Mars Polar Lander
Time Lapse Movies
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The following are time lapse movies of the launch preparations of the Mars Polar Lander spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center.
See also time lapse movies of the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft.
Time Lapse Movies
Mars Polar Lander
All animations below are in MPEG format.
Need help in running animations? Look here for
information on how to setup
your browser for animations.
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Date
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Spacecraft
Location
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File Size
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January 3, 1999
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Launch Pad 17B
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4.7 MB
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January 2, 1999
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Launch Pad 17B
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1.7 MB
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January 1, 1999
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Launch Pad 17B
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253K
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December 31, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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1.7 MB
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December 30, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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745K
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December 29, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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5.8 MB
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December 28, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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636K
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December 23, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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1.2 MB
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December 22, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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1.5 MB
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December 21, 1998
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Launch Pad 17B
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2.0 MB
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December 19, 1998
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SAEF-2
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868K
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December 18, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.8 MB
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December 17, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.1 MB
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December 16, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.5 MB
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December 15, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.7 MB
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December 14, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.8 MB
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December 12, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.3 MB
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December 11, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.8 MB
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December 10, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.9 MB
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December 9, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.5 MB
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December 8, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.6 MB
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December 7, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.2 MB
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December 6, 1998
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SAEF-2
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681K
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December 5, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.0 MB
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December 4, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.9 MB
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December 3, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.6 MB
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December 2, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.2 MB
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December 1, 1998
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SAEF-2
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668K
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November 30, 1998
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SAEF-2
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559K
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November 25, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.7 MB
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November 24, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.0 MB
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November 23, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.1 MB
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November 22, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.4 MB
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November 20, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.0 MB
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November 19, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.6 MB
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November 18, 1998
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SAEF-2
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3.3 MB
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November 17, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.1 MB
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November 16, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.4 MB
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November 13, 1998
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SAEF-2
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742K
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November 12, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.1 MB
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November 11, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.4 MB
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November 10, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.9 MB
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November 9, 1998
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SAEF-2
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522K
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November 6, 1998
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SAEF-2
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364K
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November 5, 1998
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SAEF-2
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554K
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November 4, 1998
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SAEF-2
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812K
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November 3, 1998
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SAEF-2
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581K
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November 2, 1998
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SAEF-2
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699K
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October 31, 1998
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SAEF-2
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601K
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October 30, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.2 MB
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October 29, 1998
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SAEF-2
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882K
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October 28, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.5 MB
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October 27, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.4 MB
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October 26, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.7 MB
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October 24, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.5 MB
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October 23, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.1 MB
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October 22, 1998
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SAEF-2
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900K
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October 15, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.0 MB
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October 14, 1998
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SAEF-2
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1.1 MB
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October 7, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.8 MB
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October 6, 1998
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SAEF-2
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2.8 MB
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October 5, 1998
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SAEF-2
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3.2 MB
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The Mars Polar Lander spacecraft was successfully launched
from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS)
Space Launch Complex 17B (SLC-17B)
on January 3, 1999.
The lander will enter the Martian
atmosphere directly from the hyperbolic transfer orbit at 7 km/s in December
1999. The lander spacecraft will decelerate to a soft landing using a heat
shield to aerobrake, a parachute, and actively guided propulsion to reduce
vertical velocity to less than 2.4 m/s and horizontal velocity to less than
1 m/s at surface touchdown. The lander will be targeted to the northernmost
boundary of the polar layered deposits at a high southern latitude site,
between 75 degrees and 80 degrees south latitude. The surface science mission
will be conducted over the course of a 3 month primary mission. The landing
will occur during late spring in the southern hemisphere and extend through
the early summer season. The timing of the landing is optimal for a high
southern latitude site because the sun is always above the horizon during
the course of the primary mission providing maximum solar insolation and
a relatively benign thermal environment.
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