While NASA's Mars Polar Lander may not be transmitting from the surface of the red planet, the mission can still be a great learning experience for Project Teams. NASA is not giving up on missions to Mars, and neither should we! Take the opportunity to teach your project team about topics including:

• The risks of a voyage to Mars
• How to plan for disaster in a Mars community
• The need for backup systems

Stick with your project! When asked what schoolchildren following the mission to Mars should learn from the loss of the Mars Polar Lander, JPL project manager Richard Cook said, "What we're trying to do is very, very difficult. We hope people, and children in particular, will see from this experience that the mark of a great person, or group of people, is the ability to persevere in the face of adversity."

For more information on the preceeding quote, visit http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/news/mpl991207.html.