# The Mars Polar Lander, we will find life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 2, 1999, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996 "1999-12-02T06:40:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 1999, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/61 "1999-12-04T23:03:00Z")
Yep. I become a little more confident with each passing hour that **No** , the Mars Polar Lander will not find life on Mars. * * * Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/62 "1999-12-05T03:03:00Z")
\*manhattan: Yep. I become a little more confident with each passing hour that No, the Mars Polar Lander will not find life on Mars. \* That’s cuz the Martians saw it land, and they went over and beat the crap out of it, so that we wouldn’t get definitive proof. 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bantmof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@bantmof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bantmof)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/63 "1999-12-05T03:15:00Z")
Here’s how the US stacks up so far on Mars missions: Mariner 3: 1964, Flyby - Failure Mariner 4: 1964, Flyby - Success Mariner 6: 1969, Flyby - Success Mariner 7: 1969, Flyby - Success Mariner 8: 1971, Flyby - Failure Mariner 9: 1971, Orbiter - Success Viking 1: 1975, Lander - Success Viking 2: 1975, Lander - Success Mars Observer: 1992, Orbiter - Failure Mars Global Surveyer, 1996, Orbiter - Success Mars Pathfinder, 1996, Lander & Rover - Success Mars Climate Orbiter, 1998, Orbiter - Failure Mars Polar Lander, 1999, Lander - Possible Failure - TBD Mars Surveyer 01 Orbiter, 2001, Orbiter - TBD Mars Surveyer 01 Lander, 2001, Lander/Rover - TBD Mars Surveyer 03, 2003, Orbiter/Lander - TBD Mars Express, 2003, Orbiter/Lander - TBD Mars Surveyer 2005 Lander, Lander and sample return, 2005 - TBD (The batting average of old vs. new missions becomes much more even if you look at non-mars missions too, since we’ve had a pretty good run of successes recently with other probes, and we had a ton of failures back in the 50’s and 60’s with various other probes like the early Pioneers and Rangers). ## So far, even with recent mars failures, NASA still has the best Mars track record. The Russians have faired miserably, and the one Japanese orbiter currently in transit is in trouble although it may yet be partly salvageable. peas on earth ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/64 "1999-12-05T04:12:00Z")
I wouldn’t call Viking 1 a _complete_ success. Didn’t it land kitty-corner on a rock or something? * * * “Love 'em, fear 'em, and leave 'em alone.” – Dr. Spockiavelli ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/65 "1999-12-05T04:23:00Z")
I’d blame the First Born for the failure. Or maybe Ar-Hap. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/66 "1999-12-05T04:44:00Z")
Okay, so I’m full of shit. The only problem the Viking 1 lander had, according to a little book I have titled _Space Exploration_, is that its seismometer failed to operate. Other than that, Viking 1 was a success. I’ll go sit in a corner now. * * * “Love 'em, fear 'em, and leave 'em alone.” – Dr. Spockiavelli ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/67 "1999-12-05T05:28:00Z")
**Eaten by a Banth!** Polar lander has discovered life on mars! **\

Tris\** ---

**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/68 "1999-12-05T16:20:00Z")
I know I should have said “eaten by a banth” or “stepped upon by a zitidar”, but it has been quite a while since I visited Helium. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 1999, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996/69 "1999-12-05T20:58:00Z")
Dr. Fidelius, I thoat you might post something of the sort! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mars-polar-lander-we-will-find-life/16996.md?page=3)