title: Viking magnetic properties investigation: preliminary results.
abstract: Three permanent magnet arrays are aboard the Viking lander. By sol 35, one array, fixed on a photometric reference test chart on top of the lander, has clearly attracted magnetic particles from airborne dust; two other magnet arrays, one strong and one weak, incorporated in the backhoe of the surface sampler, have both extracted considerable magnetic mineral from the surface as a result of nine insertions associated with sample acquisition. The loose martian surface material around the landing site is judged to contain 3 to 7 percent highly magnetic mineral which, pending spectrophotometric study, is thought to be mainly magnetite.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Hargraves
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Collinson
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Spitzer