Space shots may be old hat to launch crews at the Kennedy Space Center. But there was an unusual air of excitement as technicians made final preparations for the blast-off of the first of two Viking spacecraft bound for Mars. Each of the ships carries a lander, the first ones designed specifically to seek evidence of life beyond the earth. Viking I, scheduled to take off this week, will follow an arcing, 460-million-mile path for more than ten months before it goes into orbit around Mars in mid-June 1976.* The spacecraft will circle the...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
