PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR MISSION STATUS January 27, 1997 All systems onboard Mars Global Surveyor continue to operate normally. Last Wednesday (Jan. 22), the spacecraft's flight computer activated a 53-watt heater in the Mars Orbiter Camera to begin "baking" the instrument and removing residual moisture. Without this 14-day bakeout period, the moisture in the camera's tube-like structure would leak into space at a slow rate and cause a gradual shift in the camera's focus. The bakeout will remove all of the moisture at once and stabilize the focus of the camera. Flight controllers also performed a series of very slight maneuvers on Jan. 22, 23 and 24 to attempt to manipulate Surveyor's solar array and characterize the exact condition of the debris that is preventing the panel from fully deploying. On Jan. 22, the maneuver was performed with the solar panels in normal cruise orientation. On the following days, the maneuvers were performed with the solar panels rotated to a position that is used during an engine firing and during an aerobraking procedure. The maneuvers did not free the debris, but data from the tests will be studied to determine the best method to clear the broken damper arm that is wedged in the hinge joint holding the solar panel to the spacecraft. Currently, the solar array is tilted about 20.5 degrees from its fully deployed position. The situation poses no immediate problems for the mission and represents only minor adjustments in the long run if the panel is not fully deployed. Today Mars Global Surveyor is about 18 million kilometers (11 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a velocity of about 30 kilometers per second (67,000 miles per hour) with respect to the Sun. The orbiter will intercept Mars on Sept. 12. #####