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Destination Mars

Destination Mars
Destination Mars The spring equinox for Mars' southern hemisphere arrived August 2, 1999, bringing in the warm seasons of the year. The frosts of the southern polar cap began to retreat. As summer approached, so did the Mars Polar Lander (MPL), scheduled to touch down near the edge of the frost cap on December 3. What will MPL find? We don't know yet, but the lander may encounter dust storms, which frequently blow in this region. In this image, taken in late July, we see grayish-orange dust clouds just above the frost cap at the lower left. NASA / Malin Space Science Systems