Spaceport NewsAmerica’s gateway to the universe. Leading the world in preparing and launching missions to Earth and beyond.

November 7, 1997

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Vol. 36, No. 22

STS-87ColumbiaNov. 19, 2:46 p.m. EST (SeePage 3 for mission preview)

November –December LaunchSchedule, KSC &

Cape

Lunar ProspectorUpdate

Launch date change: Launchhas moved from Nov. 23 to noearlier than Jan. 5. The change isneeded to allow adequate time tocomplete testing, review andpreparation of the LockheedMartin Athena II launch vehicle,formerly known as the LMLV-2.

Message from the Center Director:KSC Cassini team rates highest marks

Bridges

November

Globalstar (commercial)Delta IILaunch Complex 17A, Cape Canaveral Air StationDec. 4, 6:21 a.m. EST

Galaxy 8 (commercial)Atlas AC-149Launch Complex 36, CCASDec. 8, 6:21 a.m. EST

December

Athena II

Columbia is hoisted in the VehicleAssembly Building for mating withthe external tank/solid rocketbooster assembly.

NASA has assigned theKennedy Space Center leadcenter responsibility for theagency’s acquisition andmanagement of expendablelaunch vehicle (ELV) launchservices.

This assignment willeliminate redundancy in theprocurement, management,fiscal and administrativefunctions of expendable launchvehicles. It also will enableconcentration of launchoperations expertise atKennedy which is NASA’s

Kennedy takes lead for ELV launch services

(See ELV, Page 2)Atlantis: Departure Nov. 11 toPalmdale for Orbiter MaintenanceDown Period (OMDP).Discovery: Back in OPF Bay 2following temporary storage inthe Vehicle Assembly Buidling.

MANAGEMENT of the Atlas launchvehicle will transition to KSC from LewisResearch Center after the June 1998launch of the first Earth Observing System(EOS) satellite from the West Coast.

MANAGEMENT of the Delta expendablelaunch vehicle will transition to KSC fromGoddard Space Flight Center in FiscalYear 1999.

Congratu-lations are inorder for themen andwomen of theKennedySpaceCenter, 45th

Space Wing, Jet PropulsionLaboratory, Lewis ResearchCenter, contractors anduniversities whose dedicatedeffort made the highlypublicized Cassini launch onOct. 15 an historic success.

Cassini is the largest U.S.planetary spacecraft everdeployed, and peoplethroughout the world areexcited by the new knowl-edge it will reveal about oursolar system’s amazingplanet Saturn and its manymoons and rings.

Demonstrating anew to thepublic our commitment tosafety and educating thetaxpaying customer about thebenefits of this complexscientific mission became the

highest priori-ties for all of usas we preparedfor the success-ful launch. Weachieved bothof theseobjectives.

From an education per-spective, virtually every majornewspaper in the state ofFlorida published a pro-mission editorial which clearlystated the merits outweighedthe very minor risk involved.

These articles also high-lighted the safety featuresdesigned into the spacecraftand the extensive coopera-tion between the many stateand federal agencies toinsure public safety even inthe case of a contingency.

My thanks and high praiseto the entire Cassini team.You showed them that youhave the right stuff.

– Roy D. Bridges, Jr.Director

Final KSC OpenHouse Update

Don’t forget!!The KSC Open House is

this Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. (Note: Gates also open at9 a.m., not 8 a.m as printed inthe Oct. 24 issue.)

Last-minute changesinclude the closing of OrbiterProcessing Facility 3 and theaddition of a Shuttle CarrierAircraft at the ShuttleLanding Facility.

Astronaut candidates JamesKelley and Frank Caldeiro willspeak in the TrainingAuditorium at noon and 1p.m., respectively. Alsospeaking will be Space ShuttleProgram Manager DonaldMcMonagle (10 a.m.) and KSCDeputy Director for Launchand Payload Processing LorenShriver (11 a.m.)

Also, the Open Housebrochure/map distributed thisweek was printed without alegend. Stars on the mapindicate parking areas foropen facilities, while circlesindicate refreshment andsouvenir trailers.

SPACEPORT NEWS November 7, 1997Page 2

Aluminum can recyclingbegins Nov. 7 at KSC

On Nov. 7, KSC begins aneffort to recycle aluminumsoda cans. At 100 sites inmajor facilities around KSC,bins will be convenientlylocated and markedwith a KSC AluminumCan Recycle Programlogo. Designatedbuildings for this initialphase of the effortinclude:

KSC IndustrialArea — Headquarters,Operations and CheckoutBuilding, Space StationProcessing Facility and theCentral InstrumentationFacility;

Launch Complex 39 Area— Operations SupportBuilding, Central Supply andthe Logistics Building.

The cans will be gatheredand sold by ARC Brevard Inc.(Association of Retarded

operational launch center.Kennedy will be fully

functional in this new roleby Fiscal Year 1999. TheKennedy ExpendableVehicles Directorate expectsto draw expertise, on avoluntary basis, from theGoddard Space FlightCenter in Greenbelt, Md.,and the Lewis ResearchCenter in Cleveland, Ohio.

To facilitate a smoothtransition, Goddard andLewis will maintain presentresponsibilities formanifested near-termmissions.

Atlas manage-ment willtransition to Kennedy fromLewis after the next Atlasmission which is currentlyplanned to occur in June,

1998 from Vandenberg AirForce Base.

Delta and Pegasusmanagement will transitionfrom Goddard to Kennedyby FY 1999.

Certain missionintegration responsibilitiesfor Goddard-managedspacecraft are expected toremain at Goddard.

Kennedy will also issueand award the launchservices contract(s) for thefollow-on small expendablelaunch vehicle contract withsupport from Goddard andthe Marshall Space FlightCenter, Huntsville, Ala.

The KSC assignmentcomplements and does notalter NASA’s assignment ofMarshall as lead for vehicleengineering and insight fordevelopment vehicles whichlack a flight history.

ELV ...(Continued from Page 1)

Nov. 15 is Florida Recycles DayThe state of Florida hopes

to build on a strong foundationof recycling success with thefirst Florida Recycles Day Nov.15.

Florida already has astatedwide recycling rate of 40percent. The sunshine state’sparticipation in this inauguralevent is part of a nationaleffort called America RecyclesDay.

At least 200 special eventswill take place around thestate to help raise consumerawareness of all aspects ofrecycling, from collection toprocessing to completing theloop through the purchase ofproducts and packaging madefrom recycled materials. Thetheme for the special day isKeep Recycling Working: BuyRecycled.

In Brevard, the followingevents are planned. At mostlocations, unless otherwisenoted, there will be a staffeddisplay featuring a contest toguess how many cans are in acube of crushed aluminum

MANAGEMENT of the Pegasus launch vehicle will transition to KSC fromGoddard in Fiscal Year 1999. Pegasus is shown here undergoing flight testingfrom a B-52 aircraft at KSC in 1993.

Citizens), with which NASAKSC has formed a Space ActAgreement. ARC will returnpart of the proceeds to NASA.

If all goes well, anadditional 300 sites willbe added in the secondphase of the effort,covering the rest of KSCand extending off-site tooutlying areas inTitusville and CapeCanaveral.

KSC has had a highlypaper recycling effort for manyyears and is environmentallyproactive in many other waysas well. “Adding aluminumcans further completes thepicture of the space center as agood and responsibleenvironmental citizen,” saidDr. Rebecca Young, chief of theKSC EnvironmentalOperations Office, InstallationOperations Directorate.

cans; an interactive gameboard which challenges peopleto learn what goes in therecycling bin; andmiscellaneous publications.Pledge cards will also bedistributed: Floridians 18years and older who pledge torecycle more will becomeeligible to win the AmericanGreen House (a $5,000playground), along with otherprizes in a random drawing:

Nov. 3, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.,Cocoa Beach Library;

Nov. 4, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.Brevard County GovernmentCenter, Bldg C, Viera;

Nov. 4, 9 a.m.BrevardCounty Commission Meeting,proclamation designatingNovember as Brevard RecyclesMonth;

Nov. 5, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.,Cape Canaveral Library, CapeCanaveral;

Nov. 6, 9 a.m.– 2p.m.,Melbourne Library, ,Melbourne. Featuring R.C.,the Recycle Cat, with

storytimes for children 3-7years old at 10 a.m., 11 a.m.,and 2 p.m.

Nov. 7, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.,Central Brevard Library;

Nov. 10, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.,Merritt Island Post Office,Merritt Island;

Nov. 13, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.,North Brevard Public Library,Titusville;

Nov. 15, 8 a.m. – 2p.m.,Home Depot, Merritt Island;

Nov. 15, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.,Home Depot, West Melbourne.

For information, call EricDirschka, 867-2963, e-mailEric.Dirschka-1@ksc.nasa.gov

SPACEPORT NEWSNovember 7, 1997 Page 3

STS-87 wraps up 1997 Shuttle launch scheduleThe STS-87 mission aboard the

Shuttle Columbia will feature the fourthflight of the U.S. Microgravity Payload(USMP-04) as well as deployment andretrieval of the Spartan-201 satellite.

Also scheduled to occur during thefinal Shuttle flight of 1997 is anextravehicular activity (EVA) spacewalk.

The 88th Shuttle launch and 24thflight of Columbia (OV-102) will beginwith an afternoon liftoff from LaunchPad 39B at 2:46 p.m. EST and concludewith an early morning touchdown atKSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:19a.m., Dec. 5. The launch date wasformally set at the Flight ReadinessReview Nov. 3.

In place on Columbia is a new fuel cellmonitoring system following anexpedited design and KSCimplementation process. Prior to theshortened STS-83 flight, NASA wasstudying ways to improve vehicle healthmonitoring with a focus on fuel cells. Thedesire for more refined fuel cell databefore and after launch led to theinstallation of off-the-shelf hardware andconfiguration changes in the crewmodule and midbody.

STS-87 has a six-member crew. Two-time space flyer Kevin Kregel is thecommander while Pilot Steven Lindsey ismaking his first spaceflight.

Mission specialists for STS-87 areWinston Scott, Kalpana Chawla, Ph.D.,and Takao Doi, Ph.D. Scott served as amission specialist on STS-72, duringwhich he conducted two spacewalks.Scott will again perform a spacewalk onSTS-87, along with Dr. Doi, who willbecome the first Japanese astronaut toconduct a spacewalk from a SpaceShuttle.

First-time spaceflyer Dr. Chawlareported for training as an astronaut atJohnson Space Center in 1995. Assignedas a payload specialist on the mission isLeonid Kadenyuk of the National Space

Agency of Ukraine, who also will beembarking on his first spaceflight.

The fourth United States MicrogravityPayload (USMP-4) is one of a series ofmissions designed to conduct scientificresearch aboard the Shuttle in theunique microgravity environment forextended periods of time.

The USMP-4 payload consists of sixmajor experiments mounted on twosupport structures bridging Columbia’spayload bay and focusing on materialsscience and fundamental physics.

Another highlight of the STS-87mission will be the deployment andretrieval of Spartan-201, a small satelliteinvolved in research to study theinteraction between the Sun and its windof charged particles. Observations madefrom Spartan-201 may have importantpractical implications for studies of howthe variations in radiation and particleoutputs of the Sun affect terrestrialmagnetism, climate and weather.

Other payload bay experimentsinclude the Shuttle Ozone LimbSounding Experiment (SOLSE) todetermine the altitude distribution ofozone in an attempt to better understandits behavior. The Loop Heat Pipe (LHP)test will advance thermal energymanagement technology and validatingtechnology readiness for upcomingcommercial spacecraft applications, andthe Sodium Sulfur Battery Experiment(NaSBE) will characterize theperformance of four 40-amp-hoursodium-sulfur battery cells.

STS-87 also will provide a platform forGetaway Special (GAS) 744 from SierraCollege in Rocklin, Calif. The object ofthis experiment is to take ozonemeasurements of the Earth’s upperatmosphere. The Turbulent Gas JetDiffusion Flames (TGDF) payload isanother payload using the GAS carrier.Its purpose is to gain an understandingof the characteristics of transitional and

BACK in service: Columbia’s rollout to Pad 39B marksthe resumption of the facility to operational service afterabout 10 months of modifications and overhaul. Workincluded: Replacement of cabling extending through theentire Fixed Service Structure, allowing electronic controland connectivity between the firing rooms, pad andShuttle; modernization of the Apollo-era elevator system;and replacement of the air-conditioning chillers thatprovide cool, dry air to the launch vehicle prior to liftoff.Payload installation was set to occur Nov. 1. This photowas taken from the gaseous oxygen vent arm.

turbulent gas jet diffusion flames.Kadenyuk will oversee the

Collaborative Ukraine Experiment(CUE) experiments, a collection of 10plant space biology experiments that willfly in Columbia’s middeck. CUE alsofeatures an educational component thatinvolves evaluating the effects ofmicrogravity on the pollinating Brassicarapa seedlings. As of press time, aminimum of 625,000 American studentsand teachers and 20,500 Ukrainianstudents and teachers will participate inthe same experiment on the ground andhave several live opportunities to discussthe experiment with Kadenyuk in space.

The Microgravity Glove Box (MGBX)facility was designed for conductingexperiments requiring crew participationand which may contain substances thatare could be hazardous or involveoperations impractical in the cabinenvironment.

The MGBX was developed to be usedin the Shuttle Middeck, the Mir SpaceStation, and International Space Station.It has flown during STS-75 (USMP-3)and several Mir missions.

KSC Director Roy Bridges Jr.welcomes STS-87 crew membersTakoi Doi (far right), a missionspecialist representing the Japanesespace agency, NASDA; KevinKregel (second from left), STS-87commander; and Leonid Kadenyuk,a citizen of the Ukraine and arepresentative of the National SpaceAgency of the Ukraine, assigned asa payload specialist on STS-87. Fiveof the six STS-87 crew membersarrived at KSC’s Shuttle LandingFacility Nov. 3 to participate in theTerminal Countdown DemonstrationTest (TCDT).

SPACEPORT NEWS November 7, 1997Page 4

KSC HappeningsKSC HappeningsKSC HappeningsKSC HappeningsKSC Happenings

HONORED IN NOVEMBER —November employees of the monthare (from left, sitting): Carol Valdes,

Administration Office; Priscilla Moore,Logistics Operations and Yvonne

Parker, Checkout and LaunchControl System; standing, from left:

Steven Brisbin, BiomedicalOperations; Bhupendra Deliwala,

Safety and Mission Assurance;Patrick Smith, Chief Financial

Officer’s Office; Steven Parker,Procurement Office, and Bob Page,

Launch Integration Office.

SHUTTLE Processing Director Bob Sieck tries his hand at extinguishing a fire duringFire Prevention Week Oct. 5 - 11. Watching are Center Director Roy Bridges (in baseballcap) EG&G Florida General Manager Dick Jolley (to right of Bridges) and Sparky thefire dog. Other activities included display booths, distribution of fire safety materials,fire safety talks at various community locations and demonstrations like the one shownhere.

ASTRONAUT Heidi Piper learns more about services availableto those with disabilities during National Disability EmploymentAwareness Month. Displays such as this one were organized bythe Disability Awareness and Action Working Group (DAAWG) aspart of an Assistive/Accommodative Fair Oct. 21-22.

ASTRONAUT Mark Polansky (center) chats with KSC workersduring the Senior Secretaries Council’s fall bash at KARS II Oct.22. NASA retiree Gene McDilda returns to show off his culinaryskills at the event, which was attended by more than 200secretaries and their bosses.KSC Equal OpportunityEmployment Director Jay Diggs enjoys the barbeque feast(seated, right), with members of his staff as one of the eventorganizers, Donna Cox (standing, left) of the Business InnovationGroup, looks on.

DIE HARD SPACE FAN? Bruce Willis, star of such blockbusterfilms as Die Hard, was at KSC recently for filming of the new movieArmageddon. He’s shown here in the Operations and CheckoutBuilding completing a scene featuring the Armadillo, a 21,500-pound, 12-wheel vehicle that may not be able to top the crawler-transporter in terms of size but can certainly beat its speed: 40miles per hour for the Armadillo versus 2 miles per hour tops forthe crawler. Armageddon is due for release next summer.

SPACEPORT NEWSNovember 7, 1997 Page 5

Center Director Bridges (left) presentsJoseph Glochick (right) with acommemorative plaque as Safety andMission Assurance Director TomBreakfield (center) looks on.

GOLD Coin awardee Kenneth Clontz (left)shares a light moment and some cake withthe center director as EG&G FloridaGeneral Manager Dick Jolley looks on inthe background..

ASTRONAUT Pam Melroy learns more about SCAPE (Self-Contained AtmosphericProtective Ensemble) suit maintenance from EG&G Florida Manager Ken Madyda (left)and SCAPE suit technician Kelly Bonzar, also of EG&G, in the Hangar S South Annexon Cape Canaveral Air Station. Melroy was one of several astronauts and KSCmanagers who visited with employees during NASA Safety Awareness Day Oct. 15.

Two KSC workers earn CD quality awardJoseph “Greg” Glochick of

NASA and Kenneth Clontz ofEG&G Florida received theCenter Director’s QualityDollar Award in recognizitionof their attention to qualityand safety.

Glochick, who works inProcess Engineering, helpedavert use of an incompatiblecleaning agent on flighthardware. He noticed thattechnicians were using aFreon 141B cleaning agentknown as SafeZone, differentthan the Freon 113 which hadbeen used in the past.

Glochick questionedwhether the new cleaningagent had been properlycertified as a replacement, andthrough research learned thatSafeZone was not compatiblewith the liquid oxygenenvironment to which thehardware being cleaned wouldbe exposed. An analysis of thespecific applications for whichit had been used on anupcoming Shuttle flight wasperformed, and steps taken to

insure the SafeZone would notbe used incompatibly again.

Clontz demonstrated equalvigilence during a trouble callat an electrical substation. Hequestioned entering an areawhere energized circuits werelocated. Even though therewas a partial barrier aroundthe energized circuits, Clontzrealized the possibility ofcontact did exist andimmediatetly brought theissue to the attention of hissupervisor.

Meetings were held toevaluate his concerns andupdate procedures as neededto make sure such operationswere being conducted as safelyas possible.

Center Director Roy BridgesJr. established the QualityDollar Award earlier this yearto recognize significantcontributions to continualprocess improvement,demonstrated model behavior,or innovative approaches toensuring customersatisfaction.

Put stress in its place and relaxA public health survey

estimates that 70 to 80 percentof Americans who visit theirdoctors are suffering from astress-related disorder.

Stress not only causesmental and emotionaldisorders, but can precipitateserious physical illness.

Everyone reacts differentlyto stress. Learn more about itand how to deal with it.Information packets areavailable at all three medicalclinics covering such topics as:

How to recognize and becomemore aware of your ownreaction to stress; theunderlying and oftenunrecognized reasons why webecome stressed; how to choosethe right techniques to dealwith and relieve stress andtension.

Marshall to host U.S.-Russian spacescience symposium Nov. 10-14

Marshall Space FlightCenter is hosting aninternational symposiumshowcasing the results ofRussian space research Nov. 10– 14 at the Marriott Hotel inHuntsville, Ala.

The symposium is called AnInterchange with the Scienceand Technology AdvisoryCouncil, and will feature about50 Russian researcherspresenting their findings andconclusions from Phase IInternational Space Stationprogram research. There is no

registration fee, and anyacademic, industry orgovernment research/managerinvolved with space researchmay attend. The first half ofthe four-day event will reviewobjectives and findings. Thesecond half will focus on whatcan be accomplished in thefuture.

More information is postedon the following Web site:http:www.stacresearch.orgor by calling Kathryn Havens,NASA Headquarters, tel. 202358-4435.

NASA procurement officialsplan to exercise an option toextend the performance periodof the KSC Base OperationsContract (BOC). The action iseffective Nov. 1, 1997 throughSept. 30, 1998 with anestimated value of $147million.

The option’s originalperformance period was fortwo years through Oct. 31,1999, but, in order toaccommodate the anticipatedaward of the Joint BaseOperations Support Contract(JBOSC) slated for award byOct. 1, 1998, it will beshortened to eleven months.

The JBOSC is a jointprocurement effort between

KSC extends current baseoperations contract

NASA and the Air Force 45thSpace Wing to provide unifiedbase support services for KSC,Cape Canaveral Air Station,and Patrick Air Force Base.

EG & G Florida, Inc. ofCape Canaveral, Fla., hasbeen KSC’s base operationscontractor since 1983,providing management,operation, maintenance andengineering for KSC utilities,facilities, health, fire, securityservices and some technicaloperations. Their currentcontract was effective Nov. 1,1993 and has a base period ofperformance through Oct. 31,1997. The exercising of thisoption is within the provisionsof the existing contract.

John F. Kennedy Space Center

Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce BuckinghamEditor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . Paula ShawaEditorial support provided by Sherikon Space Systems Inc. Writers Group.Photographic support primarily provided by The Bionetics Corp. and Public AffairsPhotographer George Shelton, also of Bionetics.

USGPO: 532-112/20058

Spaceport News

The Spaceport News is an official publication of the Kennedy Space Centerand is published on alternate Fridays by the Public Affairs Office in the interestof KSC civil service and contractor employees. Contributions are welcome and should be submitted two weeks beforepublication to the Media Services Branch, AB-A. E-mail submissions can besent to Paula.Shawa-1@ksc.nasa.gov

SPACEPORT NEWS November 7, 1997Page 6

New tour stop takes shape

NEW tour stop for visitors taking the KSC Visitor Complex bus tour nearscompletion. The viewing site is located across the street from the midpoint parksite for the crawler-transporter, affording visitors an excellent view of both Shuttlelaunch pads. This stop and an International Space Station stop in the KSCIndustrial Area are scheduled to be open near the end of December this year.

Even after each pilotastronaut makes 500 practicelandings with a trainingaircraft that simulates theSpace Shuttle orbiter, landingthe actual Shuttle for the firsttime is a challenging task.

To assist future Shuttlepilots, NASA will install new,intelligent software in thetraining aircraft to make itsapproach and landing 'feel'even more like a Shuttlelanding. The new software to

be installed in the GulfstreamII Shuttle Training Aircraftrefines the 'rules' that on-board computers use tosimulate the orbiter's descentfrom 35,000 feet to landing.

The new software is closerto human thinking thanprevious software. Groundtests show that the traineraircraft will handle about 20percent better than before,equalling a 69 percent errorreduction.

Shuttle landing simulations toimprove with smart software

Marshall Director Littles to retireMarshall Space Flight

Center Director Dr. WayneLittles has announced plans toretire Jan. 3, 1998.

Precourt gets third trip to MirUSAF Col. Charles Precourt

will comand the final Shuttleflight to the Russian SpaceStation Mir, marking his thirdtrip to the station.

STS-91 is set for a May1998 launch on the ShuttleDiscovery. Precourt was piloton STS-71 in 1995andcommander on the sixthdocking, STS-84.

Completing the STS-91crew are Pilot Dominic Gorieand Mission Specialists WendyLawrence (who also has flownto Mir previously), FranklinChang-Diaz and JanetKavandi.

Andrew Thomas will returnwith the crew, bringing to anend a continuous U.S. pres-ence on the station.

Mars Global Surveyorresumes aerobraking

Spaceport Florida has plans for LC 20Spaceport Florida Authority

officials recently briefedindustry leaders inWashington, D.C., on plans toupgrade Launch Complex 20on Cape Canaveral Air

Station. The authority wantsto establish a multi-user,quick-turnaround launchcapability at the site, whichhas been used for suborbitallaunches.

Littles was named theeighth director of Marshall inFebruary 1996. He joinedNASA at Marshall in 1967.

$250,000 space prize to be announcedA $250,000 Cheap Access to

Space competition was to beannounced at the SpaceFrontier Conference VI in LosAngeles Nov. 7. The conferencetheme is Space: Open forBusiness. A central topic willbe the transformation of spacefrom a government program toa frontier driven bycommercial development.Conference sponsors are theSpace Frontier Foundation,

with funding for the prizeprovided by the InternationalNon-GovernmentalDevelopment of Space. Theprize will be awarded to thefirst private team to launch atwo-kilogram (4.4-pound)payload to an altitude of 200kilometers (124 miles) orhigher. More information isavailable on the conferenceWeb site: http://www.space-frontier.org

Aerobraking to bring theMars Global Surveyor fartherinto the Martian atmospherewas scheduled to resume Nov.7 after a two-week hiatus.

Aerobraking was haltedbecause of unexpectedmovement of one of thespacecraft’s solar panels,which has shown as thespacecraft traveled throughthe highly variable and denseMartian atmosphere.

The plan now is toaerobrake at a more gradualpace than previously, whichwould extend the aerobrakingphase by several months andwill change the final orbit forperforming mappingoperations.

MARS Global Surveyor undergoespreflight preparations at KSC prior tolaunch in November 1996. The spacecrafthas already revealed that there are strongremnant magnetic fields near the surfacerather than a global magnetic field likeEarth’s. Note the solar panels stowed forflight. One did not fully deploy and latchafter launch and has shown unexpectedmovement in the Martian atmosphere.