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Landing Site Timeline

Early 1999: Launch, Trajectory Correction Maneuver (TCM)-1 and TCM-2. Aim point is set to 75°S, 200°W.

June 1999: Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) and Laser Altimeter (MOLA), aboard the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, viewed the target sector.

July 8, 1999: Landing Site Team meeting at UCLA: A group of 40 engineers and scientists gathered to review the available data and choose several regions that appear to be both safe for the spacecraft and scientifically useful.

August 4, 1999: Site Selection Certification Review at JPL. Involveed review board members from JPL and from outside the project.

August 24, 1999: Final target site/zone selection at NASA Headquarters. Press conference was the following day.

September 1, 1999: Site Adjustment Maneuver (SAM): adjusted the aim point to the newly selected site.

October 30, 1999: TCM-3: cleaned up any errors in the SAM.

November 30, 1999: TCM-4: cleaned up errors in TCM-3. May be used to fine-tune the landing site if new data warrants it.

December 3, 1999: TCM-5 (emergency only): executed only if mission safety is compromised by errors in previous TCMs, or by a ground obstacle.

December 3, 1999: Landing