NASA/JPL
MarsLink was originally designed to funnel new data about Mars from the Mars Observer directly into the classroom. But on August 21, 1993, scientists lost contact with the spacecraft. Earth-bound humans will now have to wait for other missions to the Red Planet. While the loss of the Mars Observer limits the data, images and other resources available for MarsLink activities, we were able to use Viking and Mariner mission data to design this kit.
As we write these materials, new missions to Mars are being planned for this decade. Every 26 months, a launch window for Mars opens. During the next launch window in 1994, Russian scentists plan to send an instrument-laden spacecraft to the Red Planet, and Japenese, United States and (again) Russian scientists plan to follow with missions in 1996. The missions are scheduled to include orbiters, landers, rovers (mobile robots), balloons and penetrators. As the orbiters circle the planet, they will get data about the planet with remote sensing techniques. The landers, penetrators and rovers will operate on the surface.
Once these missions reach Mars, students involved in MarsLink will have had the background to compare, analze and understand new data about the planet. Just as scientists plan and prepare for an expidition, students will spend most of this first MarsLink kit preparing themselves intellectually to become Mars explorers.