The World - News from July 12, 1988

The Soviet Union has decided to skip a modest mission to Mars that had been planned for 1992 and go instead for a major expedition in 1994. Scientists attending a series of Moscow meetings in connection with the launching of two spacecraft to the Martian moon Phobos have been told that an automated rover will be sent to Mars six years from now, and that at least one large, instrument-laden balloon probably will be released to float about the planet, collecting data for future missions.