Sep 9 1997
From The Space Library
Mars Global Surveyor passed a critical test on its journey toward the Red Planet, when it successfully opened valves allowing high-pressure rocket propellant to enter its fuel lines. The same task had thwarted the 1993 Mars Observer at a similar juncture during its trip to Mars. Mars Global Surveyor had traveled for 10 months and for more than 435 million miles (700 million kilometers) to reach Mars. According to Glenn E. Cunningham of NASA's JPL, the process of transforming Global Surveyor from a high-speed-travel spacecraft into a slow-moving craft subject to Mars's gravitational pull was "a nail-biter." Without the powerful propellant, the transition could not occur, which would have ended any hope of the mission's gathering data. With the opening of the valves complete, NASA scientists were optimistic that the US$250 million probe would descend slowly into a tight orbit of Mars, yielding new information about the planet.
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