Exploring Mars: Mars Polar Lander


		Final Location The latest estimate of the lander's actual landing site. Landing Site Find out where the lander will touch down! Mission What is the the mission of the Mars Polar Lander? The Lander Learn about the lander and its instruments. Fact Sheet A quick look at mission details. Launched! January 3, 1999 Lost: December 3, 1999

MARS POLAR LANDER
(Mars Lander)

At 3:21:10 p.m. EST on 3 January 1999, NASA's Mars Polar Lander successfully began its 11 month flight to the Red Planet. The lander, sitting atop a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Station's Launch Complex 17B and quickly disappeared into the clouds.

The solar-powered spacecraft was scheduled to land on December 3, 1999 near the northern-most boundary of Mars' south polar cap, but communication with the lander was never re-established after it entered the Martian atmosphere. The scientific goal of the mission was to learn more about Mars' water and climate.

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