Meet the MOLA Science and Engineering Teams

Here are some of our team members awaiting the first data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) soon after the MGS spacecraft inserted into orbit around Mars. Just before our first data were due to be downloaded to Earth on September 15, 1997, the Deep Space Tracking Network station lost lock. This is the view from the MOLA operations room at the Goddard Space Flight Center while we waited for the link to be re-established. Front row: Instrument Manager Ron Follas, Prof. Maria Zuber (MIT), System Engineer Jay Smith, Laser Transmitter Lead Engineer Rob Afzal, Science Team Member Jim Garvin, and Peggy Jester. Back row: Jeff Schott, Greg Elman, and William LaMartin. (Credit: MOLA Principal Investigator David E. Smith)

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Team Shots from Various Memorable Events

• MOLA Chili Team Award at LPSC XXXII.
• MOLA End of MGS Mapping Mission Science Team Meeting, February 1, 2001.
• MOLA 100-Million Shot Celebration, July 1, 1999.
• First Turn-on in Circular orbit, March 1, 1999.
• MOLA "Aliveness Test", July 31, 1997.

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