火星极地着陆器任务
The Mars Polar Lander spacecraft was successfully launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, USA on January 3, 1999. Finnish skills in making some microprocessor systems and meteorological instruments in space technology are well known. Thus, the landing vehicle of the Mars Polar Lander mission is equipped with FMI/GEO’s Finnish special measurement electronics, including two pressure measurement instruments based on Vaisala’s BAROCAP® and THERMOCAP® sensors.
芬兰气象研究所（FMI/GEO）的地球物理研究部门的三名代表 - Jouni Polkko，PekkaRiihelä和作者 - 出现在Mars Polar Lander的壮观推出中。
征服火星...
长期以来，人们已经意识到，像“征服火星”一样大的项目只有国际合作才有可能。火星极地着陆器（MPL）项目由美国，芬兰和德国组织。起落架配备了FMI/GEO的特殊测量电子设备，以及基于Vaisala的Barocap®和ThermoCap®传感器的两种压力测量仪器，但由FMI/GEO提供。
FMI/GEO has a representative on the MPL’s nine-member scientific group. The MPL will land near the Martian south polar region in December 1999 and perform the major part of its observations during the first three months, after which the spacecraft should remain functional for more than a year.
在火星极地着陆器推出之前的几天里，美国东部的天气风雨如雨。这困扰了发射团队，因为由于轨道力学，发射窗口每天仅开放约一秒钟。在到期的前一天晚上，两次中型龙卷风形成了威胁，温度降至Cape Canaveral周围的零摄氏度零，这是佛罗里达州最冷的两年。电视频道报告说，大雪瀑布影响了美国的北部和中部。
However , when the day of the launch – Sunday, January 3– dawned , all was clear. The storms of the previous day had completely ceased.
。。。heads for launch!
由美国空军运营的三角洲发射车向上指向Cape Canaveral Air Station发射场的云彩覆盖的佛罗里达天空。
尽管发射窗口的总长度为三个星期，但每天开放大约一秒钟。航天飞机和天气状况必须在一天中的一定时间最佳，否则将推迟到第二天。
1月3日，发布窗口于下午3.21打开。东部标准时间。
Only one hour before the launch, the upper-air winds in the upper atmosphere were too strong, but calmed down just at the right time. The feeling was tremendous as the announcers started paging, thirty minutes before the launch, through loud speak ers and finally the marginal words – “...thermal system – go! ALL SYSTEMS – GO, we are heading for launch!”
The liftoff looked – and sounded – impressive. Enormous flames, smoke clouds and trembling sound amazed everybody. The observation area was so far from the launch site that when a stormwind-like rending thunder reached the observation area, the rocket had already disappeared above the thin veil of clouds. The observers could see only a tornado-like smoke pillar in the observation area. One can just image how spectacular an audiovisual play the launch would have been, if it had been a cloudlessnight.
第二天早晨，始于早期的股东大会。
据报道，火星极地着陆器的状态很好，尽管《星形跟踪器》有一些小问题。在会议上，整夜醒着的所有疲倦的关键工程师都提供了有关MPL状态的信息。会议上的气氛非常满意和热情。那是火星航天器的第三架飞机 - 六个月内这三个！
联合芬兰知识
直到1月25日，当书写本文时，一切都很好，系统运行良好。FMI/GEO的设备 - MET-PAND EGA-P - 是简化的压力测量仪器。最小化的质量和功率限制是必须整合科学方面的主要问题。MET-P是发送到火星的气象仪器（MET）的一部分，以在火星气氛中进行准确的科学压力测量。Met-P包括四个基于Vaisala的Barocap传感器，重45克。EGA-P是EGA仪器的一部分，它将检查火星表面材料的组成。EGA-P将在火星表面材料在腔室中加热后测量气压，以分析发射的气体组件。EGA-P重12克，包括一个Barocap传感器。
火星上有生命吗？
The Mars Polar Lander is scheduled to reach Mars on December 3, 1999. The Lander will be targeted to the northernmost boundary of the polar layered deposits, at a high southern latitude site which is between 75 and 80 degrees south latitude. The scientific mission to the polar layered deposits is expected to reveal lots of new information on Martian climatic history. The gas atmosphere, which contains mostly carbon dioxide, might have been much thicker and warmer in the past than it is nowadays. The Lander will search for nearsurface ice, and possible surface records of cyclical climatic change. It will also characterize the physical processes that are key to seasonal cycles of water, carbon dioxide and dust on Mars. These investig ations are essential to find out if life ever existed on the planet. Observational data from the Mars Polar Lander will be sent to the Earth through the Mars Climate Surveyor craft. The data will be received by effective NASA/JPL surface stations, where it will be processed. Specific instrument related data will be sent to the appropriate instrument teams to benefit their scientific research work.
国际火星太空研究计划
火星极地着陆器的启动是1996年由美国国家航空航天管理局（NASA）于1996年开始的火星太空研究计划的一步。它由每个启动窗口的两次研究发射镜头组成，每26个月将打开一次。2005年，NASA将执行火星样品回报（MSR）任务，以便将土壤和天然气研究样品从火星带到地球。由四名火星着陆器组成的欧洲净陆地板将于2005年8月同时踏上火星的旅程。Lander Net Mission项目当局预计，基于微处理器的主要中央数据管理系统和大气仪器系统将由FMI LED LED Finnish Scien Scientific and Industrial组织采用。
The article was originally published in Vaisala News 151/1999/ Ari-Matti Harri/Geophysics Department/Finnish Meteorological Institute/Helsinki/Finland.