21.   Taking cautious baby steps, a robotic spacecraft is to settle Tuesday into a closer orbit of an asteroid it has been circling for almost two months.

22.   That meant the spacecraft would not be able to make a direct flight to Jupiter in just over one year.

23.   That spacecraft is almost identical to the polar lander and so may have to be modified to correct any shortcomings revealed in the investigation.

24.   The exact landing sites do not have to be chosen until launching time, and can be changed slightly while the spacecraft are on their way to Mars.

25.   The lost spacecraft was also to function as an orbital communications relay between Earth and the Polar Lander mission.

26.   The space agency expects the new spacecraft to be fully functional within four months.

27.   The spacecraft is stable in spite of the failures.

28.   The spacecraft Odyssey is on a six-month mission to Mars to search for signs of water.

29.   The spacecraft is venting oxygen.

30.   The spacecraft is very close to its original position and is turning slowly at a rate of about one revolution per minute, scientists said.