Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-07-19
Spoceship Launching Slated Saturday
On Journey to Vicinity of Venus ss5s,

jury 1S. (AP An interplane-
AIRY spaceship named Mariner
l is scheduled for launching
here Saturday on a three-and-
a-half month journey to the
vicinity Of the planet Venus.
If successful, the intricate
Ipacecraft will zip within 10000
niles Of Venus in early Novem-
Der and sensitive instruments
Will probe secrets Of the cloud
yelled planet.
Before Mariner / covers the
S6 million miles to Venus, Mari
ner 2. scheduled for launching
within six weeks, is to be fol-
lowing the same course through
silent space.
Purpose Of the double
launching is to gather as much
data as possible in the brief
six-week period when Venus is
In favorable position. 1t will
be another 10 months before
earth and venus again will be
In relative positions. in their
orbits about the sun, for an
other shot. 4.
United States scientists an
ticipate Russia will launch q
vehicle toward Venus in the
present period.
The Russians launched the
only previous Venus probe, but
It's radio equipment failed long
before it reached the vicinity
Of Venus. They estimated it
passed within $4,000 miles of
The bright planet and went into
orbit around the Sun-juSt as
Mariners / and 2 are expected
70 do.
To Park in Orbit First
An Atlas-Agena B rocket will
start the 446-pound Mariner l
On its space voyage. Using the
Iame technique which enabled
Ranger 4 to hit the moon ear
der this year, the Agena B will
Iettle into a so-called parking
,rbit" lis miles above the earth
1t a speed Of $4,000 miles an
lour. When the Agena B is in
proper position for a Venus
trajectory. its engine will &C
.elerate to earth-escape speed
If 25,700 miles an hour and
Kick the spacecraft free.
A complex system Of earth
md sun Sensors, horoscopes and
yas jets will keep Mariner on
course and in the proper at
itude so its instruments can
:adio data back to earth and
is solar panels gather the suns
avs for battery power.
The main tracking station
Vt NASA's jet propulsion lab
Iratory facility at Goldstone.
Calf, will issue necessary radio
commands to alter trajectory
when necessary.
To Fire Engine
About eight days after
aunching. when Mariner l is
more than one million miles
rom earth. Goldstone will send
/ signal to fire an engine in
he spacecraft. This mid-course
ngine can produce so pounds
If thrust for up to 43 seconds
Ind win provide the big boost
needed to jockey the vehicle
INTO the Venus fly-by path.
Mariner resembles a giant
insect with its solar cell pad
lies spreading to a span Of
l61a feet. Arrayed along the
l2-foot central body are tubu-
ar and dish-like antennas, in
Itrument containers, transmit
ers, fuel tanks and other de-
ices.
The craft carries seven SCI
ntific experiments. Five are to
.ollect information in inter-
planetary space between earth
md Venus. The two others will
provide information solely on
Venus and will scan the planet
or a 30-minute period when
dariner will whiZ past at more
han 1000 miles an hour.
Venus Experiments
The venus-only experiments
ire a microwave radiometer to
tudy composition Of the at
nostphere and surface temper
Lture and an infrared radio
meter to record temperatures
n the atmosphere.
Other experiments will meas
Ire the strength Of interplane-
AIRY and Venusian magnetic
fields; high evergy radiation;
olar plasma - charged parti-
les streaming from the sun;
iosmic dust, and the rate at
which charged particles lose
mercy.
The studies could provide
!lues to the dangers man faces
n space flight. But Of more
immediate interest, they may