Mars 1M No.1

1M No.1

A Mars 1M spacecraft
Mission type	Mars flyby
Mission duration	Failed to orbit
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Mars 1M
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	650 kilograms (1,430 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	10 October 1960, 14:27:49 UTC
Rocket	Molniya
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5

Mars 1M No.1, designated Mars 1960A by NASA analysts and dubbed Marsnik 1 by the Western media, was the first spacecraft launched as part of the Soviet Union's Mars programme.^[1] A Mars 1M spacecraft, it was intended to conduct a flyby of Mars, however it was lost in a launch failure before it could begin its mission.^[2][3]

Launch

Mars 1M No.1 was the payload of the Molniya 8K78 rocket's maiden flight. The rocket, which had serial number L1-4M, was a new derivative of the R-7 series, with a Blok-I third stage replacing the Blok-E used on the Vostok, and a new Blok-L fourth stage. The vehicle lifted off from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 14:27:49 UTC on 10 October 1960.^[4]

During second stage flight, vibrations resonating in the third stage damaged the rocket's attitude control system. As a result of this damage, the rocket went off course during third stage flight and the engines cut out five minutes and nine seconds after liftoff. The spacecraft failed to achieve orbit, with debris falling over Siberia.^[5]

See also

• List of missions to Mars

References

1. Zak, Anatoly. "Russia's unmanned missions to Mars". RussianSpaceWeb. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
2. Krebs, Gunter. "Mars 1M". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
3. Wade, Mark. "Mars 1M". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
4. McDowelll, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
5. LePage, Andrew J. (11 October 2010). "The beginnings of planetary exploration". Retrieved 26 October 2013.