NASA Investigating Cause of Wobble in Mars Probe

NASA’s new Mars probe was wobbling its way through space Friday, as NASA officials said the spacecraft was having a minor problem they expected to resolve soon.

The Mars Global Surveyor, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Thursday, picked up the slight wobble because one of its two solar panels was askew, the officials said.

The balky wing-like solar array was angled about 20 degrees from its intended position, upsetting the craft’s balance as it headed into deep space.

Engineers had suspected that part of the panel’s hinge mechanism may have become too cold, causing it to stick, but Friday that was seen as a less likely explanation.

“Our original supposition that a cold damper was involved is fading with time, so we continue to look for the real answer,” mission director Glenn Cunningham said.

Despite the problem, the 18-foot-square panel was generating more than enough electricity to power the 1-ton probe.

Space agency officials said they expected to resolve the difficulty before a crucial engine firing later this month to place the craft on course for Mars.

“We are not overly concerned about this because, if necessary, we can use motor-driven gimbals to place the panel at the desired angle,” Cunningham said.

Mars Global Surveyor is the first of three spacecraft destined for the Red Planet this year. It is due to arrive in September 1997 and will begin a two-year survey of Mars six months later.

NASA’s next Mars mission, which will land a six-wheeled rover on the planet’s surface, is scheduled for launch Dec. 2.