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Mars Polar Lander Mission Status

October 20, 1999

Flight controllers for NASA's Mars Polar Lander have decided to postpone the next thruster firing used to fine-tune the spacecraft's flight path until October 30.

This delay allows mission engineers to continue their evaluation of all spacecraft systems and operational procedures after the loss of Mars Climate Orbiter. The thruster maneuver was previously scheduled for today.

The spacecraft is healthy and the team is continuing to test and train for the early surface phase of the mission.

Mars Polar Lander is currently 18.8 million kilometers (11.7 million miles) from Mars, approaching the planet at a speed of 4.8 kilometers per second (10,740 miles per hour) relative to the planet.

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