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"Try to Go with the Flow"

"We monitor it closely and try to go with the flow on the variability," Smith said. "We have to take into account how much the prediction could be wrong and use that as margin. When the atmosphere is as highly variable as it is in this region, it means we have to be a little more cautious."

With concerns about atmospheric changes that any pilot could relate to, "it might be said this is as close as we've ever come to flying on another planet," said Dr. Richard Zurek of JPL, who co-chairs the atmospheric advisory group to the project.

But, says Smith, "It's a little different from flying. We don't have the option of flying around a disturbance. We have to fly right through it. We can raise our altitude or lower it, but we can't avoid going through that region."

-By Mary Beth Murrill

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