Mars 4 Orbiter | 3MS No.52S

Mars 4 Orbiter

Mars 3MS No.52S alternatively called Mars 4 Orbiter was a soviet spacecraft intended to explore Mars in early 1973. Mars 4 was intended to enter mars orbit around 1974.But the computer problems prevented the orbital insertion.This spacecraft was built by Lavochkin. Mars 4 was the first two 3MS spacecraft launched to Mars in 1973. Other launches in the same window was Kosmos 419 orbiter, 3MP Mars 6, 3MP Mars 7.It carried an array of instruments to study Mars.Some of the Mars 4 instruments were:

 INSTRUMENTS CARRIED:

• Mars Camera
• Radio Telescope
• IR Radiometer
• Multiple photometer
• Polarimeters
• Magnetometer
• Plasma Traps
• Electrostatic Analyser
• Gamma-ray Spectrometer
• Radio-probe

OPERATION:

Proton-K Carrying Mars-4

   Mars 4 was carried by Proton-K rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome at 19:30:59 UTC on 21st July 1973. First three stages of Proton-K successfully placed Mars-4 in low earth orbit. Fourth Stage (Block-D) placed Mars-4 into heliocentric orbit. But during the manoevres course correction on 30th July 1973, two on board computers failed which results in the failure of orbital entry. Several Earlier missions of Russia (Roscosmos) results in failure of missions starting from Mars 1M No.1, 1M No.2, 2MV-4 No.1, 2MV-4 No.2 (Mars 1), 2MV-3 No.1, 2M No.521, 2M No.522, Kosmos 419 (3MS No.170), Mars 2 lander and Prop-M Rover. Only Mars2 was mostly successful.

 

MISSION OUTCOMES:

• A small amount of data was collected during close approach on 10th February 1974 (1,844 kilometers)
• The Mission failed because it failed to perform orbital insertion.