Letter from the Editor
David Dubov
I consider this to be our first "real" issue of the Martian Chronicle.
In the last edition you were introduced to the Mars Exploration Program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Now it is time for us to help you explore the day-to-day work involved in reaching out for Mars. In this issue, and in subsequent issues, many of the engineers, scientists, and teams of people who make America's Space Program so great will detail how that work is accomplished, from how contracts to build spacecraft are won to how the "brain" of a spacecraft operates.
One important article in this issue focuses on the history of Mars exploration at JPL, from the early Mariner missions all the way to Viking, humankind's last visit to our neighbor planet. This will give you some perspective on what JPL is doing today and what the Lab plans to do in the future.
Another article shows why the search for water on Mars is crucial for understanding the past and present of that planet and our own. We know that Mars was once a much wetter planet than it is today. Where did all the water go? The article outlines a series of missions that would answer many vital questions about the aquatic aspects of the Red Planet, from its polar ice caps to its dry lake beds.
Status reports from the current Projects--Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Mars Pathfinder--will show you how progress is measured in terms of the new spirit of doing business/ "better, faster, cheaper."
Still another article focuses on the "Martians of the Month" here at JPL/ those individuals who have been honored by their peers for a significant contribution to our ongoing mission.
All these pieces of information should begin providing you a clearer picture of what it is that drives us here at JPL to reach for Mars.
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