* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Mars 2 mission

Blobrana · L

On May 19, 1971, the Soviet Union launched the Mars 2 unmanned lander and orbiter.

Blobrana · L

The Mars 2 mission consisted of an orbiter and an attached lander.
The Mars 2 orbiter 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 had completed their mission by 22 August 1972, after 362 orbits.
The descent module separated from the orbiter on 27 November 1971 about 4.5 hours before reaching Mars. After entering the atmosphere at approximately 6 km/s, the descent system on the module malfunctioned, possibly because the angle of entry was too steep. The descent sequence did not operate as planned and the parachute did not deploy. Mars 2 was the first manmade object to reach the surface of Mars. The landing site is unknown.
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Blobrana · L

The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s.
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 impact the surface of Mars. They were launched by Proton K heavy launch vehicle with a Block D upper stage.

Launch Date/Time:
Mars 2: 1971-05-19 at 16:22:44 UTC

Blobrana · L

Mars 2 orbiter 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 30°W, delivering the Soviet Union coat of arms to the surface.
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Blobrana · L

On May 19, 1971, the Soviet Union launched the Mars 2 unmanned lander and orbiter.

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 impact the surface of Mars.
Read more