Mars 7
Mars 7 — a Soviet flyby craft carrying a lander (launched 9 August 1973). On 9 March 1974 its lander separated, but its engine did not fire to take it into the atmosphere, and it missed Mars by 1,300 km — probably another failure of the faulty transistors. The flyby craft returned data until 25 March 1974.
Key facts
Mission & specifications
Mission
- Operator
- Lavochkin (USSR)
- Launched
- August 9, 1973
- Status
- Lost
Trajectory
- Distance from the Sun
- 1.58 AU
- Computed from the cached position
- Distance from Earth
- 1.55 AU
- Computed from cached positions
- Distance from Mars
- 4,941,750 km
- Computed from cached positions
Mission
Mars 7 was the last of the four Soviet Mars craft of 1973: a flyby craft carrying a lander, launched on 9 August. It arrived first, three days before Mars 6, having lost part of its communication system on the way. On 9 March 1974 the lander separated for its descent. Its engine then failed to fire to take it into the atmosphere, and it passed Mars 1,300 km away and went into orbit around the Sun. Its intended landing site had been 50° S, 28° W. The failure was probably another consequence of the faulty transistors aboard all four craft. The flyby craft studied Mars as it passed and kept in contact until 25 March 1974. Its cosmic-ray measurements from the cruise were still being analysed and published in 2003.
- 1973Mars 7 launches toward Mars on a Proton rocketLaunch
The last of the four 1973 craft, carrying a lander.
Its engine does not fire to take it into the atmosphere.
- 1974Last contactMission end
The flyby craft falls silent in orbit around the Sun.
Images
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