On to mars ! Key Historic Mars Missions
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ON TO MARS ! Key Historic Mars Missions 1962 Oct 24 Mars 1 (USSR). First spacecraft to pass Mars. 1964 Nov 28 Mariner 4 (USA). Fly-by at 9825 km, returned TV pictures, discovered craters on Mars. 1969 Feb 24 Mariner 6 (USA). Fly-by at 3410 km, returned 75 photos, found atmosphere of carbon dioxide. Mar 27 Mariner 7 (USA). Fly-by at 3524 km, returned 126 photos, probably struck by a meteor. 1971 May 19 Mars 2 (USSR). Orbiter reached Mars on Nov 27, and Lander became first human-made object to reach the surface when it crashed. May 28 Mars 3 (USSR). Orbiter reached Mars on Dec 2, and Lander achieved successful soft touchdown. May 30 Mariner 9 (USA). Returned 7,329 TV pictures of all of Mars, providing a full photographic atlas (globe), with 349 days in orbit before shutdown.
Orbiter worked into 1980, Lander worked into 1982. Sep 5 Viking 2 (USA). Orbiter and Lander both very successful. Together, the Vikings collected 52,000 Images, mapped 97 percent of Mars, and tested the soil. 1988 Jul 12 Phobos 2 (USSR). Returned data and photos of Mars’ moons. 1992 Sep 25 Mars Observer (USA). Sent some TV images, but was lost trying to achieve orbit. 1996 Dec 4 Pathfinder (USA). One of NASA’s “economy” designs. Landed on July 4 and deployed the famous “Sojourner” rover. Checked rocks and soil in vicinity. 1998 Dec 10 Mars Climate Orbiter (USA). Contact was lost as orbiter went behind Mars for orbit insertion. It was the first US-Russian Mars Together cooperative program. 1999 Jan 3 Mars Polar Lander (USA). Contact was lost after the landing had begun in December. 2003 Nozomi Orbiter (Japan). Flew by Mars in December 2003, but failed to enter orbit. Missions Operating at Mars 1996 Mars Global Surveyor (USA). Used aerobraking to achieve low Mars orbit in November. Has produced spectacular photography and altitude data. 2001 Mars Odyssey Orbiter (USA). A complementary mission, with observations of elements and minerals on the surface of Mars, and Mars’ radiation environment. Water may be more prevalent on Mars than expected. 2003 Mars Exploration Rovers (USA). Spirit and Opportunity landed in January 2004. Mars Express Orbiter (Europe). Arrived in December. Great photography and additional sensing capabilities, including ground-penetrating radar. Mars “Beagle 2” Lander (Europe). Piggybacked on the Mars Express spacecraft, but has been silent. Planned Mars Missions 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (USA). Will see objects as small as beach balls. Needed to help select safe but more interesting and useful landing sites. 2007 Phoenix – the first “scout” mission (USA). A polar lander. Others scouts may follow as early as 2011. Scouts are missions proposed and developed privately, but selected and flown by NASA. Mars Orbiter and NetLanders (France). Remote sensing, plus study of the atmosphere and internal structure of Mars by seismic sounding. Entry vehicle demonstrator (Europe). Validate and demonstrate high-speed re-entry technology. 2008 Lunar Orbiter (USA). Map lunar resources in detail. A precursor to other Moon/Mars missions. 2009 Mars Science Laboratory (a.k.a. Mars Smart Lander - MSL) (USA). Capable of more operations on its own. Mars Telecom Orbiter (USA). Providing high-capacity data linkage for MSL and future missions. ExoMars (Europe). An exobiology rover to search for traces of life (past or present) and to study the the nature of Mars’ surface environment. Lunar Lander (USA). First in a series of robotic missions to demonstrate new capabilities (e.g., networks, reusable systems, pre-positioned propellants, resource extraction). 2011 Mars Sample Return Mission setup (USA, Europe). First element in orbit at Mars. Mars Testbed (Human Precursor) Mission (USA). First in a series of robotic missions to demonstrate technologies, gather data, and possibly prepare human landing sites. 2013-2014 Mars Sample Return Mission completion (USA, Europe). Likely will use an MSL on the surface. 2014 Human Mission Technology Demonstrator (Europe). Validate technologies for orbital assembly and docking, life support and human habitation. 2015 Human Mission to the Moon (USA). Earliest date for a series of missions to demonstrate human exploration capabilities as precursors for missions to Mars and other destinations. Mars Sample Return Mission completion (USA, Europe). Likely will use an MSL on the surface. 2018 Technology Precursor Mission (Europe). Demonstrate aerobraking/aerocapture, solar electric propulsion and soft landing. 2020-2030 Human Missions to Mars (USA). Timing will depend on discoveries by previous missions, development of technologies to mitigate hazards, and availability of resources/funding. 2024 Human Mission to the Moon (Europe). Demonstrate key life support and habitation technologies, aspects of crew performance and adaptation, and in-situ resources utilization technologies. 2026 Automatic Mission to Mars (Europe). Test the main phases of a human mission. 2030-2033 Human Mission to Mars (Europe). A “split” mission, with a human landing on Mars. Items in BOLD are part of President George W. Bush’s new Space Plan to be executed by NASA. Items in ITALICS are part of the European Space Agency’s “Aurora” plan (in addition to the Mars Sample Return Mission --a cooperative ESA-NASA project). Check out both pages!The Mars Society – Ohio Chapter – 19 February 2004 |