QUESTION:

I'm writing you because I'm one a team at East Middle School that's doing a
whole project on the Mars Mission.  We are planning to make a reduced scale
model of the Pathfinder Lander but we first need the dimentions of it.
Depending on how big it is we might make it a full scale modle.  Now we are
in the process of making a full scale modle of the rover.  We already sent JPL 
a letter asking for the dimentions of both the rover and the lander but we only
got back the dimentions of the rover.  Will you please sent me the dimentions 
of the Pathfinder Lander?

ANSWER from Guy Beutelschies on March 18, 1997:

The dimensions of the lander are as follows:

Side Petals:  	Are hexagons where the side that connects to the base petal is
		0.8 m, the sides adjacent to that one are 0.4 m, the next sides
		are 1.5 m and the last side is 0.4 m.

                     b
                    ---
                 c /   \ c
                  /     \
                 /       \
               b \_______/ b
                     a

		a = 0.8 m, b = 0.4 m, c = 1.5 m

Base Petal:	Is a hexagon where 3 of the sides are 0.8 m (the sides
		that connect to the side petals) and the other 3 sides
		are 0.4 m

                         b
                      -------
                   a /       \ a
                     \       /
                    b \     / b
                       \___/
                         a

		a = 0.4 m, b = 0.8 m

The main structure of the lander is 0.4 m tall.  The camera after it is
deployed is an additional 0.7 m above the structure.  The camera is the
tallest thing on the lander.

I hope this helps.  It is hard to give a full set of dimensions without a
providing a drawing (which I can't do using this type of Electronic Mail).
Hopefully JPL will send you a complete set of dimensioned drawings real
soon.  Good Luck!

Guy Beutelschies:	Mars Pathfinder Flight Engineer