The
Mars Pathfinder Mission is the second launch in the Discovery Program, a NASA initiative
for planetary missions with a maximum three year development cycle and a cost cap of $150M
(FY92) for development. The Mars Pathfinder is managed for NASA by the Jet
Propulsion Laboratory at the Calfornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
The mission is primarily an engineering demonstration of key
technologies and concepts for eventual use in future missions to Mars employing scientific
landers.
Pathfinder also delivers science
instruments to the surface of Mars to investigate the structure of the martian atmosphere,
surface meteorology, surface geology, form, and structure, and the elemental composition
of martian rocks and soil. In addition a free-ranging surface rover is deployed to
conduct technology experiments and to serve as an instrument deployment mechanism.
