Word: lander
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From New York harbor, the tall ships will move up the Hudson River under a cumulus of sail, like a stately apparition from another century. A few hours later, more than 200 million miles away in space, America's Viking lander will glide through the thin Martian atmosphere and settle on the Red Planet like a gray metal mantis...
...Bicentennial spectacular, it was meant to be out of this world: a July 4 touchdown on Mars by Viking 1's robot lander to begin the search for life on the red planet. But true to its name, Mars was being belligerent. The first landing site in the Chryse region appeared so hazardous on careful photographic analysis that Viking scientists concluded late last week that a birthday landing was out. That part of the American celebration would come somewhat later...
...robot was sending data to its orbiting mother ship for relay back to scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the other probe of the eight-year-old $1 billion Viking program was closing in on Mars. The twin Viking 2 spacecraft is scheduled to send still another lander to the Martian surface on Sept. 4, either to expand the search or to stand in for Viking 1 should something go amiss with the first lander. Scientists rate Viking's chances of a successful landing at 70%. Unlike the Apollo lunar module, which could be maneuvered...
...Patches. Even if the Viking lander were equipped with television cameras that could spot a hazard as the surface loomed up, there would be nothing that J.P.L. controllers could do to evade the trouble. Viking's picture signals, traveling at the speed of light, would not reach earth for 18 minutes, long after the little ship touched the surface. Signals from the controllers ordering Viking to avoid the site would take another 18 minutes to return to the craft, far too late to do any good. Russian space scientists can testify to the risks. In their four known attempts...
...Mars, the Viking Lander is supposed to make a Bicentennial touchdown July 4-soft-landed there by an E-Systems thrust-control device...