NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Mars probe program

The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... This article is about the spacecraft type. ... An orbiter is a spacecraft that orbits a planet or moon without landing on it in order to study the objects surface from a safe distance. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

Mars 1

Mars 1 was launched in 1962 but failed en route to Mars. Two other Soviet launches at around the same time, Mars 1962A and Mars 1962B, were likely similar or identical spacecraft but both of these failed during launch and did not leave Earth orbit. Mars 1 (1962 Beta Nu 1) was an automatic interplanetary station launched in the direction of Mars on November 1, 1962, the first of the Soviet Mars probe program, with the intent of flying by the planet at a distance of about 11,000 km. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1959x1394, 859 KB) en: 1964 Soviet Union 6 kopeks stamp. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1959x1394, 859 KB) en: 1964 Soviet Union 6 kopeks stamp. ... Mars 1 (1962 Beta Nu 1) was an automatic interplanetary station launched in the direction of Mars on November 1, 1962, the first of the Soviet Mars probe program, with the intent of flying by the planet at a distance of about 11,000 km. ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Sputnik 22 (also known as Korabl 11 and Mars 1962A) was an attempted Mars flyby mission, presumably similar to the Mars 1 mission launched 8 days later. ... Sputnik 24 (also known as Beta Xi 1, Korabl 13, and Mars 1962B) was an attempted Mars lander mission. ...

The Mars 2 through Mars 7 spacecraft were of a new, heavy design, weighing approximately 5 metric tons and requiring the Proton booster for launch. They were designed to deliver an orbiter and a lander to Mars. The orbiter design was similar to the later heavy Venera probes to Venus (Veneras 9 through the Vega probes to Venus and Halley's comet in 1985). The orbiter bus design was likely somewhat rushed into service and immature, considering that it performed very reliably in the Venera variant after 1975. This reliability problem was common to much Soviet space hardware from the late 1960s and early 1970s and was largely corrected with a deliberate policy of consolidating (or "debugging") existing designs rather than introducing new ones which was implemented in the mid-1970s. A tonne (also called metric ton) is a non-SI unit of mass, accepted for use with SI, defined as: 1 tonne = 103 kg (= 106 g). ... The Proton (ÐŸÑ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾ÌÐ½) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... Venera 7 lander Color image taken from the surface of Venus by the Soviet Venera 13 lander The Venera (Russian: Ð’ÐµÐ½ÐµÑ€Ð°; formerly, sometimes referred to as Venusik in the West) series of probes was developed by the USSR to gather data from Venus. ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... The Vega mission was a Venus mission which also took advantage of the appearance of Comet Halley in 1986. ... Comet Halley, officially designated 1P/Halley, more generally known as Halleys Comet after Edmond Halley, is a comet that can be seen every 75-76 years. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

Mars 2 and 3

The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbiter and an attached lander; they were the first human artifacts to touch down on Mars. The orbiters' primary scientific objectives were to image the Martian surface and clouds, determine the temperature on Mars, study the topography, composition and physical properties of the surface, measure properties of the atmosphere, monitor the solar wind and the interplanetary and Martian magnetic fields, and act as communications relays to send signals from the landers to Earth. Mars 2 and 3 were launched by Tyazheliy Sputniks. The plasma in the solar wind meeting the heliopause For the British comic, see Solar Wind (comic). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Mars 2

Mars 2 released the descent module 4.5 hours before reaching Mars on November 27, 1971. The descent module entered the Martian atmosphere at roughly 6.0 km/s at a steeper angle than planned. The descent system malfunctioned and the lander crashed at 45° S, 302° W, delivering the Soviet Union coat of arms to the surface. Meanwhile, the orbiter engine performed a burn to put the spacecraft into a 1380 x 24,940 km, 18 hour orbit about Mars with an inclination of 48.9 degrees. Scientific instruments were generally turned on for about 30 minutes near periapsis. The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2547x1840, 1258 KB) en: 1972 Soviet Union 6 kopeks stamp. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (2547x1840, 1258 KB) en: 1972 Soviet Union 6 kopeks stamp. ... May 19 is the 139th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (140th in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... November 27 is the 331st day (332nd on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... This article is about several astronomical terms (apogee & perigee, aphelion & perihelion, generic equivalents based on apsis, and related but rarer terms. ...

Mars 3

Mars 3's descent module was released at 09:14 UT on December 2, 1971, 4 hours 35 minutes before reaching Mars. The descent module entered the Martian atmosphere at roughly 5.7 km/s. Through aerodynamic braking, parachutes, and retrorockets, the lander achieved a soft landing at 45° S, 158° W and began operations. However, after 20 seconds the instruments stopped working for unknown reasons, perhaps as a result of the massive surface dust storms raging at the time of landing. Meanwhile, the orbiter had suffered from a partial loss of fuel and did not have enough to put itself into a planned 25 hour orbit. The engine instead performed a truncated burn to put the spacecraft into a long 12 day, 19 hour period orbit about Mars with an inclination thought to be similar to that of Mars 2 (48.9 degrees). It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mars 2. ... Image File history File links Mars_3. ... Image File history File links Mars_3. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (149th in leap years). ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... Categories: Spacecraft propulsion | Stub ... The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ... A retrorocket is a rocket engine used for providing thrust to oppose the motion of a space vehicle, thereby causing deceleration of the vehicle. ...

Both landers had a small Mars 'rover' on board, which would move across the surface on skis while connected to the lander with a 15-meter umbilical. Two small metal rods were used for autonomous obstacle avoidance, as radio signals from Earth would take too long to drive the rovers using remote control. Each rover had both a densitometer and a dynamic penetrometer, to test the density and the bearing strength of the soil. Because of the demise of the landers, neither rover saw action.

The Mars 2 and 3 orbiters sent back a large volume of data covering the period from December 1971 to March 1972, although transmissions continued through August. It was announced that Mars 2 and 3 had completed their missions by 22 August 1972, after 362 orbits completed by Mars 2 and 20 orbits by Mars 3. The probes sent back a total of 60 pictures. The images and data enabled creation of surface relief maps, and gave information on the Martian gravity and magnetic fields. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... August 22 is the 234th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (235th in leap years), with 131 days remaining. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ...

Mars 4, 5, 6 and 7

Mars 4, 5, 6, and 7 comprised an associated group of Soviet spacecraft launched towards Mars in July and August of 1973. The Mars 4 and 5 automatic stations were designed to orbit Mars and return information on the composition, structure, and properties of the Martian atmosphere and surface. The spacecraft were also designed to act as communications links to the Mars 6 and 7 landers. They were launched from Earth by Proton SL-12/D-1-e boosters. 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

The 1973 Mars launch window was inefficient and thus the Proton rocket could not deliver the mass to Mars, as had been possible in 1971. Thus, the mission was split somewhat extravagantly into four separate, but lighter vehicles: two relay orbiters without landers and two orbiter type buses with landers but without fuel to enter orbit. The political purpose of these missions was to beat the American Viking probes (scheduled for 1975 launches) to be the first spacecraft to soft land on Mars, at which they unfortunately did not succeed. The Proton (ÐŸÑ€Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾ÌÐ½) rocket (formal designation: UR-500, also known as D-1/ D-1e or SL-12/SL-13) is a Russian unmanned space vehicle design, first launched in 1965. ... NASAs Viking program consisted of two unmanned space missions to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2. ...

Mars 4

The Mars 4 orbiter reached Mars on 10 February 1974. Due to a flaw in the computer chip which resulted in degradation of the chip during the voyage to Mars, the retro-rockets never fired to slow the craft into Mars orbit, and Mars 4 flew by the planet at a range of 2200 km. It returned one swath of pictures and some radio occultation data which constituted the first detection of the nightside ionosphere on Mars. It continued to return interplanetary data from solar orbit after the flyby. Image File history File links Mars 4 spacecraft image source: http://nssdc. ... Image File history File links Mars 4 spacecraft image source: http://nssdc. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip consisting of at least two interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. ... Relationship of the atmosphere and ionosphere The ionosphere is the part of the atmosphere that is ionized by solar radiation. ...

Mars 5

Mars 5 reached Mars on February 12, 1974 at 15:45 UT and was inserted into an elliptical 1755 by 32,555 km, 24 h 53 min orbit with an inclination of 35.3 degrees. Mars 5 collected data for 22 orbits until a loss of pressurization in the transmitter housing ended the mission. About 60 images were returned over a nine day period showing swaths of the area south of Valles Marineris, from 5° N, 330° W to 20° S, 130° w. July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... February 12 is the 43rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Valles Marineris cuts a wide swath across the face of Mars Valles Marineris (Latin for Mariner Valley, named after the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter of 1971-72 which discovered it. ...

Mars 6

Mars 6 successfully lifted off into an intermediate Earth orbit on a Proton SL-12/D-1-e booster and then launched into a Mars transfer trajectory. Total fueled launch mass of the lander and bus was 3260 kg. It reached Mars on March 12, 1974. The descent module separated from the bus at a distance of 48,000 km from Mars. The bus continued on into a heliocentric orbit after passing within 1600 km of Mars. The descent module entered the atmosphere at 09:05:53 UT at a speed of 5.6 km/s. The parachute opened at 09:08:32 UT after the module had slowed its speed to 600 m/s by aerobraking. During this time the craft was collecting data and transmitting it directly to the bus for immediate relay to Earth. Contact with the descent module was lost at 09:11:05 UT in "direct proximity to the surface", probably either when the retrorockets fired or when it hit the surface at an estimated 61 m/s. Mars 6 landed at 23.90° S, 19.42° W in the Margaritifer Terra region of Mars. The landed mass was 635 kg. The descent module transmitted 224 seconds of data before transmissions ceased, the first data returned from the atmosphere of Mars. Unfortunately, much of the data were unreadable due to a flaw in a computer chip which led to degradation of the system during its journey to Mars. Image File history File links Mars 6 spacecraft image source: http://nssdc. ... Image File history File links Mars 6 spacecraft image source: http://nssdc. ... March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... An artists conception of a spacecraft aerobraking Aerobraking is a technique used by spacecraft in which it uses drag within a planetary atmosphere to reduce its velocity relative to the planet. ... Margaritifer Terra is an ancient, heavily cratered region of Mars. ... Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has a very different atmosphere from that of Earth. ...

Mars 7

Mars 7 successfully lifted off into an intermediate Earth orbit on a Proton SL-12/D-1-e booster and then launched into a Mars transfer trajectory. Total fueled launch mass of the lander and bus was 3260 kg. It reached Mars on March 9, 1974. Due to a problem in the operation of one of the onboard systems (attitude control or retro-rockets) the landing probe separated prematurely (4 hours before encounter) and missed the planet by 1300 km. The early separation was probably due to a computer chip error which resulted in degradation of the systems during the trip to Mars. The intended landing site was 50° S, 28° W. The lander and bus continued on into heliocentric orbits. March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Later missions

Phobos

Two Phobos spacecraft were launched in 1988 to study Mars and its moon Phobos. Phobos-1 failed due to a command error sent to the spacecraft. Phobos-2 gathered data and took photographs of Mars and Phobos from orbit. However, it failed before launching two phobos landing probes. Illustration of the Phobos spacecraft Image of Phobos taken by Phobos 2 spacecraft The Phobos program was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. ... Image File history File links Fobos. ... Image File history File links Fobos. ... Illustration of the Phobos spacecraft Image of Phobos taken by Phobos 2 spacecraft The Phobos program was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Mars 96

Mars 96 was an orbiter launched in 1996 by Russia and not directly related to the Soviet series of probes. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

See also

Computer generated image of one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers which touched down on Mars in 2004. ... Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the surface of the Moon. ... It has been suggested that Space probe be merged into this article or section. ... The Marsnik program of unmanned spacecraft were the Soviet Unions first attempt at interplanetary exploration. ...

External links

Categories: Mars missions | Soviet/Russian probes | Soviet space program Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Wikimedia Commons logo by Reid Beels The Wikimedia Commons (also called Commons or Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Computer generated image of one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers which touched down on Mars in 2004. ... The first close-up image ever taken of Mars, this photo shows an area about 330 km across by 1200 km from limb to bottom of frame. ... Mariner 6. ... As part of the wider Mariner program, in 1969 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 completed the first dual mission to Mars, flying by over the equator and south polar regions and analysing atmosphere and surface with remote sensors as well as recording and relaying hundreds of pictures. ... The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... Mariner 9 launch Mariner 9 was a NASA space probe orbiter that helped in the exploration of Mars and was part of the Mariner program. ... The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mars 2. ... The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... The Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft sent to Mars as part of NASAs Viking program. ... Frost on Mars. ... The Phobos program was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. ... Artists conception of Mars Global Surveyor (NASA) The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) is a US spacecraft developed by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and launched November 1996. ... Artists concept of the 2001 Mars Odyssey Spacecraft 2001 Mars Odyssey is an unmanned spacecraft orbiting the planet Mars. ... Oblique view of the Reull Vallis near the Hellas basin, rendered from data obtained by the Mars Express orbiters High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) The Mars Express Orbiter is part of the Mars Express program, a European Space Agency (ESA) mission to Mars. ... NASAs Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a multipurpose spacecraft designed to conduct reconnaissance and exploration of Mars from orbit. ... A Mars Rover is an unmanned land vehicle for exploration of the planet Mars. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mars 2. ... The Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft sent to Mars as part of NASAs Viking program. ... Frost on Mars. ... The Mars Pathfinder was launched on December 4, 1996 by NASA aboard a Delta II rocket, just a month after the Mars Global Surveyor was launched. ... The mission patch for Spirit, featuring Marvin the Martian. ... The mission patch for Opportunity, featuring Duck Dodgers (Daffy Duck). ... For the Star Trek spacecraft, see Phoenix (Star Trek). ... 2006 Mars Science Laboratory concept 2003 Mars Science Laboratory concept Schematic diagram of the planned rover components, updated version Schematic diagram of the planned rover components The Mars Science Laboratory (or MSL for short) is a NASA rover scheduled to launch in December 2009 and perform a precision landing on... Phobos-Grunt (rus. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... ExoMars model at ILA 2006 (Berlin) ExoMars. ... The Astrobiology Field Laboratory is a proposed NASA unmanned planetary spacecraft to explore the planet Mars. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... Computer generated image of one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers which touched down on Mars in 2004. ... Mars Many believe space colonization is a desirable and perhaps inevitable step in the future of humanity. ... Computer generated image of one of the two Mars Exploration Rovers which touched down on Mars in 2004. ... The eight planets and three dwarf planets of the Solar System. ... Note: This article contains special characters. ... The Marsnik program of unmanned spacecraft were the Soviet Unions first attempt at interplanetary exploration. ... Sputnik 22 (also known as Korabl 11 and Mars 1962A) was an attempted Mars flyby mission, presumably similar to the Mars 1 mission launched 8 days later. ... Mars 1 (1962 Beta Nu 1) was an automatic interplanetary station launched in the direction of Mars on November 1, 1962, the first of the Soviet Mars probe program, with the intent of flying by the planet at a distance of about 11,000 km. ... Sputnik 24 (also known as Beta Xi 1, Korabl 13, and Mars 1962B) was an attempted Mars lander mission. ... Mariner 3 and 4 were identical spacecraft of the Mariner program designed to carry out the first flybys of Mars. ... Mars 3MV-4A Zond 2, a member of the Soviet Zond program, was the second Soviet spacecraft to attempt a flyby of Mars. ... Mars 1969A, also known as Mars 69A in Soviet documentation, was one of two identical probes (the other being Mars 1969B), each consisting of an orbiter and an atmospheric probe. ... Mars 1969B, also known as Mars 69BA in Soviet documentation, was one of two identical probes (the other being Mars 1969A), each consisting of an orbiter and an atmospheric probe. ... Mariner 8 (also known as Mariner H) was a part of NASAs Mariner program. ... Cosmos 419 This launch was intended to be a Mars orbiting mission. ... The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. ... The Phobos program was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons Phobos and Deimos. ... Mars Observer, launched in September 25, 1992, was the first of the Observer series of planetary missions, was designed to study the geoscience and climate of Mars. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nozomi at Mars Nozomi (ã®ãžã¿) (Japanese for Hope and known before launch as Planet-B) was planned as a Mars-orbiting aeronomy probe. ... Mars Climate Orbiter during tests The Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor 98 Orbiter) was one of two spacecraft in the Mars Surveyor 98 program, the other being the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor 98 Lander). ... Conceptual drawing of the Mars Polar Lander on the surface of Mars. ... The Deep Space 2 mission, which launched in January 1999 as part of NASAs New Millennium Program, consisted of two highly advanced miniature probes to Mars. ... Beagle 2 as it would have looked on Mars Beagle 2 was an unsuccessful British landing spacecraft that formed part of the European Space Agencys 2003 Mars Express mission. ... The Voyager program was a planned series of unmanned NASA probes to Mars. ... Conceptual drawing Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander was a planned NASA Mars probe which was cancelled in May 2000 in the wake of the failures of the Mars Climate Orbiter and Mars Polar Lander missions in late 1999. ... For late 2007 (or 2009) CNES (French Space Agency) and ESA (European Space Agency) had planned to send to Mars remote sensing orbiter and four small Netlanders. ... Introduction NASA planned to establish a so-called interplanetary Internet with the launch of the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter in 2009. ...

Contents

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