[meteorite-list] Who wants to be a millionaire?

From: Starbits_at_aol.com <Starbits_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:48:13 2004
Message-ID: <c3.17cc346f.2901fbaa_at_aol.com>

<Obviously, we have the good ole USA, the
 USSR (Russia) and..........
 
 I need a lifeline!>

Kevin, Japan had a failed attempt in 1998 and in the future the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency have a mission planned.

 "On July 4, 1998, Planet B was launched on Japan's Mu 5 rocket, which is far more powerful than the Mu 3 used for the lunar and cometary missions. The rocket put the spacecraft into a long, eccentric orbit around the Earth. After this successful launch, the Japanese renamed Planet B "Nozomi," meaning hope. The spacecraft then increased its energy using lunar gravity assists on September 24 and December 18, 1998. It was planned that the spacecraft would inject itself onto the interplanetary trajectory to Mars on December 20, but the associated rocket firing was only partially successful. Nozomi had escaped Earth's gravity but did not acquire enough velocity to reach Mars as planned on October 11, 1999."
http://mars.caltech.edu/probe/nozomi.html


"Mars Express Spacecraft
                Launch: June 2003
                Arrival: December 2003
               
  NASA is participating in a mission planned by the European Space Agency and the Italian space agency called Mars Express, which will explore the atmosphere and surface of Mars from polar orbit. The spacecraft will carry a science payload with some heritage from European instruments lost on the ill-fated Russian Mars '96 mission, as well as a communications relay to support lander missions. Mars Express will itself carry a small lander as well."
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/future/express.html

Eric Olson
http://www.star-bits.com
Received on Fri 19 Oct 2001 05:56:57 PM PDT