Third Mars Invasion Underway

A Boeing Delta2 lifted off Friday afternoon with NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter onboard and forming the first phase of Earth’s second invasion of Mars. Launch was at 1:45:51pm EST.

The probe is the 76th scientific mission to fly on a Delta rocket since
1961. Mars Orbiter joins a host of critical NASA payloads launched by
Deltas including Deep Space 1, Advanced Composition Explorer, Near Earth
Asteroid Rendezvous, Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor. Overall,
the Delta program boasts a better than 98 percent success rate for
scientific missions.

“Once again, the latest chapter in man’s attempt to explore the solar
system began here, on the launch pad, atop a Delta rocket,” said Darryl
Van Dorn, director of commercial and NASA Delta programs. “Our success
here today is testament to the extraordinary partnership between NASA
and the Delta launch team.”

The Mars Climate Orbiter was built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics in
Denver, and is managed by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena,
Calif. The spacecraft will travel 10 months, arriving in October 1999.
Upon arrival, the spacecraft will observe seasonal changes on the planet
by mapping its surface for an entire Martian year (687 Earth days).

The probe will examine the Martian climate and the presence of usable
resources, and look for evidence of past life. The mission will provide
an on-orbit data relay for the Mars Polar Lander mission, which Boeing
will launch in January 1999. Additionally, the mission aims to establish
the capability for future U.S. and international surface stations on Mars.

The Delta II is a medium capacity expendable launch vehicle derived from
the Delta family of rockets built and launched since 1960. The Delta II
rocket is manufactured in Huntington Beach, Calif., with final assembly
in Pueblo, Colo., and is powered by the RS-27A engine built by Boeing-
Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, Calif. The Delta launch team at Cape Canaveral
Air Station handles launch coordination and operations for NASA missions.

Alliant Techsystems, Magna, Utah, builds the graphite epoxy motors for
boost assist; Aerojet, Sacramento, Calif., supplies the second-stage
engine; Cordant Technologies, Elkton, Md., builds the upper-stage engine;
and AlliedSignal, Teterboro, N.J., provides the guidance and flight
control system.

Mars 98 Reports From Spacer.Com