In 1999 the Mars Polar lander was supposed to touch down on Martian soil near the southern pole. Tragically, shortly after it entered the atmosphere
it mysteriously disappeared. Now, Five and a half years later scientists believe they have found the lander and may have an explanation for what went
wrong.
skyandtelescope.com
Using information gained from observing the two Mars Exploration Rover landers last year, Malin reexamined the 1999 and 2000 images looking for
similar features. This time he identified what looks to be a parachute located several hundred meters away from a disturbed bit of ground with a large
mark in its center. The parachute-like feature closely matches the Mars Exploration Rover parachutes (which were made of the same materials), and
Malin believes the disturbed ground matches what one would see if a rocket had blasted the surface from a height of tens of meters.
"It seems that the MPL investigation board may have been correct," writes Malin in Sky & Telescope. "MPL’s descent proceeded more or less
successfully through atmospheric entry and parachute jettison. It was only a few short moments before touchdown that disaster struck."
Later this year NASA will direct Mars Global Surveyor to reexamine the MPL crash site using a special technique to improve the camera's resolution to
0.5 meter per pixel. Malin hopes the new observations will provide the conclusive evidence needed to officially close the case of the missing Mars
Polar Lander.
The search for Mars Polar Lander was hampered by inexperience: the team didn’t know what a parachute should look like or how the ground would be
disturbed by the landing rockets. Lessons learned from observations of the Mars Exploration Rover landing sites helped team members identify what they
think are the parachute (2), the rocket-blast zone, and ultimately the lander itself (3). Courtesy NASA/JPL/MSSS.
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
While there is still no hope of the Mars Polar Lander completing its mission, it is good that they appear to have found it and will gain a better
understanding of what went wrong. More landers will be sent to Mars in the coming years and every bit of data we can gain will increase our chances of
having a successful manned mission.
Whether or not we find life on Mars remains to be seen, but I am confident that life will visit Mars in the not to distant future.
Related News Links:
www.marsnews.com
news.nationalgeographic.com
space.skyrocket.de
news.bbc.co.uk
Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
Europe’s ExoMars Rover: Steering A Course Toward Humans On Mars
SCI/TECH: Mars Rover Mission Extended
New Mars craft to be launched this summer
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