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Mars Polar Lander Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) Science Investigation

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Location of Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) on Mars Polar Lander.
Click HERE for higher resolution picture (1.9 MBytes).

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Placing Things In Context

One of the most important questions to be asked about a spacecraft that has landed on another planet is, "Where is it?" Knowing where it landed tells whether the site is exotic or unique or has much in common with the rest of the planet. For example, how much can be said about the the entire south polar region of Mars based upon the results to be provided by the Mars Polar Lander? Read More...

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Science with MARDI

The way a surface looks depends on the strength of the materials, the strength of the processes that are eroding it, and how long these processes have had to work. Descent images from MARDI will bridge the gap between what can be seen and learned about the polar surface from orbiter cameras--such as Mars Global Surveyor's MOC--and the lander cameras--such as Mars Polar Lander's SSI. Pictures from Antarctica, as shown on the left, help illustrate descent imaging science. Read More, and see the Antarctica descent pictures...
Artwork Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech, annotation by MSSS; photos: MSSS.


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