Letter From the Editor
It is our one year anniversary!
And what a year it has been. 1995 passed in a blur for the Projects preparing
for launch in 1996. Assembly and test occupied Mars Global Surveyor and
Mars Pathfinder for a good part of the year. Mars '98 had its official start-up
in 1995. Negotiations with the Russians paid off in the Summer of 1995 with
an agreement on integrating of Russian hardware into an experiment on Mars
'98.
But what an exciting year is to come! 1996 is the launch year for both Mars
Global Surveyor and Mars Pathfinder, and assembly, testing, and launch preparations
for both Projects are proceeding at a feverish, but thorough, pace.
The Mars Exploration Program's Education Outreach effort has firmed up and
is now operating at full steam across the country. This year promises a
shift in emphasis from town hall meetings toward activities involving schools,
universities and communities in the excitement leading up to the two launches.
Great plans are afoot!
Amidst all this bubbling enthusiasm and laser-like focus on our fast-approaching
goals, we remain committed to keeping you involved and informed. That has
always been the goal of this newsletter, and from your response so far,
we are doing our job. As I said here one year ago, "Keep reading, and
maybe we'll meet at Olympus Mons!"
--David Dubov
