Stories tagged “Polar Lander”

  • Martian Oops Four

    As Mars Polar Lander started the landing sequence it hit the atmosphere at 6.8 km/s and had 4 minutes and 33 seconds to land. The heat shield slowed the craft. At an altitude of about 7.3 km and a speed of 500 m/s, the parachute deployed. The heat shie...