To:denis J who wrote (216) From: John Barendrecht Sunday, Jul 6, 1997 12:33 AM Respond to of 79917
Company Press Release Source: The Gold Institute
Gold Plays Key Role in Pathfinder's Success
WASHINGTON, July 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The successful Mars I ding of the NASA Pathfinder on July 4 not only demonstrated the first successful use of airbags to slow a spacecraft landing -allowing it to bounce lightly onto the planet's surface -- but also highlighted the critical importance of gold in today's most sophisticated electronics.
``Simply stated, without gold there would have been no Mars landing,'' said John Lutley, president of The Gold Institute. ``A shield of gold protected the Pathfinder on its way to Mars, and gold electronics made the landing possible.''
``We chose gold for the complex on-board electronics of the Pathfinder and the roving vehicle, the Sojourner, because of gold's high conductivity and its reliability,'' according to a NASA spokesperson. ``'The fact that gold does not erode and functions, under extreme conditions of heat or cold is obviously very important for any critical mission in space.''
The Mars Pathfinder is completely surrounded by four intercomiected airbags -- made from an almost bulletproof fiber. Each airbag is made up of six, .9 meter spheres placed on a one meter center, held down by internal and external straps. Three gas generators are used to inflate the four airbags, which inflated approximately 8 seconds prior to landing at about 300 meters from the surface of Mars. The airbags slow the Pathfinder down to under 55 miles per hour at landing.
Each of the airbags used to slow down the Pathfinder depended on gold deployment mechanisms to ensure that it inflated on time. These included gold-coated impact balls and goldcircuited electronic sensors, contacts and connectors.
Gold is considered essential in these technologies, Lutley explained, because in addition to being a superior conductor of electricity, its unique chemical and physical properties make it impervious to extremes of cold or heat and virtually indestructible. It does not tarnish, rust or corrode.
NASA, whose funding has been significantly cut in recent years, decided airbags could function as a relatively inexpensive alternative to the more massive programs of the past, which required back-up systems and back-up craft.
With the success of the Pathfinder mission, NASA says it can now plan more low-cost projects using airbag landing mechanisms,
Gold has long been used in other space applications. It is routinely used as a shield to protect spacecraft d astronauts on spacewalks from extreme solar heat and ionic bombardment. It also prevents solar damage to the intricate electronics that transmit information to Earth
Gold is being used more and more often in high-tech applications, said Lutley. ``Twenty-one percent of all gold mined in the United States is now used for industrial purposes, including the manufacture of virtually all electronic products from home video recorders to the most advanced computers.''
While on Mars, the Pathfinder and its miniature ``robotic geologist,'' the Sojourner, will undertake a detailed analysis of the planet's chemical composition, which, it is hoped, will help unlock the mysteries of the ``Red Planet.'' The Sojourner also will send instantaneous 3-D photographs to NASA scientists at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California.
The Gold Institute is a non-profit international association of miners, refiners, bullion suppliers and manufacturers of gold products. Since 1976, it has been educating the public on the uses, benefits and values of gold. For more information, contact The Cold institute at 202-835-0185 or visit their World Wide Web site at http://www.goldinstitute.com.
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