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1993-04-21
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OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMAT1ON
JET PROPULS1ON LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRAT1ON
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA. TELEPHONE (213) 354-5Oll
FDR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THURSDAY,
NOVEMBER 13
Early this morning flight controllers completed the
first
major in-flight checkout of America's Viking 1 lander,
scheduled to
touch down on Mars in early July next year.
They report that the automated lander with its life
search
and other scientific instruments is in excellent condition.
Thorough engineering checks were made of the
craft's nuclear
power, propulsion, guidance, attitude control, computer, tape
recorder,
telemetry, heat control, and radar landing systems.
Four of the lander's scientific instruments,
including its
2 cameras which will photograph the Mars surface, were also
checked out.
The second Viking lander, scheduled to touch down
on Mars in
early September next year, will receive a similar test next
week.
Viking 1 is now about 17 million miles from the
Earth and the
distance to Viking 2 is now 13 l/3 million miles.
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