Word: vega
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...looking for oxygen, carbon, sulfur and other elements in the coma's gases, until March 6, when the sun will begin blocking the Venusian view of the comet. On that day, however, the first of an international flotilla of spacecraft will take over Halley's vigil. The Soviet probe Vega 1 will fly through the coma, passing within 6,000 miles of the nucleus. It will be followed by another Soviet craft, two Japanese probes, and the European Space Agency's Giotto, which will make the most daring pass of all. On March 13, Giotto will swoop within about...
...intricately choreographed ballet, each craft will perform a variety of tasks, complementing and aiding one another every thrust of the way. Japan's two probes, Sakigake (Pioneer) and Suisei (Comet), between them will study the solar wind and examine the hydrogen cloud surrounding the comet. The Soviet Union's Vega 1 and Vega 2 will analyze the abundant dust motes and charged gases that envelop the comet's nucleus. Most remarkable of all, data and pictures from the Vega twins will enable European scientists to chart Halley's course precisely enough to allow their probe, Giotto, to come within about...
...most important contributions from the Vega program will be what is called the Pathfinder concept. Together the probes will attempt to reckon the position and orbit of Halley's nucleus with a precision impossible from ground-based observations and then beam the data back to the Soviet Union, which will in turn relay the information to European mission control in Darmstadt, West Germany, in time for Giotto's rendezvous on March 13. Precision is of the essence: zeroing in on a nucleus that scientists estimate measures only two to six miles in diameter and is traveling some 154,000 m.p.h...
...leading player in the detective show--Robert Urich, best-known for his role as Dan Tanna on the once-popular serial "Vega$"--was also on location, eliciting surprise and glee from star-struck passersby...
...pyrotechnics. Both are largely the contributions of Michael Mann, who joined the show as executive producer when NBC decided to turn Yerkovich's pilot into a series. Mann had directed the stylish film thriller Thief and the TV movie The Jericho Mile, as well as creating the TV series Vega$. But Miami Vice marked his first opportunity to bring a cinematic eye to the small screen...