Artist's conception of the lander on the Martian surface

January 4, 1999
Web posted at: 5:36 p.m. EST (2236 GMT)

In this story:

• 'I don't know what we're going to see'
• Eavesdropping on Martian sounds
• Along for the ride: 2 crash probes
• Related stories and sites

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- NASA's newest spacecraft hurtled toward Mars Monday on a mission to dig for traces of water, transmit pictures and -- for the first time -- listen for sounds.

The Mars Polar Lander lifted off on schedule Sunday from Cape Canaveral under gray skies precisely on time at 3:21 p.m. EST (2021 GMT). The launch began an 11-month journey whose prime goal is to search for water -- a key ingredient for life -- on the red planet's southernmost icy surface.

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"We have liftoff of the Delta 2 rocket carrying the Mars Polar Lander, NASA's first visit to the red planet's southern pole," said launch commentator Lisa Malone as the rocket soared skyward.

The landing craft, shrouded in a protective heat shield, separated from the rocket's upper stage about 42 minutes later, high above the Indian Ocean, to begin its 470 million mile (757 million km) interplanetary voyage.

The lander is designed to work in tandem with its sister ship, the Mars Climate Orbiter, launched three weeks ago to observe the planet from an orbit 262 miles (422 km) high. Together with European nations, NASA hopes to launch unmanned craft to Mars every two years.

If all goes according to plan, the lander will touch down on the edge of the Martian south pole, a cap of frozen carbon dioxide, on December 3. The craft will slow its descent with a parachute and rocket engines and land on three tripod-like legs.

NASA's three previous Mars landers plopped down in the equatorial desert.

"Bunch of rocks, couple hills in the background," said Edward Weiler, head of NASA's space science division. "Now we're landing near a pole. I mean, I don't know what we're going to see."

If the mission detects traces of water, it would boost the theory that life could exist on the planet.

"Biology has taught us that if you have water and energy and some organic compounds you can produce life even in the most extreme environments," Weiler said. "Basically, life can get a foothold almost anywhere. This forebodes well for the possibility that life existed on Mars sometime in the past or even perhaps today."

Onboard camera view of booster separation

A 6 1/2 foot (2-meter) robot arm on the lander will be used to scoop up samples of the Martian soil for analysis in a mini-laboratory where they will be heated and electronically sniffed to detect water.

The lander is also equipped with a camera to survey the landing site and a weather station will study the frigid climate. Unlike the Mars Pathfinder, which landed on Mars in July 1997, the mission does not carry a rover.

The mission will also give earthlings their first chance to eavesdrop on another world. The lander will record the sounds of Mars with a microphone donated to NASA by the Planetary Society, a space advocacy group once led by the late Carl Sagan.

Some scientists question whether sound will travel in the thin Martian atmosphere and, if it does, whether anything will be heard other than the movement of the Polar Lander's robot arm and its internal systems.

There's a possibility the sound of dust or sand blowing against the lander might be picked up.

"It was kind of a neat idea," Weiler said. "We don't know what we are going to hear, except I don't think we are going to hear Elvis."

The lander will carry a piggyback mission called Deep Space 2. The goal of that mission is to release two basketball-sized devices, 10 minutes before touchdown, which will strike the planet's surface at 400 mph to 500 mph (640 to 800 km) and penetrate beneath its surface with bullet-like probes.

Sarah Gavit, Deep Space 2 project manager, described the process as "crash landing" on Mars.

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Like the lander, the twin probes will hunt for water but at a much greater depth: They could penetrate as deep as 3 feet (90 cms). The question is whether they will survive the impact and radio back data.

It's a high-risk experiment called Deep Space 2 that's part of NASA's New Millennium program to test new technologies for future missions.

Despite the ongoing controversy over whether a Mars meteorite contains evidence of ancient life, the Polar Lander carries no life-detection instruments.

The only real way to confirm life on Mars, Weiler said, is to fetch dirt and rocks. NASA plans to launch a soil-return mission in 2005; the samples would reach Earth in 2008.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.