72 Planetary Mission References part4
Description
This article is from the Space FAQ, by Jon Leech leech@cs.unc.edu and Mark Bradford tla@surly.org with numerous contributions by others.
72 Planetary Mission References part4
MAGELLAN - Venus radar mapping mission. Mapped almost the entire surface
at high resolution and compiled a global gravity map. Magellan ended its
extended mission in October 12, 1994 during an aerobraking experiment
which (intentionally) caused entry into the Venusian atmosphere. See
http://newproducts.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/
MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR - A replacement mission to achieve most of the
goals of the failed Mars Observer mission, to be launched by a Delta 2
booster in November 1996. See
http://mgs-www.jpl.nasa.gov/
MARS OBSERVER - Mars orbiter including 1.5 m/pixel resolution camera.
Launched 9/25/92 on a Titan III/TOS booster. Contact was lost with MO on
8/21/93 while it was preparing for entry into Mars orbit. The spacecraft
has been written off. See
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mip/mars.html
MARS PATHFINDER - Mars lander and microrover to perform technology,
science and engineering experiments on the Martian Surface. To be
launched by a Delta 2 booster in December 1996. See
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/
NEAR - Discovery-class mission to rendezvous with near-Earth asteroid
Eros in February, 1999. Launched 2/17/96 on a Delta II booster. NEAR
will flyby the asteroid Mathilde in June, 1997 and orbit Eros for at
least one year to conduct the first comprehensive measurements of an
asteroid's mass, structure, geology, mineral composition, and gravity
and magnetic fields. See
http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/NEAR/
SOLAR AND HELISPHERIC OBSERVATORY (SOHO) - Joint ESA/NASA mission to
study the Sun's internal structure. Launched 12/2/95 into a "halo orbit"
1.5 million km sunward from Earth. See
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
TOPEX/Poseidon - Joint US/French Earth observing satellite, launched
8/10/92 on an Ariane 4 booster. The primary objective of the
TOPEX/POSEIDON project is to make precise and accurate global
observations of the sea level for several years, substantially
increasing understanding of global ocean dynamics. The satellite also
will increase understanding of how heat is transported in the ocean. See
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mip/topex.html
ULYSSES - European Space Agency probe to study the Sun from an orbit
over its poles. Launched in late 1990 from the Space Shuttle using a
two-stage IUS booster, it carries particles-and-fields experiments (such
as magnetometer, ion and electron collectors for various energy ranges,
plasma wave radio receivers, etc.) but no camera.
Since no human-built rocket is hefty enough to send Ulysses far out of
the ecliptic plane, it went to Jupiter instead, and stole energy from
that planet by sliding over Jupiter's north pole in a gravity-assist
manuver in February 1992. This bent its path into a solar orbit tilted
about 85 degrees to the ecliptic. It will pass over the Sun's south pole
in the summer of 1994. Its aphelion is 5.2 AU, and, surprisingly, its
perihelion is about 1.5 AU-- that's right, a solar-studies spacecraft
that's always further from the Sun than the Earth is!
While in Jupiter's neigborhood, Ulysses studied the magnetic and
radiation environment. For a short summary of these results, see
*Science*, V. 257, p. 1487-1489 (11 September 1992). For gory technical
detail, see the many articles in the same issue. Also see
http://ulysses.jpl.nasa.gov/
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