Mars 3
Mars 3 was a robotic space probe of the Soviet Mars program, launched May 28, 1971, nine days after its twin spacecraft Mars 2. The probes were identical robotic spacecraft launched by Proton-K rockets with a Blok D upper stage, each consisting of an orbiter and an attached lander. After the Mars 2 lander crashed on the Martian surface, the Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to attain a soft landing on Mars, on December 2, 1971. It failed 110 seconds after landing, having transmitted only a gray image with no details. The Mars 2 orbiter and Mars 3 orbiter continued to circle Mars and transmit images back to Earth for another eight months.
Mars 3 Orbiter | |
| Mission type | orbiter and lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet Union |
| COSPAR ID | Orbiter: 1971-049A Lander: 1971-049C |
| SATCAT no. | Orbiter: 5252 Lander: 5667 |
| Mission duration | Orbiter: 452 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | Combined: 4,650 kg (10,250 lb) Orbiter: 3,440 kg (7,580 lb) Lander: 1,210 kg (2,670 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15:26:30, May 28, 1971 (UTC) |
| Rocket | Proton-K with Blok D upper stage |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | August 22, 1972 (orbiter) |
| Last contact | Last data transmission July 1972 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Mars orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | December 2, 1971 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Periareion altitude | 1,500 km (930 mi) |
| Apoareion altitude | 211,400 km (131,400 mi) |
| Inclination | 60° |
| Mars lander | |
| Spacecraft component | Mars 3 Lander |
| Landing date | December 2, 1971 (11 Libra 192 Darian) 13:52 UTC SCET (MSD 34809 03:06 AMT) |
| Landing site | 45°S 202°E (predicted) |
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