Jan 31 2001
From The Space Library
NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft completed its primary mission, having collected more information about Mars than all of the previous missions combined had acquired. “By any conceivable measure the scientific impact of Mars Global Surveyor has been extraordinary,” said Global Surveyor Project Scientist Arden L. Albee. Since reaching the Red Planet in 1998, Global Surveyor had gathered data on Mars’s climate, topography, and geology, as well as mapping the entire planet. The orbiter, which launched in November 1996, had provided a steady stream of invaluable data. Among the most significant findings of the primary mission had been the detection of significant evidence of liquid water, the detection of a magnetized crust on the planet’s southern hemisphere, and the discovery of new information about seasonal changes on the planet. The spacecraft had gathered the data in the course of more than 8,500 orbits of the planet, during which it had collected 58,000 images. With Mars Global Surveyor still functioning effectively, NASA planned to extend its mission and continue its research. (NASA, “New Era Begins as Mars Global Surveyor Completes Prime Mission,” news release 01-14, 31 January 2001.)
NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) Shoemaker spacecraft completed its primary mission to the asteroid Eros. NEAR was the first spacecraft successfully to orbit an asteroid and to provide detailed data about it. Even in its first year, the NEAR spacecraft had exceeded expectations, gathering 10 times more data than scientists had forecast. Traveling more than 2 billion miles (3.2 billion kilometers), NEAR had captured 11 million laser pulses; x-ray, gamma-ray, and infrared readings; and approximately 160,000 images of Eros. With its initial objectives accomplished, the NEAR team focused on accomplishing another first~ a controlled descent of the spacecraft onto the asteroid. Astronomers hoped that the landing would gather close-up images, otherwise impossible to obtain. With the low-cost and efficient spacecraft nearly out of fuel, NEAR Mission Director Robert W. Farquhar explained that NEAR’s landing was a final attempt to glean as much as possible from the endeavor. Said Farquhar, “With the spacecraft just about out of fuel and our science objectives met, this is a great way to end a successful mission. It’s all bonus science . . . at this point the only real risk is not taking one.” (NASA, “NEAR Mission Completes Main Task, Now Will Go Where No Spacecraft Has Gone Before,” news release 01-13, 31 January 2001.)
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced that Charles Elachi would become Director of its 5,000-employee, US$1.3 billion research facility in Pasadena, California. Elachi, an expert in the field of remote sensing best known for developing radar systems, had assumed JPL’s top post after 30 years of service with NASA. JPL had interviewed more than 70 candidates over eight months before selecting Elachi. Concerning JPL’s challenge to encourage further exploration while meeting tight budgets, Elachi remarked, “It’s basically striking a balance between faster implementation and cheaper implementation and making sure we have success.” Having lost two separate spacecraft headed for Mars in 1999, JPL stood at a critical juncture as Elachi assumed control. (Associated Press, “New Director Named for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory,” 31 January 2001; Usha Lee McFarling, “30-Year Veteran of JPL Is Chosen as Its Leader,” Los Angeles Times, 31 January 2001.)
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