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1993-04-21
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OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADM1NISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA. TELEPHONE (213) 354-5Oll
FOR IMMED1ATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER
4, 1975
The precision of the first flight path correction
for the
Viking 1 spacecraft on August 27 has eliminated the need for
any further
corrections until the spacecraft is close to Mars, the Viking
Project
office announced today.
The August midcourse maneuver was designed to
correct the
f1ight path by 2OO,OOO miles and change the time of arrival
at Mars
by 3l hours.
The resulting flight path was less than 2OO miles
off the
target and one minute off the desired arrival time.
Viking 1 will arrive at Mars on June 19, 1976,
after traveling
more than 4OO million miles, and drift slightly off course
due to the
effects of solar radiation pressure and venting of gases from
the space-
craft.
A midcourse maneuver to be conducted about one
month before
arrival at Mars will make the final adjustments to the flight
path.
Viking 1 was launched August 2O and today is
3,92O,OOO miles î
from Earth and in excellent operating condition.
#####
FB--9/4/75
#759