Space: Mariner Goes Wrong

The U.S. attempt to explore Mars got off to a poor start last week. The Mariner C spacecraft, launched at Cape Kennedy, did not jettison its 300-lb. wind-shroud, and the extra weight kept it from attaining the 25,600 m.p.h. speed necessary to reach the red planet.

Blocked by the shroud, the spacecraft’s solar panels did not open; they could not recharge the spacecraft’s batteries, which soon went dead.

But failures are to be expected in so difficult a venture. A second spacecraft, Mariner D, is ready to go, and will be fired before the “window” (the favorable time when Mars is in an accessible position) closes on Nov. 30. If Mariner D fails too, Mars and its secrets will be safe for a while. Another window will not open until December 1966.