Mars 1M No.2 Explained

1M No.2
Mission Type:Mars flyby
Mission Duration:Failed to orbit
Spacecraft Type:Mars 1M
Manufacturer:OKB-1
Launch Date: UTC
Launch Rocket:Molniya
Launch Site:Baikonur 1/5
Programme:Mars program
Previous Mission:Mars 1960A
Next Mission:Sputnik 22

Mars 1M No.2, designated Mars 1960B by NASA analysts and dubbed Marsnik 2 by the Western media, was a spacecraft launched as part of the Soviet Union's Mars programme, which was lost in a launch failure in 1960.[1] 1M No.2, which was intended to explore Mars from flyby trajectory, was destroyed after its Molniya carrier rocket failed to achieve orbit.[2] [3]

Launch

Mars 1M No.2 was the second Mars 1M spacecraft to be launched, lifting off four days after its sister craft, Mars 1M No.1, had been lost during the Molniya 8K78 rocket's maiden flight. 1M No.2 was carried by another Molniya, which had the serial number L1-5M. The launch took place from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, with liftoff occurring at 13:51:03 UTC on 14 October 1960.[4]

During preparations for the launch, an oxidiser leak in the second stage caused liquid oxygen, at cryogenic temperature, to spill around the engine's fuel inlet valve. This froze the stage's RP-1 propellant, leaving the engine unable to ignite. As a result, the spacecraft failed to achieve Earth orbit.[5]

Scientific Instruments

The spacecraft carried three scientific instruments in order to investigate Mars.[6] They are as follows

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Russia's unmanned missions to Mars. RussianSpaceWeb. Anatoly. Zak. 26 October 2013.
  2. Web site: Mars 1M. Gunter. Krebs. Gunter's Space Page. 26 October 2013.
  3. Encyclopedia: Mars 1M. https://web.archive.org/web/20020821172509/http://astronautix.com/craft/mars1m.htm. dead. August 21, 2002. Mark. Wade. Encyclopedia Astronautica. 26 October 2013.
  4. Web site: Launch Log. Jonathan. McDowelll. Jonathan's Space Page. 26 October 2013.
  5. Web site: The beginnings of planetary exploration. Andrew J.. LePage. 11 October 2010. 26 October 2013.
  6. Siddiqi, A. A., & Launius, R. (2002). Deep Space Chronicle: A Chronology of Deep Space and Planetary Probes 1958-2000.