MARS RADAR CONTACT

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30064, 23 February 1963, Page 11

MARS RADAR CONTACT

U*S. Scientists’ Success

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) PASADENA (California), February 21

Radar contact has been established with the planet Mars for the first time, the California Institute of Technology said today. It said preliminary data analysis indicates Mars has both rough and smooth surfaces, much the same as earth and the moon. The institute said scientists from its jet propulsion laboratory made the first contact in late January from the Goldstone tracking station in the California desert. The announcement was delayed because of the time required for data analysis. The Mars experiment will continue 12 hours a day until early March, when the planet will move out of radar range. The distance to and from Mars was about 125 million miles on February 2, when the planet made its closest approach to earth. On that date it took 11.1 minutes to get the signal to Mars and back.

The Mariner space probe has found that the planet Venus is probably too hot to sustain life. Temperatures at or near the surface of the planet are between 300 deg. and 400 deg. Fahrenheit, seeming to rule out the possibility of life in any form remotely resembling that on earth. The “New York Times” news service reported that the temperature measurements are expected to be announced officially next week by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.