Aug 5 1973
From The Space Library
The U.S.S.R. launched its Mars 6 probe from Baykonur Cosmodrome at 10:46 pm local time (1:46 pm EDT) into a parking orbit from which it was inserted into a trajectory toward the planet Mars. Tass re-ported Mars 6 would reach Mars in March 1974 to join Mars 4 and 5 (launched July 22 and 25) in the exploration of the planet, its surrounding space, and the characteristics of interplanetary space. Mars 6 differed somewhat in design from Mars 4 and 5. In addition to Soviet equipment it carried instruments designed and manufactured by French specialists for the joint Soviet-French experiment Stereo, to study the sun's radio emission in one-meter wavelength and characteristics of the solar plasma and cosmic rays. (GSFC SSR, 8/31/73; FBIS-Sov, 8/6/73, Ll ; SBD, 8/7/73; Shabad, NYT, 8/7/73, 19)
Discovery of huge, shallow craters at the near-equatorial zone of Venus was announced by Jet Propulsion Laboratory radar astronomers headed by Dr. Richard A. Goldstein. The team had produced a map showing a 1500-km (930-mi) section of Venus, about the size of Alaska, that showed 12 craters up to 160 km (100 mi) across. The discovery had been made with high-intensity radar beams from Goldstone Tracking Station in the Mojave desert. The resolution, about 10 km (6 mi), was five times better than previously obtained. (JPL Release 665; NASA Release 73-145)
A Baltimore Sun editorial commented on the plight of Skylab 3 as the astronauts (launched July 28 to man the Orbital Workshop launched May 14) prepared for Aug. 6 extravehicular activity and ground crews studied coolant system problems in the OWS: "The public has grown increasingly sanguine about NASA'S manned missions, almost considering them routine, because of the agency's perfect safety record on manned missions." The Aug. 2 oxidizer leak had shown "that the missions are anything but free of hazard, and the mental stress imposed upon the three astronauts must be intense. We hope, of course, that the mission will continue for the full 59 days and that the astronauts will then make it home safely. But if there is any serious question about the condition of the Apollo ship, then NASA certainly should exercise its option of sending a rescue ship up to Skylab and ending the mission in advance of schedule." (B Sun, 8/5/73)
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