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Published February 1972 | public
Journal Article

Martian Physical Properties Experiments: The Viking Mars Lander

Abstract

Current data indicate that Mars, like the Earth and Moon, will have a soil-like layer. An understanding of this soil-like layer is an essential ingredient in understanding the Martian ecology. The Viking Lander and its subsystems will be used in a manner similar to that used by Sue Surveyor program to define properties of the Martian "soil". Data for estimates of bearing strength, cohesion, angle of internal friction, porosity, grain size, adhesion, thermal inertia, dielectric constants, and homogeneity of the Martian surface materials will be collected.

Additional Information

© 1972 Published by Elsevier Inc. Received 5 May 1971, Available online 26 October 2002. Clearly, since the Viking spacecraft subsystems and the science payload configurations are not finalized at this time, the limits to which the physical properties investigation will fulfill their mission is not evident. New avenues of investigation may become available, such as UV degradable coatings, while others may disappear. In any event, the physical properties investigation will suggest operational procedures that will yield those data needed for making the best possible estimates of the physical properties and then, from these data, estimate Martian surface material physical properties.

Additional details

Created:
August 19, 2023
Modified:
October 20, 2023