Status of Japan's Mars Explorer "NOZOMI" for 11/20/2003 (Forwarded)

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Tokyo, Japan

Status of Japan's Mars Explorer "NOZOMI"
2003/11/20 Update

Some of you might have read a report of a newspaper; "NOZOMI, Japanese made Mars
exploration probe is to collide with Mars".

But this description is not correct. The truth is that "NOZOMI" will, if going
as it is, approach Mars on December 14 by 894km passing above Martian surface at
its closest approach, but there would not be excluded a theoretical possibility
of colliding with Mars by more or less one percent, if we take the error of
orbit determination into account.

The international organization called "COSPAR" representing worldwide space
science organs defines "Planetary Protection Policy" as special protective
measure that provides for regulating a percentage possibility below one percent
of falling upon Mars, within twenty years after the launch, for Mars orbiting
satellites inadequately sterilized. On the other hand, from the standpoint of
observing Mars, it is naturally better to get closer to Mars as much as
possible, which means, therefore, the closest distance of 894km is marginally
and most appropriately set for probe trajectory to take.

As you may know, however, "NOZOMI" right now is under "the last challenge" to
repair its malfunction of which must be concentrated by all task force of
scientists and engineers of "NOZOMI" mission team until its outcome is clearly
known. Upon recovering from the damage, we will then work on putting the probe
to orbit around Mars and resume its exploration. Unfortunately, if not restored,
we will try to adjust the closest approach as far as possible from 894km. In
this case, "NOZOMI" will, after once approaching Mars, escape from Martian
gravitational sphere to become an artificial planet going around the orbit of
the sun forever. As many of you may know, onboard "NOZOMI" is mounted an
aluminum plate etched with the names of 270,000 people who applied for the
pre-launch campaign, "Send your names to Mars!" The names of 270,000 people will
keep on circling around the sun for hundreds of million years.

As long as "NOZOMI" team is at work, please give us a little more time until
around Dec.10. When final result is known, we are ready to explain everything
plainly to you and offer our sincere feeling and thinking.

We believe what the mission team can do is not to give up but to do the best
until the very last moment toward responding the expectation of the people
including those who kindly left their desires to this spacecraft.