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 LANDING SITE FACT SHEET
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Primary Landing Site

  • Coordinates: 76 degrees south latitude, 195 degrees west longitude
  • Accuracy: due to limitations in targetting the spacecraft while en route to Mars, there is a ~68% (1-sigma) probability that the lander will land within an elliptical area ~70 km (42 miles) downrange and 7 km (4.2 miles) crossrange centered on the target point. The probability is ~99% (3 sigma) for a "landing ellipse" of 200 km by 20 km. The lander approaches from the north, with a downrange direction slightly east of due north.
  • Distance from South Pole: about 800 km (480 miles)
  • Elevation: 4000 meters (above Mars "sea level", the 6.1-millibar pressure level)
  • Expected Temperature Range: daily temperature variation between about -60 and -5 °C
  • Terrain Type: Martian Polar Layered Deposits (sedimentary layers of ice and dust)

    Mars Polar Lander Mission

  • MPL Fact Sheet, MPL Frequently Asked Questions
  • Launch Date: January 3, 1999 from Cape Canaveral
  • Landing Date: December 3, 1999
  • End of Mission: February 29, 2000
  • Project Scientist: Dr. Richard W. Zurek (Jet Propulsion Lab)
  • Mars Volatiles and Climate Surveyor (MVACS) Principal Investigator: Dr. David A. Paige (UCLA)
  • Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) Principal Investigator: Dr. Michael C. Malin (Malin Space Science Systems)
  • LIDAR/Microphone Principal Investigator: Dr. Viacheslav Linkin (Russian Academy of Science)
  • Mars Microprobes Project Scientist: Dr. Suzanne Smrekar (Jet Propulsion Laboratory)

    Reference Material

  • Official JPL Mars Exploration Page
  • For background on Mars Exploration, see www.exploringmars.com
  • For background on the Mars Polar Lander, see the Official Mars Polar Lander Homepage