August 21, 1993
The Mars Observer is three days away from entering Mars orbit. Based on commerical Earth-orbiting comminications satellite, the Observer is the first craft to visit Mars since the Vikings in the 1970s. Its $813 million mission is to unlock the secrets of the red planet's surface, its magnetic and gravitational fields, and its climate. Continue reading the story by clicking start in the flash player developed by Alastair Halliday below.

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