Classifying science and technology: two problems with the UNESCO system

Abstract

The Viking spacecraft to Mars have clearly revealed a planet to ponder. In some ways it appears Earth-like, in other ways it is similar to our Moon, and yet in many aspects it is unique. This was the conclusion of the Second International Colloquium on Mars, held at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA, 15–18 January 1979. The first colloquium was held five years earlier to discuss results of the highly successful Mariner 9 mission to Mars. Two Viking landers and two orbiters were sent to Mars in 1976. All four spacecraft lived a healthy life through a full 688-day Martian year transmitting a rich harvest of scientific data. In fact, three are still at work, although at a much slower pace than before.