Editing Mars Climate Orbiter (section)

=== History ===
After the loss of ''[[Mars Observer]]'' and the onset of the rising costs associated with the future [[International Space Station]], [[NASA]] began seeking less expensive, smaller probes for scientific interplanetary missions.  In 1994, the Panel on Small Spacecraft Technology was established to set guidelines for future miniature spacecraft. The panel determined that the new line of miniature spacecraft should be under {{cvt|1000|kg|lb}} with highly focused instrumentation.{{r|Panel}} In 1995, a new Mars Surveyor program began as a set of missions designed with limited objectives, low costs, and frequent launches. The first mission in the new program was [[Mars Global Surveyor]], launched in 1996 to map Mars and provide geologic data using instruments intended for ''Mars Observer''.{{r|Small_Missions}} Following Mars Global Surveyor, ''Mars Climate Orbiter'' carried two instruments, one originally intended for Mars Observer, to study the climate and weather of Mars.

The primary science objectives of the mission included:{{r|Arrival_Press_Kit}}
* Determine the distribution of [[water on Mars]]
* Monitor the daily weather and atmospheric conditions
* Record changes on the Martian surface due to wind and other atmospheric effects
* Determine temperature profiles of the atmosphere
* Monitor the water vapor and dust content of the atmosphere
* Look for evidence of past climate change.