Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)

Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander mission was cancelled in 2000 by NASA. The spacecraft was scheduled to land on Mars in January 2002. MSSS completed and delivered to NASA the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) for this cancelled lander. Through a separate contract, MSSS President, Michael C. Malin, was the Descent Imager Science Team Leader. 

The 2001 Descent Imager was essentially the same as the Mars Polar Lander (MPL) MARDI. The MPL was lost during the landing in December 1999. In August 2003, NASA selected the Phoenix to land on the martian northern plains in May 2008. Phoenix carried the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) that was fabricated by MSSS for the 2001 mission.