The Search For Life.

Focuses on exploration of the planet Mars in light of the scheduled early December 1999 landing of the Mars Polar Lander. Goals of the mission, including evidence of water ice, which is a sign of life; Landing target; History of the search for life on Mars; Previous evidence of the presence of liquid water; Implications; Description of the polar lander and instruments; Web sites for more information on the mission. INSETS: A Message, But Still No Answers, by Thomas Harden;The Red Planet Takes a Bow, by Andrew Murr and Jeff Giles.