Mars Polar Lander:
Goals: Mars Polar Lander was to be the first-ever landing in the polar regions of Mars. The lander was equipped with cameras, a robotic arm and instruments to measure the composition of Martian soil. It also carried the Deep Space 2 microprobes which were to pentrate and sample the Martian surface.

Accomplishments: None. Both missions were lost when Mars Polar Lander crashed on Mars. An investigation found the most likely cause of the mishap was a false signal that the spacecraft had landed when in fact it had only deployed its legs and was still descending. The signal shut down the main engines and the spacecraft crashed into Mars at high speed.

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3 Jan 1999:  Launch (20:21:10 UT) 3 Dec 1999:  Contact Lost (20:00 UT) Status:  Unsuccessful		20 Apr 2001:  A Conversation with Dr. Ed Stone 26 Mar 2001:  NASA and NIMA Begin Joint Review of Mars Polar Lander Search Analysis 28 Mar 2000:  Mars Program Assessment Report Outlines Route to Success More Headlines
Mars Polar Lander was to be the first mission to land in Mars' south polar region (right). Contact was lost with the spacraft prior to atmospheric entry. The backup spacecraft for Mars Polar Lander was successfully used in the 2008 Phoenix mission to Mars.		Solar System Bodies: Mars Mars Polar Lander Multimedia Gallery JPL Mars Reports NSSDC Master Catalog: Mars Polar Lander Mars 98 Press Kit (PDF Files) More Links