For more than two years, planetary geologist Ken Edgett has been among the first experts to examine the steady stream of photography dispatched to Earth by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, a small camera-equipped probe that has been circling the Red Planet since September 1997. An equipment malfunction or software glitch probably caused the mishap that cracked a satellite's solar panels during preflight testing, the mission's project manager said Friday. The 850-pound spacecraft was undergoing a test Tuesday to ensure it could withstand launch when a vibration table at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory applied 10 times more force than was intended. Visit the Tracking Station for a full listing of upcoming launches. New prediction of asteroid's damage from Earth strike.
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