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Mars Surveyor 98 Spacecraft Photos

These photos were taken in the Lockheed Martin Astronautics facility in Denver, Colorado. They show the integration and assembly of the Mars Surveyor 98 lander and orbiter.
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Mars 98 Climate Orbiter
May 27, 1998

The Mars Surveyor '98 Climate Orbiter, which is entering the final stages of testing this summer at Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, CO, is shown here during acoustic tests that simulate launch conditions. The orbiter will conduct a two- year primary mission to profile the Martian atmosphere and map the surface. To carry out these scientific objectives, the spacecraft will carry a rebuilt version of the pressure-modulated infrared radiometer, lost with the Mars Observer spacecraft, and a miniaturized dual camera system the size of a pair of binoculars, provided by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., San Diego, CA. During its primary mission, the orbiter will monitor Mars' atmosphere and surface globally on a daily basis for one Martian year (two Earth years), observing the appearance and movement of atmospheric dust and water vapor, as well as characterizing seasonal changes of the planet's surface. Imaging of the surface morphology will also provide important clues about the planet's climate in its early history. The mission is part of NASA's Mars Surveyor program, a sustained program of robotic exploration of the red planet, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Lockheed Martin Astronautics is NASA's industrial partner in the mission.

Photo copyright 1998, Lockheed Martin

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Mars 98 Polar Lander
May 27, 1998

The Mars Surveyor '98 Polar Lander is shown during recent deployment and testing of its surface solar panels. The spacecraft will travel 10 months from Earth to Mars to land near the southern polar cap in December 1999 and carry out a three- month mission to search for traces of subsurface water in this frozen, layered terrain. The lander carries three scientific packages: the Mars descent imager, furnished by Malin Space Science Systems, Inc., which will view the landing site at increasingly higher resolution; the atmospheric lidar experiment, provided by Russia's Space Research Institute, which will measure the presence and height of atmospheric hazes, along with a miniature microphone provided by The Planetary Society, to record the sounds of Mars; and the Mars Volatile and Climate Surveyor science package. The mission is part of NASA's Mars Surveyor program, a sustained program of robotic exploration of the red planet, managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. Lockheed Martin Astronautics is NASA's industrial partner in the mission.

Photo copyright 1998, Lockheed Martin

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