Mars 3 was an unmanned space probe of the Soviet Mars program which spanned between 1960 and 1973. Mars 3 was launched nine days after its twin spacecraft Mars 2. Both probes were identical spacecraft, each consisting of an orbiter and an attached lander. After Mars 2 crash-landed on the martian surface, Mars 3 lander became the first spacecraft to attain soft landing on Mars. Both probes were launched by Proton-K rockets with Blok D upper stages.
- Launch Date/Time:
- Mars 3: May 28, 1971 at 15:26:30 UTC
- Launch mass (including fuel):
- Combined: 4,650 kg (10,300 lb)
- Orbiter: 3,440 kg (7,600 lb)
- Lander: 1,210 kg (2,700 lb)
- On-orbit dry mass: 2,265 kg (4,990 lb)
- Dimensions: 4.1 m (13.5 ft) tall, 2 m (6.6 ft) across (5.9 m (19.4 ft) across with solar panels deployed)
Famous quotes containing the word mars:
“Human beings will be happier—not when they cure cancer or get to Mars or eliminate racial prejudice or flush Lake Erie but when they find ways to inhabit primitive communities again. That’s my utopia.”
—Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (b. 1922)