QUESTION:
I am wondering how close the landing site is to the old Viking landing site
from back in 1976? If it is nearby, are there plans to visit the old site
which may provide information about the weather on Mars over the past 21
years? It would be like a reference point for the activity on the planet. I
realize that this new site is much better than the old Viking site, but was
the idea of visiting the old site ever brought up?

ANSWER from Jim Murphy on July 11, 1997:
The Pathfinder landing site is located at approximately 19.4 North, 33.4
West (I think), which is ~1000 km east southeast of the Viking 1 lander
location (22.5 North, 48 West).  It would be wonderful for the rover to
travel to the Viking lander 1 site, but at a speed of ~1 centimeter per
second which the rover moves, it would take 1124 sols or so for the rover,
without ever stopping, for the rover to reach the VL1 site.  So, I don't
think it will happen (it was never planned), but I personally look forward
to the day when either a rover, or a person, takes a picture of the first
vehicle we successfully landed on Mars.

Jim Murphy
Mars Pathfinder ASI/MET Team

ANSWER from David Mittman on July 25, 1997:
The Mars Pathfinder landing site is many hundreds of kilometers from the
Viking lander sites. The rover will probably venture only a few tens of
meters from its home base.