Delta II — Mars Polar Lander Photo by Carleton Bailie © The Boeing Company

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR STATION, Fla., Jan. 3,1999 — Two Mars-bound NASA spacecraft lifted off today aboard a Boeing Delta II. Mars Polar Lander will dig for traces of water beneath the frozen surface of Mars and will search for evidence of a physical record of climate change. A miniature microphone will record 10-second sound bytes of natural sounds from the planet. The second spacecraft, Deep Space 2, comprises two microprobes designed to penetrate the surface of Mars and collect samples for testing water vapor content of the planet's subterranean soil. Also, Deep Space 2 will validate the ability of small probes loaded with sensitive, miniaturized instruments to analyze the terrain of planets and moons throughout the solar system. Both the Mars Polar Lander and Deep Space 2 spacecraft are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

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