Columbus was delayed to 1994 so the chance to commemorate the 1492 voyage was lost and the mission became Mars 94. It was downsized drastically - 1 orbiter, 2 small landers, 2 penetrators. Rovers would fly on a 1996 mission (Mars 96) which was soon delayed to 1998 - guess what it was called. Yes, Mars 98. Mars 94 was pushed into 1996 so it became Mars 96 - a trifle confusing. Be careful with the literature! Needless to say none of this happened.
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This map shows sites considered for Mars 94, a Russian mission which didn't happen. We know very little about site selection for their earlier missions, but this was included in the Mars Landing Site Catalog and also discussed at a Mars Pathfinder landing site workshop in 1994. The mission history is complicated... it began as 'Columbus' or Mars 92, to fly in 1992 with orbiters, balloons, landers and rovers. When delayed to 1994 the Columbus name was dropped.
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