Mars 96

          Mars 8 otherwise called Mars 96 which was launched by the Russian Space Forces to Mars in 1996. This spacecraft was programmed based on the Phobos Probes of Mars 1988. It was very ambitious mission at that time. This mission included an orbiter, Surface Stations and Surface penetrators. Mars 96 had many scientific instruments provided by the European countries.

AIM:  The prime aim of this mission was to understand the evolutionary history of formation of Martian surface, atmosphere and interior structure of planet mars.

ORBITER DESIGN: Mars 96 was similar to the model and design of Phobos orbiters. Its body had high gain antenna and low gain antenna for communications. Two solar panel at the side is set for the power source. It also had two surface stations and two penetrators for fuel propulsion system. The total mass of Mars 96 spacecraft was 6,180 kg.

SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS: 

1) ARGUS TV Camera

2) PAIS Camera

3) HRSC - High Resolution Stereoscopic Camera

4) WAOSS - Wide-Angle Stereoscopic TV-Camera

5) OMEGA - Visible and Infrared mapping Spectrometer

6) PFS - Planetary Fourier Spectrometer

7) TERMOSCAN - Mapping Radiometer

8) SVET - High Resolution Mapping Spectrometer

9) SPICAM - Multi-channel Optical Spectrometer

10) UVS-M - Ultraviolet Spectrometer

11) LWR - Long Wave Radar

12) PHOTON - Gamma-ray Spectrometer

13) NEUTRON-S - Neutron Spectrometer

14) MAK - Quadruple Mass Spectrometer

15) ASPERA - Energy mass ion spectrograph and Neutral particle imager

16) FONEMA - Fast Omnidirectional Non-scanning ion energy-mass analyzer

17) DYMIO - Omnidirectional ionospheric Mass spectrometer

18) MARIPROB - Ionospheric Plasma Spectrometers

19) MAREMF - Electrostatic Analyzer and Magnetometer

20) ELISMA - Solar wind monitor

21) SLED - Low Energy Charged Particle Spectrometer

22) PGS - Precision Gamma Spectrometer

23) LILAS-2 - Research of Cosmic and Solar Gamma-ray Bursts

24) EVRIS - Investigation of oscillations in stars

25) SOYA - Solar Oscillation Photometer

26) RADIUS-M - Radiation Control Complex

INSTRUMENTS IN SURFACE STATION:

27) MIS - Meteorology Instrument System

28) DPI - Descent Phase Instrument

29) ALPHA - Alpha-particle, photon, X-ray Spectrometer

30) OPTIMISM - Magnetometer and Seismometer

31) DesCam - Descent Phase Camera

32) PanCam - Panormic Camera

33) MOx - Mars oxidant Experiment

34) MAPEx - Microelectronic and Photonic experiment

INSTRUMENTS IN PENETRATOR: 

35) TVS- Television Camera

36) MECOM METEO SET - Meteorological Measurement

37) PEGAS GAMMA - Spectrometer

38) ANGSTREM - X-ray Spectrometer

39) ALPHA ALPHA-P - Spectrometer

40) NEUTRON NEUTRON-P - Spectrometer

41) GRUNT - Accelerometer

42) TERMOZOND - Physical study of Martian Rocks

43) KAMERTON -  Seismometer

44) IMAP-6 - Magnetometer

 TRAVEL AND LANDING:

     It was planned that, after 10 months of space travel towards mars, it will successfully reach Mars on 12th September 1997( Approx). Before five days they will release the two surface penetrators and staions to land. But the mission resulted in Failure.

CONCLUSION: 

     Mars 96 was unsuccessful because of the malfunction of Proton K/D upper stage ignition. It re-entered into the earth's atmosphere and the spacecraft debris fell into the Pacific Ocean. Sometimes it was believed that its plutonium fuel was responsible for the spacecraft failure itself. Mars 96 was a huge spacecrafts which carried nearly 44-45 scientific instruments. Later on, all the missions to mars was constructed based on the scientific plan of Mars 96. For Example: Mars Express

DETAILED INFORMATION:

    Click this link: Mars 96 Orbiter and Penetrators

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Prop-M Rover

DESCRIPTION:

          Soviet Russia sent Prop-M Rover along with Mars 3 lander weighting 4.5 Kilograms. The rover was planned to move across the surface of Mars. Small metal rods in the side was used for autonomous obstacle avoidance, because it is difficult to control the rover from earth using radio signals. It take too long to travel from earth to mars as well as mars to earth.

DESIGN:

          The Prop-M Rover designed like a square box and the movement was provided by two skis. In front Obstacle detection bars were mounted. The square box had a protrusion at the center.

INSTRUMENTS CARRIED:

       1) Penetrometer

       2) Densitometer

OBJECTIVES:

          The rover was planned to move on the surface of mars with the help of Television Camera. And to detect some organic materials with help of penetrators.

ENTRY:

          Prop-M rover was released on 2nd December 1971. It entered the martian atmosphere at a speed of 5.7 Km/s and successfully landed.

CONTACT:

          After 14.5 seconds of landing on the Martian surface, no signals were received from the rover. Communications lost from rover. It may be caused by the powerful dust storms causing damage to the communication system. The mission resulted in Partial Failure.

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Mars Climate Orbiter

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Mars Express

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Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is an american spacecraft designed to conduct multiple experiment for the exploration of Mars. It was designed under the supervision of NASA Project director Lookheed Martin ( Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and it was controlled by California Institute of Technology,USA. It was launched on 12 August 2005 from Cape Canaveral Air force station and reached mars orbit on 10 March 2010. It became one of the five active mission on Mars (2001 Mars odyssey, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Express, Mars Exploration Rovers ( Twin Rovers = Spirit and Opportunity). It became the best relay satellite for the measurement of weather monitoring, choose site for future landing missions and an intermediate to communicate between the Mars Exploration Rovers and Earth. It carried many scientific instruments such as radars, spectrometers to study mars. It is listed as one of the currently active mission on Mars. It completed its 50,000th orbit around Mars on 27 March 2017.

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Mariner 9

Mariner 9 was an unmanned spacecraft launched towards Mars. It was one of the mission of Mariner Program. Mariner 8 and Mariner 9 together called Mariner Mars 71 project. In which Mariner 8 failed to orbit whereas Mariner 9 successfully orbited the Mars. It became the first orbiter to orbit around Mars. It was designed and Manufactured by Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

MISSION START:

     Mariner 9 was launched on 30 May 1971 at 22:23:04 UTC from Cape Canaveral. It greatly contributed to the exploration of Mars. It was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet after the unsuccessful of Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3. It took clear images of Mars and its dust storms which prevailed there for a month.

OBJECTIVES:

     1) It was designed to study Martian atmosphere left by Mariner 6 and 

     2) Infrared spectrometer was installed to detect heat sources (Volcanic activities)

     3) To study temporal changes in the Martian atmosphere

     4) To study and analyse two martian moons (Phobos and Deimos)

INSTRUMENTS CARRIED:

     1) Ultraviolet Spectrometer

     2) Infrared Infterferometer Spectrometer

     3) Celestial Mechanics

     4) S-Band occultation ( for communication)

     5) Infrared Radiometer

     6) Visual Imaging System

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

     1) Spacecraft frame was made with Magnesium frame

     2) It had four solar panels which could produce a power of 500 watts

     3) Power was stored in 20-ampere Nickel-Cadmium Battery

     4) Propulsion was provided by Gimbaled-engine (1340 N of thrust)

     5) Propellant was monomethy hydrazine and nitrogen tetraoxide

     6) Attitude control was provided by Sun sensor, a Canopus tracker, Gyroscopes, inertial reference unit

     7) Command systems = 86 direct, 4 Quantitative and 5 Control commands

     8) Data was stored in Reel-reel tape recorder of 180 million bits

     9) Telecommunication done via dual S-band 10-20W transmitters through low,high and omni-directional            antenna

RESULTS:

1.     It discovered thick atmosphere with planet-wide robe of dust, largest storm.
2.  Photograph contributed to the discover of Volcanoes on Mars (Tharis Bulge)
3.  Photograph showed the creators, ice caps, volcanoes, river beds, Olympus Mons (largest volcano) , water erosion deposits, weather fronts, fogs.
4.  The canyon was renamed Valles Marineries in honour of Mariner 9.

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Mariner 8

Mariner-8 is an American Mars orbiter intended to observe mars and its atmosphere. It was launched on 9 May 1971 and it was carried by Atlas SLV-3C Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral air force station. But the launch failure prevented the spacecraft to reach earth orbit. This mission resulted in launch failure and the spacecraft felt in Atlantic Ocean.

DUAL MISSION:

     The project (Mariner-8) was also called Mariner Mars 71 project. It consist of two American Spacecraft Mariner-H and Mariner-I. Both orbiters intended to orbit around mars for many objectives.

OBJECTIVES:

     1) To measure atmospheric Density

     2) To measure atmospheric Pressure

     3) To measure atmospheric Composition

     4) To measure Temperature

     5) To measure Topography of Martian Surface

INSTRUMENTS CARRIED:

     1) Wide-narrow angle Television Cameras

     2) Infrared Radiometer

     3) Ultra-voilet Spectrometer

     4) Infrared Inferometer Spectrometer  

TECHNICAL DETAILS:

     1) Spacecraft frame was made with Magnesium frame

     2) It had four solar panels which could produce a power of 500 watts

     3) Power was stored in 20-ampere Nickel-Cadmium Battery

     4) Propulsion was provided by Gimbaled-engine (1340 N of thrust)

     5) Propellant was monomethy hydrazine and nitrogen tetraoxide

     6) Attitude control was provided by Sun sensor, a Canopus tracker, Gyroscopes, inertial reference unit

     7) Command systems = 86 direct, 4 Quantitative and 5 Control commands

     8) Data was stored in Reel-reel tape recorder of 180 million bits

     9) Telecommunication done via dual S-band 10-20W transmitters through low,high and omni-directional            antenna 

RESULT:

     Spacecraft failed to orbit due to launch failure

REASON FOR FAILURE:

     Launch failure due to improper ignition of Centaur stage 365 seconds after launch due to starvation by tumbling.

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Mars 2M No.522 Orbiter

MISSION DESCRIPTION:

 

            Mars 2M No.522 is an Mars Orbiter designed by Soviet Russia. This mission was planned in early 1969. It is also known as Mars 69 No.522. This spacecraft was lost in Proton-K/D launch failure launched on 2^nd April 1969. It carried three cameras to take photographs of Mars during its close up distance. This spacecraft was encoded to transmit images back to earth. It  is one of the Mars 2M along with Mars 2M No.521. It was also intended to detect water vapours with its Spectrometer. Both the spacecraft was unsuccessful due to launch failure. 

INSTRUMENT CARRIED:

1)Three Mars Camera

2)Radiometer

3)Spectrometer

REASON FOR LAUNCH FAILURE:

            One of  the first stage engine caught fire immediately after the lift-off, which result in lost of both spacecraft Mars 2M No.521 and Mars 2M No.522.

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