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Fri, May 06, 2005

Mars Lander Wreckage Apparently Spotted

Orbiter Sees What Looks Like A Parachute

NASA's Mars Global Surveyor may have found the wreckage of the Mars Polar Lander, an exploration vehicle that went missing just as it was supposed to touch down on the surface of the Red Planet.

New imaging techniques that vastly enhance the resolution of the Mars Orbiter Camera aboard Global Surveyor have already been credited with finding the landing sites of both Viking missions, which sent some of the earliest pictures from the Martian surface back to Earth in 1976.

Now, NASA says the MOC has spotted what may be the wreckage of the doomed lander, missing since 1999.

An investigation into what went wrong with the MPL concluded the spacecraft's legs deployed early, perhaps sending a false signal to shut down the lander's rocket brakes. The lander then may have simply dropped the 130-feet or so and crashed on the surface.

The problem with the MPL was that it had no way of reporting what went wrong as it was happening. Now, more than five years after it was lost, scientists hope they can gain some insight into what exactly went wrong.

FMI: www.nasa.gov

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