NASA invites you to send your name to Mars on the Mars 2001 Lander! Names are being collected that will be placed on a CDROM that will be carried on the Mars 2001 lander. A certificate is also available and is provided free of charge by NASA. Our goal is to collect several million names! Names can be submitted here:

http://spacekids.hq.nasa.gov/2001/

The Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander is scheduled for launch on April 10, 2001, and will land on Mars on Jan. 22, 2002. The lander will touch down near the Martian equator, carrying a spare Mars Pathfinder rover, a robotic arm and several other science instruments, including three that will return data in support of eventual human exploration.

The 2001 Lander will carry an imager to take pictures of the surrounding terrain during its rocket-assisted descent to the surface. The descent imaging camera will provide images of the landing site for geologic analyses, and will aid planning for initial operations and traverses by the rover.

The 2001 Lander will also be a platform for instruments and technology experiments designed to provide key insights to decisions regarding successful and cost-effective human missions to Mars. Hardware on the Lander will be used for a demonstration test of rocket propellant production using gases in the Martian atmosphere. Other equipment will characterize the Martian soil properties and surface radiation environment.

For more details, please visit the Mars Surveyor 2001 mission home page:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odyssey/