Mar 9 1974
From The Space Library
The small tactical aerial mobility platform (STAMP) -a wheelless "flying jeep"-was undergoing tests at the Marine Corps Air Station in El Toro, Calif. The two-man 300-kg vehicle, produced under a $500 000 Marine contract to the Garrett Corp., could hover as well as fly 120 km per hr at any altitude between 2.5 cm and 1500 m for 30 min at a time. The marines were testing the vehicle for possible reconnaissance, target spotting, courier work, mine detection, and rescue. (AP, B Sun, 9 March 74, A3)
9-12 March: Soviet space probes Mars 6 and 7 launched 5 and 9 Aug. 1973, flew past the planet Mars but failed to achieve their objectives. Mars 7 approached the planet 9 March. A descent module was separated from the spacecraft but, because of a malfunction in an onboard system, it passed by the planet a distance of 1300 km. Mars 6 neared Mars on 12 March. Its descent module was separated at 48 000 km and Mars 6 continued past Mars within 16 000 km of the surface and into heliocentric orbit. The descent module transmitted data to Mars 6 for 148 sec as it descended, but radio contact was lost just before landing. The Western press later reported that high winds might have destroyed the spacecraft. Data received reportedly indicated several times more water vapor in the Martian atmosphere over some areas than had been thought, traces of ozone, broad oscillations in atmospheric pressure, identification of a hy-drogen corona reaching to 19 300 km altitude, confirmation of erosion and formation of what appeared to be river beds, and a magnetic field 7 to 10 times greater in the planet's immediate environment than in planetary space.
Mars 6 and 7-continuing to transmit data on solar wind and radiation from heliocentric orbit-were part of a series of four automatic stations launched to explore the Martian atmosphere and surface. Mars 4 and 5, launched 22 and 25 July 1973, had approached the planet 10 and 12 Feb. Mars 4 flew by Mars when its braking engine failed to fire. Mars 5 went into a successful orbit and continued to transmit data to the earth. Earlier, Mars 3 had softlanded a capsule on Mars 2 Dec. 1971 during a windstorm; the capsule had transmitted 20 sec before falling silent. (Tass, FBIS-Sov, 15 March 74, Ul; 21 March 74, Ul; Pravda, FBIS-Sov, 27 March 74, Ul; W Post, 15 March 74, A29; GSFC SSR, 31 March 74; Av Wk, 25 March 74,17; 1 April, 11)
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