Page 56 - (DK) Eyewitness - Mars

Unsuccessful missions

In 1960, the Soviets launched Marsnick 1,
mankind’s first probe to Mars. That probe
failed, as did the next eight Soviet spacecraft.
Their tenth launch achieved orbit, but its
lander crashed. The Soviet program ended in
1988 after three successes and 15 flops. The
United States, on the other hand, launched
16 Mars missions before 2004, with 11
successes. Almost two-thirds of the first
37 Mars missions—including one each by
Russia, Japan, and the ESA—failed completely PHOBOS 1
or in part. Some fizzled at launch, while The Soviets launched Phobos 1 and 2 in 1988 to examine the moon Phobos.
After a computer error misdirected its solar array away from the Sun, Phobos
others reached Mars but did not complete 1 lost all power. Phobos 2 was supposed to come within 150 feet (50 m) of
the moon and send down two landers. In the final stage of its mission,
their missions. The reasons for many losses communication was lost because of a computer breakdown.
are unknown, as is the case with Mars
Express, launched by the European Space
Agency. Express achieved orbit in 2004, THE PLAN FOR BEAGLE 2
but lost contact with its lander, Beagle 2. If it had succeeded, Beagle 2, the Mars Express lander, would
have looked like this artist’s rendering. The lander is shown
safely deployed on Isidis Planitia, at the planned landing site it
MARS 2 LANDER probably never reached. On December 25, 2003, Mars Express
The Soviets’ Mars 2 descent/ entered orbit, and Beagle 2 began its descent, but contact was
lander module was launched lost and never regained.
in 1971 to study the Martian
surface and clouds and
measure the magnetic field.
When the lander was released
on November 27, the descent
system did not work properly,
and it crashed. Mars 2 became
the first man-made object on
the surface of Mars.

MARS 3 SPACECRAFT
The landers of the Soviets’ Mars 2 and Mars 3 failed in late 1971, but
both spacecraft went into orbit. For several months, they sent valuable
data back to Soviet space centers. The Mars 3 orbiter and descent module,
shown here, are 13.5 feet (4.1 m) tall and weigh about 10,250 pounds
(4,650 kg) when filled with fuel. The descent module is at the top, the
propulsion system at the bottom. The wings are solar arrays.

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