Jul 20 1976

From The Space Library

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Current revision

The Viking 1 lander touched down safely on a plain at the western edge of the Chryse region of Mars at 7:53 am EDT, 11 mo to the day after its journey of more than 700 million km through space began at KSC Launch Complex 41. Landing was within 17 sec of the predicted time; velocity at impact, predicted to be 2.4 ± 0.9 kps, was actually 2.49 kps. Within minutes of the landing, the Viking began relaying a photograph of one of its footpads on the nearby surface up to the Viking orbiter for transmission to earth; a panoramic view of the landing site followed. Distance from earth to Mars at landing time was more than 322 million km, and radio waves took 19 additional minutes to travel back to earth to signal touchdown. Spacecraft controllers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory broke into applause and cheers when the data arrived showing a successful landing; telemetry showed the descent curve fitting preplanned values as the lander's aeroshell, supersonic parachute, and terminal descent engines braked the descent to the surface of Mars. The site at Chryse Planitia was chosen for the landing after Viking orbiter data and the giant telescope at Arecibo, P.R., showed that the primary landing site and the first alternative were too hazardous. NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher, who was at JPL for the landing, said that the intensive search for a safe landing site "really paid off." The Mars landing came on the 7th anniversary of man's first landing on the moon 20 July 1969 during the Apollo 11 mission. President Ford, who telephoned JPL with congratulations after the landing, asked Viking Project Manager James S. Martin, Jr., of LaRC if there were plans for a Viking 3. Martin replied that there were not, but that his team was "ready to take on Viking 3 plus Viking 4, 5, and 6." The Viking 2 was expected to go into orbit around Mars about 7 Aug. (Mission Status Bulletin 35, 20 July 76; Spaceport News, 23 July 76, 1)

The Tass news agency reported the soft landing of "the automatic interplanetary station" Viking 1 on the surface of Mars, adding that the first pictures of the surface showed "a foot-pad of the craft on ... dust covered terrain strewn with small sharp stones ... According to the preliminary assessments, the ground consists of basalt rocks and volcanic lava. It is believed to be comparatively soft." Tass noted the postponement of the Viking landing, originally scheduled for 4 July, and the search for bacterial life on Mars which was "one of the aims of this exploration." (FBIS, Tass in English, 20 July 76)

Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International Corp. announced it had been awarded a $10.8-million contract by Lewis Research Center for 8 Atlas MA-5 propulsion systems, with an option for 2 additional systems. The contract would run through August 1978. The engines would be used to launch high-energy astronomical observatories (HEAD), or commercial comsats for the Communications Satellite Corporation on a reimbursable basis. Originally developed by Rocketdyne for the USAF's .first intercontinental ballistic missile, the Atlas had flown space missions since 1958 when it launched Echo, first U.S. comsat. Atlas had powered more than 400 payloads with launch reliability of more than 99%. (Rockwell Release RD-18)

"Eventually there will be an American SST program," Dr. John L. McLucas wrote in a letter to the Phila. Inquirer. Dr. McLueas, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, agreed with an Inquirer editorial that stated, "Concorde hasn't made it yet," but pointed out that costs of research and development and other expenses of producing a new aircraft had virtually halted the introduction of new aircraft designs "suitable to the major airlines." New transport aircraft would offer advantages such as greatly reduced noise, a high level of safety, and 30% improvement in fuel efficiency; however, continued development of new planes and their purchase by the carriers "is moving beyond the financial scope of private investors singly or collectively," Dr. McLueas wrote. Some combination of government and private initiative would be needed to finance the next generation of air transports; "it's more likely to be the result of a cooperative American-European effort," Dr. McLueas concluded. (P Inq, 20 July 76, 1-E)

India had used deuterium from the U.S. to detonate its first atomic explosion, said acting Assistant Secretary of State Myron Kratzer at an "unprecedented" hearing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on licensing of future sales of reactor fuel to India. The State Dept. said that stopping the sale of the reactor fuel would constitute "severe social and economic hardship" to 80 million Indians dependent on power generated by a plant that had been operating since 1969. Adrian Fisher, "former high official in the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency," said India had broken its word to Canada and the U.S. by using nuclear materials to create an atomic device in 1974; India said the device was "peaceful" and did not contravene U.S. bans on use of the material to build weapons. Herbert Scoville, another former disarmament official, said India's nuclear generating stations were producing enough plutonium to build 10 to 20 bombs per year, and that India now had a 4-yr stockpile. Scoville and Fisher said India should be required to sell back its plutonium and accept further restrictions on use of nuclear material. A strong U.S. stand on nuclear materials to India was the only hope "perhaps a vain hope," Scoville said-of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Rep. Clarence D. Long (D-Md.) said that Iran, Egypt, South Africa, and Argentina were countries that would be encouraged to develop nuclear weapons if the U.S. did not impose sanctions on India and restrict the flow of nuclear material. The commission was examining a large pile of documents on the history of the U.S. nuclear relationship to India; some petitioners (e.g., the Sierra Club) had claimed that evidence as far back as 1963 showed India preparing to develop a nuclear explosive device for political purposes. (W Star, 21 July 76, A-8)

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