Mars 2
Soviet orbiter and lander mission to Mars (1971–1972) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mars 2 was an uncrewed space probe of the Mars program, a series of uncrewed Mars landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union beginning 19 May 1971. The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbiter and an attached lander. The orbiter is identical to the Venera 9 bus. The type of bus/orbiter is the 4MV. They were launched by a Proton-K heavy launch vehicle with a Blok D upper stage. The lander of Mars 2 became the first human-made object to reach the surface of Mars, although the landing system failed and the lander was lost.
For other uses, see Mars II (disambiguation).
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Quick Facts Mission type, Operator ...
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Mission type | Mars orbiter and lander |
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Operator | Soviet space program |
COSPAR ID | 1971-045A 1971-045D |
SATCAT no. | 5234 5739 |
Mission duration | 1 year, 3 months and 3 days |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | 4M No. 171 |
Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
Launch mass | Combined: 4,650 kg (10,250 lb) Orbiter: 3,440 kg (7,580 lb) Lander: 1,210 kg (2,670 lb)[1] |
Landing mass | 358 kg (789 lb) |
Dry mass | 2,265 kg (4,993 lb) |
Dimensions | 4.1 × 2.0 × 5.9 m (13.5 × 6.6 × 19.4 ft) (deployed) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 19 May 1971, 16:22:44 (1971-05-19UTC16:22:44Z) UTC |
Rocket | Proton-K/D |
Launch site | Baikonur 81/24 |
Contractor | Khrunichev |
End of mission | |
Disposal | Decommissioned |
Declared | August 22, 1972 (1972-08-22) |
Last contact | July 1972[2] |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Areocentric[3] |
Periareion altitude | 1,380 kilometres (860 mi) |
Apoareion altitude | 24,940 kilometres (15,500 mi) |
Inclination | 48.9° |
Period | 18 hours |
Mars orbiter | |
Orbital insertion | 27 November 1971 |
Orbits | 362 |
Mars impact (failed landing) | |
Impact date | 27 November 1971 |
Impact site | 45°S 47°E |
![]() Mars 2 stamp |
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