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Mars and the History of Antacids

Posted by michael on from the fizz-fizz dept.

An anonymous reader writes "NASA's retrospective today on the 1976 Mars Viking mission describes the first probe to orbit another planet, and the first biology experiments based on soil sampling. Program managers maintained a dynamic 'worry list', which included a 1970's computer that opened like a wireframe book. The all-important biology experiments could not be tested prior to launch, then lightning struck the probe components (at Kennedy's Explosive Safe Area Building)."

2 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Not the first by jfoust · · Score: 5, Informative

    The article claims that Viking "involved the first probe to orbit another planet", but this is incorrect. Mariner 9 went into orbit around Mars in November 1971, just days ahead of the USSR's Mars 2 and Mars 3 spacecraft. There was also Mars 5 in early 1974 and Venera 9 and Venera 10, two Soviet Venus orbiters, in late 1975.

  2. Full text available on-line by starsong · · Score: 5, Informative
    The article's annoyingly short, but the book it references (On Mars: Exploration of the Red Planet. 1958-1978) is available for free download via the web. The Top Ten problems list is in chapter 8.

    You can find a huge selection of other NASA-related books (including charts, diagrams and pictures) here.