Mars 6

Mars 6

Mission type	Marsflyby/lander
Operator	Soviet space program
COSPAR ID	Bus: 1973-052A Lander: 1973-052D
SATCATno.	Bus: 6768 Lander: 7223
Mission duration	7 months 7 days (launch to last contact with lander)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	3MPNo.50P
Manufacturer	Lavochkin
Launch mass	3,260 kg (lander, bus, and fuel)
Landing mass	635 kilograms (1,400 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	5 August 1973, 17:45:48(1973-08-05UTC17:45:48Z)UTC
Rocket	Proton-K/D
Launch site	Baikonur81/23
End of mission
Last contact	Lander: 12 March 1974, 09:11:05 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Heliocentric
Perihelion altitude	1.01 AU
Aphelion altitude	1.67 AU
Inclination	2.2°
Period	567 days
Flyby ofMars
Spacecraft component	Bus
Closest approach	12 March 1974, 09:05:53 UTC
Distance	1,600 kilometres (990 mi)
Marsimpact(failed landing)
Spacecraft component	lander
Impact date	12 March 1974, 09:11 UTC
Impact site	23.90°S 19.42°W/-23.90; -19.42
Mars program

Mars 6(Russian:Марс-6), also known as3MP No.50Pwas aSovietspacecraft launched to explore Mars. A 3MP bus spacecraft launched as part of theMars program,it consisted of a lander, and a coast stage with instruments to study Mars as it flew past.

Spacecraft

The Mars 6 spacecraft carried an array of instruments to study Mars. The lander was equipped with a thermometer and barometer to determine the surface conditions, an accelerometer and radio altimeter for descent, and instruments to analyse the surface material including amass spectrometer.The coast stage, or bus, carried amagnetometer,plasma traps, cosmic ray and micrometeoroid detectors, and an instrument to studyprotonandelectronfluxesfrom theSun.

Built by Lavochkin, Mars 6 was the first of two 3MP spacecraft launched to Mars in 1973 and was followed byMars 7.Two orbiters,Mars 4andMars 5,were launched earlier in the 1973 Mars launch window and were expected to relay data for the two landers. However, Mars 4 failed to enter orbit, and Mars 5 failed after a few days in orbit.

Launch

Mars 6 was launched by a Proton-K carrier rocket with aBlok Dupper stage, flying fromBaikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/23.The launch occurred at 17:45:48 UTC on 5 August 1973, with the first three stages placing the spacecraft and upper stage into alow Earthparking orbitbefore the Blok D fired to propel Mars 6 into heliocentric orbit bound for Mars. The spacecraft performed a course correction on 13 August 1973.

Mars 6's lander separated from the flyby bus on 12 March 1974 at an altitude of 48,000 kilometres (30,000 mi) from the surface of Mars. The bus made a flyby with a closest approach of 1,600 kilometres (990 mi). The lander encountered the atmosphere of Mars at 09:05:53 UTC, slowing from 5,600 to 600 metres per second (12,500 to 1,300 mph) as it passed through the upper atmosphere. A parachute was then deployed to further slow the probe's descent, andretrorocketswere intended to fire during the last seconds before the probe reached the ground.

The spacecraft returned data for 224 seconds during its descent through the Martian atmosphere. However, at 09:11:05 UTC, with the spacecraft about to fire its retrorockets in preparation for landing, all contact was lost. Due to a design flaw, a chip aboard the spacecraft had degraded during the mission, and a large amount of the data which had been returned was unusable.

Map of the planet Mars, showing the locations ofViking 1,Mars 2,Mars Pathfinder,Opportunityand Mars 6 (lower centre of the image, near the scale bar).

See also

• List of artificial objects on Mars
• List of missions to Mars
• Timeline of artificial satellites and space probes

References

(view•discuss)

Interactive image mapof theglobal topography of Mars,overlaid with the position ofMartian roversandlanders.Coloring of the base map indicates relative elevations of Martian surface.

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