as and if the need arises. If men can send space ships across hundreds of millions of miles to Venus and Mars, it should be no great feat to visit Toro-a mere nine million miles [14 million kilometers] away at present closest approach-by way of performing whatever celestial engineering is required to prevent a mammoth cosmic traffic accident." (NYT, 11/27/71, 30)
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