Mars 3
| Mission type | Mars orbiter/lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | Soviet space program |
| COSPAR ID | 1971-049A 1971-049F |
| SATCAT no. | 5252 5667 |
| Mission duration | Orbiter: 1 year, 2 months and 25 days Lander: 1 minute and 50 seconds |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 4M No.172 |
| Manufacturer | OKB-1 |
| Launch mass | Total: 4,650 kg (10,250 lb) Orbiter: 3,440 kg (7,580 lb) Lander: 1,210 kg (2,670 lb) |
| Landing mass | 358 kg (789 lb) |
| Dry mass | 2,265 kg (4,993 lb) |
| Dimensions | 4.1 × 2.0 × 5.9 m (13.5 × 6.6 × 19.4 ft) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 28 May 1971, 15:26:30 UTC |
| Rocket | Proton-K/D |
| Launch site | Baikonur 81/23 |
| Contractor | Khrunichev |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Declared | August 22, 1972 |
| Last contact | Orbiter: July 1972 Lander: 2 December 1971, 13:53:50 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Periareion altitude | 1,528 km (949 mi) |
| Apoareion altitude | 214,500 km (133,300 mi) |
| Inclination | 60° |
| Period | 12.67 days |
| Mars orbiter | |
| Orbital insertion | December 2, 1971 |
| Mars lander | |
| Landing date | December 2, 1971 13:52 UTC |
| Landing site | 45°02′40″S 202°01′09″E / 45.0445°S 202.0193°E |
Mars 3 (lander) stamp | |
Mars 3 was a robotic space probe of the Soviet Mars program, launched May 28, 1971, nine days after its twin spacecraft Mars 2. The probes were identical robotic spacecraft launched by Proton-K rockets with a Blok D upper stage, each consisting of an orbiter and an attached lander.
After the Mars 2 lander crashed on the Martian surface, the Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to attain a soft landing on Mars, on December 2, 1971. However, it failed 110 seconds after landing, having transmitted only a gray image with no details. The Mars 2 orbiter and Mars 3 orbiter continued to circle Mars and transmit images back to Earth for another eight months.