Avi Blizovsky
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NASA has postponed the launch date of the first of two all-terrain vehicles that will be sent to Mars after a weak point was discovered in both vehicles that could cause a short that could be repaired.
Therefore, it is necessary to remove the two vehicles to correct the problem, and because of this, the launch of the first of the two vehicles will have to be postponed by eight days, and it will not be launched before June 6. The second vehicle is expected to be launched between June 25 and July 15 as planned.
Both robotic vehicles have electronic connections to the spacecraft that will carry them to Mars. A recent experiment revealed that a guillotine-like device designed to cut the cables could cause a short that could affect the electrical circuits inside the robotic vehicle. Delivered from NASA.
Project manager Peter Theissinger said a short could cause the vehicles to lose the radar data they need to pinpoint their position and speed during the expected January 2004 Mars rendezvous. "They could cause the mission to end in catastrophe," he said.
The discovery prompted NASA to conduct an independent review of the vehicle design process to ensure there were no more such problems, Theissinger said. It's still unclear why the problem wasn't caught earlier.
NASA ramped up testing and testing of its Mars missions after losing two spacecraft in 1999. The Mars Climate Compass flew too close to the surface due to confusion between English and metric measurements, and the Polar Lander fell to the surface after its containment rockets shut down too early.
The pair of vehicles were designed to function as geologists in the field for the purpose of searching for evidence of water activity in the past on Mars. NASA recently announced that it has designated the vehicles to select two sites that scientific observations prove were once covered by water.
Ydan Mars
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