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| November 27, 1971 USSR's Mars 2 Arrives on Mars |
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In 1971, the Soviets launched twin Mars 2 and 3 spacecraft to the Red Planet. Each spacecraft included an orbiter and lander. Unfortunately, they arrived at the planet at the height of the largest dust storm ever recorded by astronomers. The spacecraft lacked enough fuel to place the entire assembly into orbit. As a result, they were forced to release the landers on schedule (before orbital insertion) instead of waiting until the storm cleared. The Mars 3 probe successfully landed on the surface, making it the first man-made object to achieve this goal. However, it stopped transmitting 20 seconds after the television scan began. The Mars 2 probe failed after its breaking rockets malfunctioned.
The orbiters successfully entered orbit around Mars and made observations of the planet and its environment. The Mars 2 orbiter returned data until 1972. The Mars 3 orbiter ceased functioning in August 1972, after making measurements of surface temperature and atmospheric composition. Visit Soviet/Russian Mars Program for more information.
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