Present
Currently a NASA rover is stationed on Mars called “Spirit”. The latest mission was to analyze rock material to see if life had a hard time getting started. Full story and everyday watches on Mars can be found at… http://www.marstoday.com/
| Mars Probes at a Glance | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| LAUNCH | FROM | PROBE | RESULT |
| 1962 | USSR | Mars 1 | radio contact
lost traveled 60 million miles |
| 1964 | USA | Mariner 3 | failed to achieve Mars trajectory |
| 1964 | USA | Mariner 4 | passed within
6200 miles 7/14/65 22 photos |
| 1964 | USSR | Zond 2 | passed Mars
1965 sent no data |
| 1965 | USSR | Zond 3 | enroute to
Mars flew within 5717 miles of Moon sent 25 photos of far side of Moon |
| 1969 | USA | Mariner 6 | passed within
2100 miles of Mars 7/31/69 photographed equator, sent 100 photos measured surface temperature measured atmosphere pressure and composition |
| 1969 | USA | Mariner 7 | passed within
2200 miles of Mars 8/5/69 photographed southern hemisphere and polar ice cap, 100 photos measured surface temperature atmosphere pressure and composition |
| 1971 | USA | Mariner 8 | launch failure |
| 1971 | USSR | Mars 2 | entered Mars
orbit 11/71 studied surface and atmosphere landing capsule crashed |
| 1971 | USSR | Mars 3 | entered Mars
orbit 12/71 studied surface and atmosphere lander successful stopped transmitting 2 minutes after landing |
| 1971 | USA | Mariner 9 | orbited Mars
11/13/71 two TV cameras, sent 7329 photos entire surface mapped photos of Phobos and Deimos studied atmosphere and surface temperature saw violent planet-wide dust storm 9/71 spacecraft was turned off 10/72 |
| 1973 | USSR | Mars 4 | braking rocket failed, craft overshot Mars 2/74 |
| 1973 | USSR | Mars 5 | entered Mars
orbit 2/74, snapped photos quit working after few days |
| 1973 | USSR | Mars 6 | flew past Mars
3/74 dropped lander which crashed |
| 1973 | USSR | Mars 7 | flew past Mars
3/74 dropped lander which missed planet |
| 1975 | USA | Viking 1 | orbited Mars
1976 two TV cameras, 26,000 photos lander parachuted to surface 7/20/76 weather station, seismometer, soil analyzer seismometer failed TV showed red rocky surface dusty pink sky, sand dunes no large life forms soil mostly silicon and iron temps 20 degrees to -120 degrees winds 30 mph lander worked 6.5 years on surface |
| 1975 | USA | Viking 2 | orbited Mars
1976 two TV cameras, 26,000 photos lander parachuted to surface 9/3/76 weather station, seismometer and soil analyzer found wind and minor marsquakes red rocky surface, dusty pink sky, sand dunes no large life forms soil mostly silicon and iron temps -20 degrees to -120 degrees 30 mph winds lander worked 3.5 years on surface |
| 1988 | USSR | Phobos 1 | left Earth
7/7/88, traveled 12 million of 111 million-mile route to Mars accidentally turned off by ground control 8/29/88 now aimless in solar orbit |
| 1988 | USSR | Phobos 2 | left Earth
7/12/88, arrived Mars 1/29/89 mapped planet, found water vapor in atmosphere took photos of moon Phobos radio contact lost 3/27/89 unable to drop hopping lander on Phobos 4/89 |
| 1992 | USA | Mars Observer |
launched
9/25/92, disappeared 8/21/93 three days before it was due to arrive at Mars while preparing to brake to enter Mars orbit |
| 1996 | USA | Mars Global Surveyor |
launched
11/7/96, arrived 9/12/97 mapping from 250 miles above Mars began 3/99 findings include signs of water under the surface |
| 1996 | Russia | Mars 96 | final stage
failed in Earth orbit 11/17/96 failed to send craft on Mars trajectory craft fell back to Earth |
| 1996 | USA | Mars Pathfinder |
launched
12/96, arrived 7/4/97, landed 7/4/97 very successful, highly popular Sojourner rover Pathfinder worked until 9/27/97 Pathfinder returned 2.6 billion bits of information including more than 16,000 lander images 550 Sojourner rover images more than 15 chemical analyses of rocks and data on winds and weather |
| 1998 | USA | Mars Climate Orbiter |
launched
12/11/98, arrived 9/23/99 lost as it entered orbit around Mars due to a math error by engineers who mixed metric measurements (newtons) with English units (pounds) to measure the strength of thruster firings |
| 1998 | Japan | Nozomi Planet B |
launched
7/3/98, arrival 1/04 orbiter to study the planet's environment first Japanese craft to reach another planet |
| 1999 | USA | Mars Polar Lander |
launched
1/3/99, arrived 12/3/99 contact with Earth lost after presumed landing also lost Deep Space 2 pair of penetrators that were to have separated from Polar Lander to puncture the surface 35 miles away |
| 2001 | USA | Mars Odyssey |
launched
4/7/01, arrived 10/24/01 to work in orbit through 8/04 mapping chemical elements and minerals looking for hydrogen in subsurface water ice relays communication for Mars landers |
| 2003 | ESA | Mars Express |
launched
6/2/03, arrival 1/04 Mars Express to study the planet from orbit and drop Beagle 2 lander to explore the surface |
| 2003 | USA | Mars Exploration Rover A |
to launch
6/03, arrival 1/04 to land and explore |
| 2003 | USA | Mars Exploration Rover B |
to launch
6/03, arrival 1/04 to land and explore |