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 | | After orbit insertion, MGS performed a series of orbit changes to drop the low point of its orbit into the upper fringes of the Martian atmosphere at an altitude of about 110 kilometers. |
 | | Orbits 19 through 36 are known as the assessment orbits, and the time period is known as the Assessment Subphase of the Orbit Insertion Phase. |
 | | However, a 2 AM orbit was satisfactory because if the descending leg of the orbit crossed the equator at 2 AM, it meant that the ascending leg, south to north, crossed the equator at the desired time of 2 PM.) Another aerobraking hiatus began on April 21, 1998, and extended through September 11, 1998. |
| ida.wr.usgs.gov /docs/mission.txt (2207 words) |
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