Mars program
The Martian space probes were a series of Soviet space probes that were launched to Mars. In addition to the designated space probes there were a number of false starts, which received either no label in an explosion of the rocket, or were reported in the case of reaching Earth orbit as satellites Sputnik and the cosmos deck name. In addition, as part of the Zond program flew a spacecraft ( Zond 2) to Mars, and another ( Zond 3), which probably missed their launch window, proven communication over interplanetary distances.
On October 10, 1960 and October 14, 1960 we took the first launch to Mars. Both probes were lost in false starts of Molniya launch vehicles. They were developed together with the spacecraft Venera 1 and used the same bus. They were 480 kg heavy and wore next experiments to study the interplanetary space is also a camera system. These launches are often referred to in the literature as Mars 1960A and Mars 1960B.
Mars 1
Mars 1 (internal designation of the satellite type 2MV -4) was launched on 1 November 1962. Two other identical probes reached on October 24 and November 4, 1962 due to failure of the fourth stage of the Molniya launcher only orbit. These launches are called Sputnik Sputnik 22 and 24. Mars 1 led next experiments to study cosmic rays and particles also a camera system and a UV spectrograph. Both a film exposed, developed on board and subsequently digitized. An experiment to search for life by spectrometry was removed before the start. Mars 1 weighed at the start with a Molniya rocket 893.5 kg, had a total length of 3.3 m and a width (along with the solar panels deployed booms ) of 4.0 m.
Even after the start it was found that the pressure in the fuel tanks had fallen for the nitrogen for position control by a non- closed valve at zero. As long as it was close to the Sun, one could stabilize the probe by its gyroscopes. With increasing distance from the Sun, the performance of solar cells decreased and then you did not have enough power to operate the gyro. So lost Mars 1, the orientation in space, and the contact was on 21 March 1963 in 106 million kilometers away from the Earth lost. On 19 June 1963, the spacecraft passed Mars.
A modified version of the Mars probe (type 3MV -4A) was launched on November 30, 1964 more cautiously, under the name Zond -2. As one of the two solar panels undeployed, but failed the mission.
In 1969 started two other Mars probes. Compared to Mars 1, the initial weight by the much stronger Proton rocket had been considerably enlarged. The probes now weighed over 3,800 kg. A Lander should be included, but was removed again before the start. Both probes, which are often referred to in the literature as Mars 1969a and 1969b Mars, lost by false starts on March 27 and April 2. In the former, the third stage did not ignite, the second the rocket exploded by an engine failure in only 50 m altitude, whereupon due to contamination of the site by the toxic fuels the launch pad for months was no longer usable.
Mars 2 and 3
Mars 2 and Mars 3 were identical probes of the Lavochkin design office in Moscow which were developed under the direction of chief designer Georgi Babakin. Another probe was designated Cosmos 419, was left by failure of the school ( you enter the wrong ignition timing ) on 10 May 1971 in an Earth orbit. The task was to sell a 450 -pound lander on Mars and to transmit its data. Thereafter, the two orbiters should investigate Mars from orbit. The probes were with 4650 kg take-off mass, the heaviest in the Mars program. They were equipped with infrared radiometers for temperature measurement, infrared photometer for the determination of carbon dioxide or water vapor absorption, microwave radiometers for measuring temperature in 30 to 50 cm depth below the surface of Mars, UV photometer for the detection of various gases in the atmosphere, Teilchenspektrometern and 2 cameras. In addition, the lander had a Rover type PROP- M on board, which should be automatically removed from the lander. The data connection would be done by a 15-meter long cable.
After starting on May 19, 1971 May 29, 1971 both probes reached the first Russian probes easily to Mars. Both orbiters but failed the automatic control system, which should calculate the price. The orbiter reached in both unplanned orbit on November 27, 1971 and 2 December 1971. Even with the countries led misalignment in the loss of Mars 2 The lander came to steep in the atmosphere. Maybe he is also in the landing area near Hellespont Montes (45 ° South, 313 ° West ), which turned out to be in later recordings as very jagged, shattered.
The lander of Mars 3 began after landing in the edge region of the crater Ptolemy (49 ° S, 158 ° W ) so as to transfer a panorama, but trailed off after a few seconds (data transfer start 90 seconds after landing, abort the transmission 20 seconds later ). The cause of the failure is possibly looking at a global dust storm that was raging at the time. The orbiter took pictures on film. Before the dust storm abated, they had exposed the film so that the pictures show just a few details.
Mars 4-7
Mars 4-7 should successfully perform a Mars landing in front of the Viking orbiters first. It now had shared the tasks and launched with Mars 4 and 5 two orbiter and Mars 6 and 7 two countries. This was necessary, since 1973, the Mars was not as low to the ground and had to be so easily the probes.
A few months before the start, it was found that the contacts of the transistors of the type 2T -312 were corroded and so precipitated the power of one of the probes. An investigation showed that this error was systematic and based on that you had replaced at the manufacturer's Gold at the contacts by aluminum. A change in production would have taken six months, and made a postponement of the launch to 1975 necessary. The political leadership decided on it to start the probe anyway, although there was only a 50 percent chance that they would reach Mars. The launch mass was the two orbiters at 3440 kg and the countries of 3,250 kg.
The scientific payload of the probes consisted of two cameras, infrared radiometer, different photometers and gamma-ray spectrometer and magnetometer and particle detectors, respectively. The lander had cameras except among others, anemometer, thermometer and barometer on board.
Mars 4 was launched on 21 July 1973. On the way to Mars, the electronics of the bus fell off. The instruments that were autonomous of it, could flyby at 2200 km will be activated on Mars on February 10, 1974 and transferred some data. The bus, which should pivot into an orbit, however, was not addressed at this time.
Mars 5 was launched on 25 July 1973. After two course corrections he arrived as scheduled on 12 February 1974 in a 1,760 × 32,586 km high orbit. It accelerated the measurement program, but on February 28, 1974 fell from the orbiter. The cause was not a failure of the electronics, but the pressure loss in the bus by a micrometeorite hits. About 100 photos as well as further measurements were obtained.
Mars 6 was launched on 5 August 1973. Few days after the course correction maneuver on August 13, 1973 was a telecommunications channel from the transmitter because of the defective transistor. The lander was separated automatically on March 12, 1974 by the silent probe. He provided measurements to touchdown at 25 ° west longitude and 24 ° south latitude, then fell silent, however. He may be shattered on the surface or tipped over on landing.
Mars 7 was launched on August 9, 1973 as the last of the quartet. On August 16, 1973, was the only course correction maneuvers. Due to the defective transistors was soon only a communication channel to the probe. The separation of the lander was automatically on 9 March 1974, however, four hours early, so that the lander flew past at a distance of 1,300 km at Mars.
Conclusion
The Soviet Mars program in the 1960s and 1970s was one of the greatest failures in the history of Soviet space exploration. Of the 14 probes launched the Mars program, only 5 Mars was a relative success. Later, there were four more Soviet- Russian missions to Mars. Fobos 1 2 in 1988, Mars 96 in 1996 and Fobos -Grunt in 2011 Fobos 1 and Mars 96 were complete failures, only Fobos 2 was planned a small part of his research program to perform before he was lost. With Fobos -Grunt failed, the recent Russian Mars mission.