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The Planetary Report • January/February 1991
The Mars Balloon: It Works!
On the Cover: There is no other private group on Earth that can say of a planetary project, "We're scheduled for launch in 1994," But the French-built Mars Balloon, equipped with the SNAKE guide-rope designed by The Planetary Society, is an intrinsic and official part of the Soviet <i>Mars '94</i> mission. Last summer, during tests in California's Mojave Desert, we proved that our design works.
Features
4 Humans to Mars: Can We Justify the Cost? Carl Sagan explains the value of sending humans to Mars.
8 Mining the Air: Resources of Other Worlds May Reduce Mission Costs: Kumar Ramohalli explains how we could mine the atmospheres of other planets to create fuel.
12 Wind, Sand and Mars: The 1990 Tests of the Mars Balloon and SNAKE: Charlene Anderson summarizes tests in the Mojave Desert in preparation for the Mars '94 mission.
16 Eureka! The Recovery of 1982DB: Asteroid hunter Eleanor Helin tells a story of 8 years of persistence paying off.
Departments
3 Members' Dialogue Pluto-Charon probe, SETI, and Society membership.
17 Society Notes 1991 scholarship competitions have begun!
18 News & Reviews Venus extravaganza; celebrating another ending.
19 World Watch Recommendations for NASA from the Advisory Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program.
20 Q&A What major discoveries resulted from the Apollo landings?
The Planetary Report • January/February 1991
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