Touchdown of Mars Polar Lander Will Be Dec. 3 Near South Pole

NASA’s Mars Polar Lander will touch down on a strip of gentle, rolling plains near the Martian south pole when it reaches the planet’s surface on Dec. 3, NASA researchers said Wednesday. The landing site, encompassing about 1,500 square miles, is at 76 degrees south latitude and 195 degrees west longitude. The lander also carries two Deep Space 2 Microprobes that will be deployed about five minutes before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere. The probes will penetrate the surface to look for evidence of water.

Images of the landing site and additional information are at https://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander. Information about Deep Space 2 is at https://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds2/.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II