WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

In the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility-2 (SAEF-2), KSC technicians prepare the Mars Polar Lander for encapsulation inside the backshell, a protective cover. The solar-powered spacecraft, targeted for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station aboard a Delta II rocket on Jan. 3, 1999, is designed to touch down on the Martian surface near the northern-most boundary of the south pole in order to study the water cycle there. The lander also will help scientists learn more about climate change and current resources on Mars, studying such things as frost, dust, water vapor and condensates in the Martian atmosphere.