KSC-98pc1611
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2), KSC technicians maneuver the backshell, a protective covering, to be placed over the Mars Polar Lander, sitting on the workstand. The solar-powered spacecraft, targeted for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Delta II rocket on Jan. 3, 1999, is designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere
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Details
NASA ID
KSC-98pc1611
Date Created
October 29, 1998
Center
KSC
Media Type
image
Location
Kennedy Space Center, FL
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