* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Mars Observer

Blobrana · L

Mars Observer Mission: Mapping the Martian World

Blobrana · L

The Mars Observer spacecraft, also known as the Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter, was a 1,018-kilogram robotic space probe launched by NASA on September 25, 1992 to study the Martian surface, atmosphere, climate and magnetic field. During the interplanetary cruise phase, communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 21, 1993, 3 days prior to orbital insertion. Attempts to re-establish communication with the spacecraft were unsuccessful.
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Blobrana · L

Mars Observer, launched by NASA in September 25, 1992, was the first of the proposed Observer series of planetary missions, and was designed to study the geoscience and climate of Mars.
Contact with Mars Observer was lost on August 21, 1993, three days before scheduled orbit insertion, for unknown reasons and has not been re-established. It is not known whether the spacecraft was able to follow its automatic programming and go into Mars orbit or if it flew by Mars and is now in a heliocentric orbit. It was speculated that there may have been an explosion in a propellant line during pressurisation procedures just before the orbital insertion engine burn. It is believed that hypergolic fuel may have leaked past valves in the system during cruise to Mars, allowing the fuel and oxidiser to combine prematurely before reaching the combustion chamber. The engine was derived from that of an Earth orbital satellite and was not designed to lie dormant for months before being fired.

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