MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Mars 98 Mission Status Report March 4, 1999 The Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft successfully performed its second planned course correction this morning at 5:35 a.m. Pacific time to fine-tune its path to Mars. The spacecraft initiated a turn to the correct orientation for the maneuver, then fired its four maneuvering engines for 8.2 seconds, changing its speed by just 0.86 meters per second (1.9 miles per hour). The spacecraft performed as expected in all respects, returning to its nominal orientation for cruise within 10 minutes after completion of the maneuver. Today the orbiter is 17.8 million kilometers (10.8 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a speed of 2,090 meters per second (4,590 miles per hour). The next course correction for the Mars Climate Orbiter is July 25, 1999, two months before its September 23 arrival at Mars. Mars Polar Lander also continues to perform well on its way to Mars. This week, the meteorology sensor package was powered on for its second in-flight calibration and health check. Telemetry from this activity was as expected. Otherwise, no activities were conducted on the lander so that the flight team could focus on the development and execution of the orbiter's course correction maneuver. Today the lander is 14.9 million kilometers (9.2 million miles) from Earth, traveling at a speed of 1,868 meters per second (4,180 miles per hour). The lander's next trajectory correction maneuver is scheduled for March 15, 1999. It arrives at Mars on December 3, 1999.

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