BRIEF

HISTORY
OF
MARS
MISSIONS
SPACE AGENCIES AND MARS MISSIONS
• Since the first successful flyby by Mariner 4 in 1965, 4 space
agencies have successfully made it to Mars.
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Former Soviet Union Space Program (ROSCOSMOS)
• European Space Agency (ESA).
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
• Japanese and Chinese Space Agencies have tried but were
unsuccessful.
• Chinese Yinghuo-1 (in 2011) on a joint mission with Russia.
• The Mars explorer Nozomi (in 1998) by Japanese Aerospace
Exploration Agency (JAXA).
BEFORE SUCCESS
• October 10, 1960 – Marsnik 1/ Mars 1M No. 1 (Union of
Soviet Socialist Republics).
• October 14, 1960 – Marsnik 2/ Mars 1M No. 2 (USSR).
• October 24, 1962 – Sputnik 22 (USSR).
• November 1, 1962 – Mars 1 (USSR).
• November 4, 1962 – Sputnik 24 (USSR).
• November 5, 1964 – Mariner 3 (U.S.)
• Soviet Union were leading the race to Mars, while the U.S.
only came into the picture 4 years after USSR had launched
Marsnik 1.
MARS 1M SERIES
• It was a series of 2 unmanned spacecrafts used in the
first Soviet missions to explore Mars.
• Mars 1M No.1 (Marsnik 1/ Mars 1960A/ Korabl 4) was
launched on October 10, 1960.
• Mars 1M No.2 (Marsnik 2/ Mars 1960B/ Korabl 5) was
launched on October 14, 1960.
• Both spacecrafts were launched by Molniya rockets.
• Both were destroyed during launch, while Marsnik 2
achieved an altitude of 120 km before re-entry.
• It is a portmanteau of ‘Mars’ and ‘Sputnik’.
MARS 1M SPACECRAFT

Image credits – space.skyrocket.de

MARS 2MV-4 No.1 (SPUTNIK 22)
• Launched on October 24, 1962 – intended for a Mars flyby.
• Destroyed in a Low Earth Orbit (rocket problem).
• Instruments carried by the spacecraft were a Magnetometer and
an Imaging system.
• The launch had occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

MARS 2MV-3 No.1 (SPUTNIK 24)

• It was launched on November 4, 1962 and was intended to land
on Mars.
• Both were launched by Molniya 8K78.
• Failed to depart Low Earth Orbit due to problem with rocket.
MARS 1
• Also known as 1962 Beta Nu 1 or Sputnik 23.
• Launched by Molniya 8K78, on November 1st, 1962.
• Communications ceased on 21st March 1963, when the spacecraft was at
a distance of 106,760,000 km from the Earth.

MARINER 3
• It was launched on November 5, 1964 for an intended Mars flyby.
• Launched by Atlas LV-3 Agena-D rocket, from Cape Canaveral LC-13
site (Florida).
• Designed and built by JPL for NASA’S Mariner-Mars 1964 project.
• U.S. entered the Mars race with Mariner 3 (Mariner 1 and 2 were
intended for Venus flyby)
MARINER 4
• It was launched on November 28, 1964 by Atlas LV-3 Agena-D rocket.
• Designed to conduct closeup scientific observations of Mars and to
transmit these observations to Earth.
• It transmitted back 21 pictures.
• Its closest approach was 9,846 km from the Martian surface at
01:00:57 UT July 15, 1965 (8:00:57 p.m. EST July 14).
• November 28 is Red Planet Day, which commemorates the 1964
launch of Mariner 4 spacecraft.
• On December 21, 1967 communications with Mariner 4 were
terminated.
Image credits : NASA / JPL - Caltech
SPACECRAFT AND SUBSYSTEMS
The scientific instruments included:
• Helium Magnetometer
• Ionization chamber/ Geiger counter
• Trapped Radiation detector
• Cosmic ray telescope
• Solar plasma probe
• Cosmic dust detector
• Television camera
• Radio occultation
The electric power for instruments and radio transmitter was
supplied by 28,224 solar cells contained in four 176 x 90 cm
solar panels which could provide 310 watts of power.
THE FIRST CLOSE-UP IMAGE EVER TAKEN OF MARS
This shows an area about 330 km across by 1200 km from limb to bottom of frame, centered at
37 N, 187 W.
The area is near the boundary of Elysium Planitia to the west and Arcadia Planitia to the east.

Image credits : nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov

RESULTS
• Total data returned was 5.2 million bits (634 kB).
• Images returned showed a Moon-like cratered
terrain.
• A surface atmospheric pressure of 4.1 to
7.0 mbars (410 to 700 Pa) and daytime temperatures
of −100 degrees C were estimated.
• No Martian radiation belts or Magnetic field was
detected.
• The total cost of the Mariner 4 mission is estimated
at $83.2 million. 
MARINER 6 & 7
• Mariner 6 (Mariner Mars 69A) and Mariner 7 (Mariner Mars
69B) completed first dual mission to Mars in 1969.
• Mariner 6 was launched on February 25,1969, from Launch
Complex 36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
• Mariner 7 was launched on March 27, 1969, from Launch
Complex 36A at Cape Kennedy.
• In total 201 photos were taken and transmitted back to Earth.
• Both crafts also studied the atmosphere of Mars.
• Launched a week after the Apollo 11.
COMPOSITE OF PHOTOS OF MARS
TAKEN FROM MARINER 6 AND 7

Image credits : NASA / JPL

MARS 2 & MARS 3
• Both missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an
orbiter and an attached lander.
• Mars 2 was launched on May 19th, 1971 and arrived on
November 2nd .
• The Mars 2 lander crashed on the surface and was no longer
operable. 
• Mars 3 was launched on May 28th, 1971 and arrived on Mars on
3rd December the same year.
• The lander worked for only a few seconds but the orbiter
worked successfully.
MARINER 9
• Unmanned space probe which was launched on May 30th, 1971.
• It reached Mars on November 14, 1971.
• It arrived on Mars when the entire planet was engulfed by a huge
dust storm.
• Mariner 9 returned 7329 images over the course of its mission,
which concluded in October 1972.
• Mariner 9 was designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun
by Mariner 6 and 7. 
• After depleting its supply of attitude control gas, the spacecraft
was turned off on October 27, 1972.
INSTRUMENTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS
• Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS)
• InfraRed Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS)
• S-Band Occultation
• Infrared Radiometer (IRR)
• Visual Imaging System (Mariner 9 achieved a resolution of 98 m
per pixel)
• The images revealed river beds, craters, massive extinct volcanoes (such
as Olympus Mons), canyons evidence of wind and water erosion and
deposition, weather fronts, fogs, and more.
• The enormous Valles Marineris canyon system is named after Mariner 9
in honor of its achievements. 
• Mars' small moons, Phobos and Deimos, were also photographed.
Valles Marineris, seen at an angle of 45 degrees to the surface
in near-true color and with four times vertical exaggeration.
The image covers an area of 630 000 sq km with a ground
resolution of 100 m per pixel. 

Image credits : space.com

1970-1980: LANDINGS ON MARS
• July 21, 1973: Mars 4 (USSR) launched and then flew by
Mars on Feb. 10, 1974.
• July 25, 1973: Mars 5 (USSR) launched and settled into orbit
around Mars on Feb. 12, 1974, but lasted only a few days.
• Aug. 5, 1973: Mars 6 (USSR) launched with a flyby module
and lander that arrived at the Red Planet on March 3, 1974,
but the lander was destroyed upon impact.
• Aug. 9, 1973: Mars 7 (USSR) launched again with a flyby
module and lander, and arrived at the Red Planet on March 3,
1974, but the lander missed the planet.
VIKINGS 1 & 2
• Viking 1 was launched on August 20, 1975 and Viking 2 was launched on
September 9, 1975
• Composed of an orbiter and a lander (designed to study the planet from the
surface)
• Viking 1 entered Mars orbit on June 19, 1976 while Viking 2 entered on
August 7, 1976
• The Viking 1 lander touched down on the surface of Mars on July 20,
1976, joined by the Viking 2 lander on September 3
• Viking 1 orbiter was retired on August 17, 1980 while its lander was retired
on November 13, 1982
• Viking 2 orbiter was retired on July 25, 1978 and the lander was retired on
April 11, 1980
 This global
view of Mars
is composed of
about 100
Viking Orbiter
images

Image credits : NASA/ JPL

Image credits : NASA/ JPL
LATER MISSIONS
• Soviet Union launched 2 unmanned spacecrafts –
Phobos 1 and Phobos 2 – to study Mars and both of its
moons.
• Phobos 1 was launched on 7 July, 1988 and Phobos 2
was launched on 12 July, 1988
• Both missions failed
• NASA launched its ‘Mars Observer’ on September 25,
1992
• Spacecraft lost communication on August 21, 1993
• It cost an estimated $813 million which led to the FBC
Program
MARS GLOBAL SURVEYOR (MGS)
• Launched on 7 November, 1996
Five scientific instruments flew aboard Mars Global
Surveyor:
• The Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC)
• The Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)
• The Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES)
• A magnetometer and electron reflectometer (MAG/ER)
• The Ultra stable Oscillator (USO/RS)
NASA officially ended the mission on January 2007
MARS PATHFINDER
• Launched on December 4, 1996
• It landed on July 4, 1997 on Ares Vallis, in a region
called Chryse Planitia in the Oxia Palus quadrangle
• Lander renamed as Carl Sagan Memorial Station
• Rover named Sojourner (first to operate outside
Earth – Moon system)

Image credits : NASA/JPL

2001 MARS ODYSSEY
• The mission was named as a tribute to Arthur C. Clarke, evoking the
name of 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Odyssey was launched April 7, 2001, on a Delta II rocket from Cape
Canaveral Air Force Station
• It reached Mars orbit on October 24, 2001
• By December 15, 2010, it broke the record for longest serving spacecraft
at Mars, with 3,340 days of operation.
• Currently in a polar orbit around Mars with a semi-major axis of about
3800 km.
The three primary instruments Odyssey uses are the:
• Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS)
• Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS)
• Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE).
MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS
• Spirit (MER-A) was launched on 10th June, 2003 and landed on Gusev
site on 3rd January 2004
• Opportunity (MER-B) was launched on 7th July, 2003 and landed on
Meridiani site on 24th Jan 2004
• Spirit died in a sand dune in March 2010
• Opportunity was active until June 2018 and NASA declared the mission
over in early 2019
• Opportunity holds the record for the longest distance driven by any off-
Earth wheeled vehicle.
• Named through a student-essay competition – winning entry was by 3 rd
grade Russian-American student – Sofi Collis (aged 9)
Above photo is a panorama
(PANCAM) of a ridge called
‘Rocheport’ which is located on the
western rim of Mars’ Endeavour
crater.

The photo to the right is the snapshot

of Opportunity’s shadow taken by the
rover’s front hazard-avoidance
camera. This image was taken on sol
180 (July 26, 2004) a date that marks
achievement of fully double the rover's
primary 90-sol mission.

Image credits : NASA / JPL - Caltech

MARS EXPRESS
• So called because of the rapid and streamlined development time
• ESA’s first visit to another planet in our Solar System
• Launched on 2nd June, 2003 and in orbit around Mars on 25th Dec. 2003

Artist’s illustration of Mars Express ; Image credits : European Space Agency

RECONNAISSANCE ORBITER
• Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was launched on Aug
12, 2005
• Attained Martian orbit on March 10, 2006
• HiRISE – High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment
Camera (0.5 m reflecting telescope) collects images in three
color bands, 400 to 600 nm (B-G), 550 to 850 nm (R) and
800 to 1,000 nm (NIR)
• CRISM – Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer
for Mars is a visible and VNIR spectrometer with resolution
of 18 m at altitude of 300 km
• SHARAD – Shallow Sub-surface Radar designed to probe
internal structure of Martian polar ice caps 
• The Context Camera (CTX)
provides grayscale images (500 to
800 nm) with a pixel resolution up
to about 6 m.
• The Mars Color Imager (MARCI)
is a wide-angle, relatively low-
resolution camera that views the
surface of Mars in five visible and
two ultraviolet bands.
• The Mars Climate Sounder (MCS)
– It is a spectrometer with one
visible/near infrared channel (0.3
to 3.0 μm) and eight far
infrared (12 to 50 μm) channels.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance

Orbiter passes above a portion of the
planet called Nilosyrtis Mensae in
this artist's concept illustration

Image credits : NASA/JPL

PHOENIX MARS LANDER
• It was launched on Aug 4, 2007 and arrived on Mars on 25th
May, 2008
• Discoveries include finding water beneath the surface.
• Solar panel were damaged during winter and was declared
dead in May 2010

Image credits : NASA / JPL

FOBOS – GRUNT MISSION
• Attempted Russian sample return mission to Phobos.
• Carried Chinese Mars orbiter ‘Yinghuo-1’
• Launched on November 9, 2011 but failed to leave LEO and
fell back in the Pacific ocean in 2012

Image credits : Space.skyrocket.de

CURIOSITY ROVER
• Launched on November 26, 2011 and landed on Aeolis Palus (inside Gale
crater) on Aug 6, 2012
• ChemCam fires a laser and analyses the elemental composition of vaporized
materials
• Uploaded Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS)
– AI
• Major findings include detecting methane on surface and finding organic
compounds
• Contains autograph of Clara Ma, 12 year old student from Kansas
• On August 6, 2013, Curiosity audibly played "Happy Birthday to You", the
first time for a song to be played on another planet.
• As reported in 2018, drill samples taken in 2015 uncovered organic molecules
of benzene and propane in 3 billion year old rock samples in Gale
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took this selfie
on May 12, 2019 (the 2,405th Martian day, or
sol, of the mission).
To the lower-left of the rover are its two
recent drill holes, at targets called "Aberlady"
and "Kilmarie."
These are Curiosity's 20th and 21st drill sites.

Image credits : NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The methane signal has

been observed for
nearly three Martian
years (nearly six Earth
years), peaking each
summer.

Image credits : NASA /

JPL - Caltech
MAVEN
• Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft was
launched on November 18, 2013
• On September 22, 2014, MAVEN reached Mars and was inserted into
an elliptic orbit of 6,200 km
• Data from the MAVEN orbiter published in 2015 confirmed that
the solar wind is responsible for stripping away the atmosphere

Artist’s conception of MAVEN’s Imaging UltraViolet Spectrograph (IUVS) observing the

“Christmas Lights Aurora" on Mars
MARS ORBITER MISSION
• Launched on 5th November 2013 and entered Martian orbit on 24th
September 2014
• Launched by PSLV-XL C25 from Satish Dhawan Space Center
(Sriharikota Range SHAR)
• Total costs were approximately 450 crore rupees (73 million U.S.
dollars) – cheapest
• An illustration of the MOM spacecraft is featured on the reverse of
the ₹2,000 note of India

Image credits : isro.gov.in

INSTRUMENTS USED
• Lyman-Alpha Photometer (LAP) -  Measuring the deuterium/hydrogen
ratio will allow an estimation of the amount of water loss to outer space.
• Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) – had a design flaw and repurposed as
albedo mapper.
• Mars Exospheric Neutral Composition Analyser (MENCA) - analysing
the neutral composition of particles in the range of 1–300 amu (atomic
mass unit) with unit mass resolution.
• Thermal Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (TIS) – can map surface
composition and minerology.
• Mars Color Camera (MCC) - useful to monitor the dynamic events and
weather of Mars like dust storms/atmospheric turbidity.
MARS InSight
• Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy
and Heat Transport (InSight)
• Launched on 5th May 2018 and landed on Elysium Planitia
on 26th November 2018
• Place a seismometer (SEIS) on surface of Mars to measure
seismic activity
• Measure internal heat flow using a heat probe (HP3)to
study Mars' early geological evolution
• Seismic Experiment for Internal Structure (SEIS) recorded
the sounds of Martian winds (first time)
INSIGHT DETECTS FIRST LIKELY ‘MARSQUAKE’

It was recorded on 6th April 2019, the lander's 128th Martian day, or sol
Three other seismic signals occurred on March 14 (Sol 105), April 10 (Sol 132)
and April 11 (Sol 133)

Image credits : NASA/ Mars InSight Mission

ExoMars PROGRAM
• Exobiology on Mars (ExoMars) is a 2 part astrobiology project – joint
effort of ESA and ROSCOSMOS
• First part launched on 14th March 2016 – Trace Gas Orbiter (19th Oct.
2016) and Schiaparelli EDM lander (crashed)
• Second part is planned to launch in July 2020 – Kazachok lander and
Rosalind Franklin rover

Exomars 2016 team members in front of the spacecraft at Baikonur

Cosmodrome
SPACEX
• Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) – has developed
Falcon Launch vehicle family and Dragon spacecraft family
• First privately funded liquid-propellant rocket to reach orbit (Falcon
1 in 2008)
• First private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a
spacecraft (Dragon in 2010)
• First private company to send a spacecraft to the ISS (Dragon in 2012)
• First propulsive landing for an orbital rocket (Falcon 9 in 2015)
• First reuse of an orbital rocket (Falcon 9 in 2017)
• First private company to launch an object into orbit around the
sun (Falcon Heavy's payload of a Tesla Roadster in 2018)
COLONIZATION OF MARS
• SpaceX’s goal is to land the first humans on Mars by 2024
• Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) has 2 stages – Super Heavy and
Starship

Image credits : SpaceX

FUTURE MISSIONS TO MARS
• Hope Mars Mission (2020) – U.A.E.
• ExoMars 2020 Mission – Rosalind Franklin Rover (ESA and
ROSCOSMOS)
• Mars Global Remote Sensing Orbiter, Lander, and small Rover, 2020
– China’s National Space Science Center
• Mars Terahertz Microsatellite, 2020 - Joint venture of Japan’s
National Institute Of Information And Communications Technology
(NICT), and the University Of Tokyo Intelligent Space Systems
Laboratory (ISSL)
• Mangalyaan 2 (Mars Orbiter Mission 2), 2022 - ISRO
• Martian Moons Exploration (MMX), 2024 - JAXA
REFERNCES
• A Brief History of Mars Missions -
https://www.space.com/13558-historic-mars-missions.html
• Mariner 9 : First Spacecraft to orbit Mars -
https://www.space.com/18439-mariner-9.html
• Missions Vikings 1 and 2 - https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/past/viking.html
• Curiosity’s Methane Mystery Continues -
https://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/past/viking.html
• Marsquake! NASA's InSight Lander Feels Its 1st Red Planet Tremor -
https://www.space.com/insight-mars-lander-first-marsquake.html
• Mars Express - http://sci.esa.int/mars-express/
• Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) -
https://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c25-mars-orbiter-mission
• ExoMars: Searching for Life on Mars -
https://www.space.com/34664-exomars-facts.html
• Mission to Mars - https://www.spacex.com/mars