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The Planetary Report • September/October 1988
Onward to Mars
On the Cover: In July <i>Phobos 1</i>, the first space probe to leave Earth for Mars since 1975, lifted off atop a Proton rocket from the Baikonur space complex in the Soviet republic of Kazakhstan. A few days later a second Phobos craft was launched on a similar mission. The probes' main purpose Is to explore and analyze Phobos, one of Mars' two quirky moonlets. These are the first In a series of increasingly ambitious robotic probes that the Soviet Union plans to send to Mars, culminating In what could be a joint US/USSR trip with human crews to the planet early In the next century.
Features
4 The United States' Future in Space: The Candidates Share Their Visions: Tim Lynch presents the presidential candidates' plans for NASA if they are elected.
7 The Mars Balloon: A Novel Approach to a Treacherous Terrain: Louis Friedman describes an innovative balloon adaptation that may help us explore the Red Planet.
16 Outbound to Mars: The Phobos Mission is Launched: James Burke highlights this ambitious Soviet mission.
17 Phobos—A Surface Mine or an International Park? Hungarian astronomers Iván Almár, Andras Horváth, and Erzsébet Illés advocate for the protection of Mars' largest moon.
Departments
3 Members' Dialogue Planetary Society political advocacy for Mars.
18 News & Reviews Pioneering the solar system.
19 Politics and The Planetary Society Louis Friedman gives his personal view.
20 Q&A How does a comet cause meteor showers?
22 Society Notes Momentum for Mars; scholarships and travel funds.
The Planetary Report • September/October 1988
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