Reading about the lost ships to mars

Ok yesterday I was reading about the lost rockets going to mars and how 3/4
do not make it.
BUT this to me is a really big BUT 1/2 of the number were early soviet
rockets that blew up on lift-off
or going into orbit. And 1/2 of ours were early in the space program. If you
start around say 1972
we started getting much better at getting the stuff up there.

Personal I think the early one should not count if it vaporizes on the pad.
Its a learning curve thing.


--
Hike High Mountain
Fish for Wild Trout

First of all the probes going to mars are NOT rockets, rockets are used to boost
the probes into space to put them on their way to their target, but they are not
inthemselves Rockets. Also a lot of things can go wrong at any point during the
trip or even the way down to the planet itself.


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

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"Mark" wrote in message
...
Ok yesterday I was reading about the lost rockets going to mars and how 3/4
do not make it.
BUT this to me is a really big BUT 1/2 of the number were early soviet
rockets that blew up on lift-off
or going into orbit. And 1/2 of ours were early in the space program. If you
start around say 1972
we started getting much better at getting the stuff up there.

Personal I think the early one should not count if it vaporizes on the pad.
Its a learning curve thing.


--
Hike High Mountain
Fish for Wild Trout




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First of all the probes going to mars are NOT rockets, rockets are used to boost
the probes into space to put them on their way to their target, but they are not
inthemselves Rockets. Also a lot of things can go wrong at any point during the
trip or even the way down to the planet itself.


--
"In this universe the night was falling,the shadows were lengthening
towards an east that would not know another dawn.
But elsewhere the stars were still young and the light of morning
lingered: and along the path he once had followed, man would one day go
again."

Arthur C. Clarke, The City & The Stars

SIAR
www.starlords.org
Freelance Writers Shop
http://www.freelancewrittersshop.netfirms.com
Telescope Buyers FAQ
http://home.inreach.com/starlord
Ad World
http://adworld.netfirms.com

"Mark" wrote in message
...
Ok yesterday I was reading about the lost rockets going to mars and how 3/4
do not make it.
BUT this to me is a really big BUT 1/2 of the number were early soviet
rockets that blew up on lift-off
or going into orbit. And 1/2 of ours were early in the space program. If you
start around say 1972
we started getting much better at getting the stuff up there.

Personal I think the early one should not count if it vaporizes on the pad.
Its a learning curve thing.


--
Hike High Mountain
Fish for Wild Trout




---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.554 / Virus Database: 346 - Release Date: 12/20/03

"Mark" wrote in message ...
Ok yesterday I was reading about the lost rockets going to mars and how 3/4
do not make it.
BUT this to me is a really big BUT 1/2 of the number were early soviet
rockets that blew up on lift-off
or going into orbit. And 1/2 of ours were early in the space program. If you
start around say 1972
we started getting much better at getting the stuff up there.

Personal I think the early one should not count if it vaporizes on the pad.
Its a learning curve thing.

OK, here is the score card for those spacecraft which left Earth
orbit:

USSR:
MARS-1: failed on its way to Mars.
ZOND-2: failed on its way to Mars
MARS-2: orbiter reached Mars orbit, lander "hard-landed" on Mars (in
Hellas) but returned no useful data. Orbiter arrived during major
dust storm so pre-programmed orbital images were of poor quality.
MARS-3: orbiter reached Mars orbit but lander "hard-landed" on Mars
(in Simois) and returned no useful data. Orbiter arrived during major
dust storm so pre-programmed images were of poor quality.
MARS-4: launched sucessfully but failed to go into orbit around Mars
(flew by).
MARS-5 spacecraft: reached Mars orbit and took only 70 images plus
some atmospheric and magnetic field data before its transmitter
failed.
MARS-6: Bus/lander launched sucessfully and lander bus flew by Mars,
dropping a lander capsule which hard-landed on Mars but returned no
useful data.
MARS-7: Bus/lander launched successfully and lander bus flew-by Mars.
Lander capsule released but missed Mars.
PHOBOS-1: failed on its way to Mars.
PHOBOS-2 achieved Mars orbit and approached the Martian moon Phobos,
but was lost due to computer failure.

US:
Mariner 4: Successful fly-by of Mars with first close-up images (21)
taken.
Mariner 6: Successful fly-by of Mars with 75 better quality images
taken.
Mariner 7: Successful fly-by of Mars with 126 better images taken.
Mariner 9: Successfully achieved Martian orbit, taking 7,329 images
and mapping most of the planet's surface at moderate resolution.
Viking-1: Successfully achieved Martian orbit. Lander achieved first
successful soft landing on Mars, returning surface images and data.
Orbiter mapped the surface at moderate to high resolution.
Viking-2: Successfully achieved Martian orbit. Lander achieved second
successful soft landing on Mars, returning surface images and data.
Orbiter mapped the surface at moderate to high resolution.
Mars Observer: Contact lost on approach to Mars.
Mars Pathfinder: Successful landing on Mars using airbag technology.
Deployed Sojourner rover for rock analysis and sent back high quality
images of the landscape around the landing site as well as weather
information.
Mars Global Surveyor: Successful orbit around Mars. Continues to take
very high resolution images and data.
Mars Climate Orbiter: failed due to navigation error which sent this
orbiter into the atmosphere of Mars.
Mars Polar Lander: failed during final powered descent to the surface.
Mars Odyssey: Successfully achieved Martian orbit and continues to
take images and data.

Clear skies to you.

David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

**********************************************
* Attend the 11th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY *
* July 18-23, 2004, Merritt Reservoir *
* http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org *
**********************************************

"Mark" wrote in message ...
Ok yesterday I was reading about the lost rockets going to mars and how 3/4
do not make it.
BUT this to me is a really big BUT 1/2 of the number were early soviet
rockets that blew up on lift-off
or going into orbit. And 1/2 of ours were early in the space program. If you
start around say 1972
we started getting much better at getting the stuff up there.

Personal I think the early one should not count if it vaporizes on the pad.
Its a learning curve thing.

OK, here is the score card for those spacecraft which left Earth
orbit:

USSR:
MARS-1: failed on its way to Mars.
ZOND-2: failed on its way to Mars
MARS-2: orbiter reached Mars orbit, lander "hard-landed" on Mars (in
Hellas) but returned no useful data. Orbiter arrived during major
dust storm so pre-programmed orbital images were of poor quality.
MARS-3: orbiter reached Mars orbit but lander "hard-landed" on Mars
(in Simois) and returned no useful data. Orbiter arrived during major
dust storm so pre-programmed images were of poor quality.
MARS-4: launched sucessfully but failed to go into orbit around Mars
(flew by).
MARS-5 spacecraft: reached Mars orbit and took only 70 images plus
some atmospheric and magnetic field data before its transmitter
failed.
MARS-6: Bus/lander launched sucessfully and lander bus flew by Mars,
dropping a lander capsule which hard-landed on Mars but returned no
useful data.
MARS-7: Bus/lander launched successfully and lander bus flew-by Mars.
Lander capsule released but missed Mars.
PHOBOS-1: failed on its way to Mars.
PHOBOS-2 achieved Mars orbit and approached the Martian moon Phobos,
but was lost due to computer failure.

US:
Mariner 4: Successful fly-by of Mars with first close-up images (21)
taken.
Mariner 6: Successful fly-by of Mars with 75 better quality images
taken.
Mariner 7: Successful fly-by of Mars with 126 better images taken.
Mariner 9: Successfully achieved Martian orbit, taking 7,329 images
and mapping most of the planet's surface at moderate resolution.
Viking-1: Successfully achieved Martian orbit. Lander achieved first
successful soft landing on Mars, returning surface images and data.
Orbiter mapped the surface at moderate to high resolution.
Viking-2: Successfully achieved Martian orbit. Lander achieved second
successful soft landing on Mars, returning surface images and data.
Orbiter mapped the surface at moderate to high resolution.
Mars Observer: Contact lost on approach to Mars.
Mars Pathfinder: Successful landing on Mars using airbag technology.
Deployed Sojourner rover for rock analysis and sent back high quality
images of the landscape around the landing site as well as weather
information.
Mars Global Surveyor: Successful orbit around Mars. Continues to take
very high resolution images and data.
Mars Climate Orbiter: failed due to navigation error which sent this
orbiter into the atmosphere of Mars.
Mars Polar Lander: failed during final powered descent to the surface.
Mars Odyssey: Successfully achieved Martian orbit and continues to
take images and data.

Clear skies to you.

David W. Knisely
Prairie Astronomy Club: http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org
Hyde Memorial Observatory: http://www.hydeobservatory.info/

**********************************************
* Attend the 11th Annual NEBRASKA STAR PARTY *
* July 18-23, 2004, Merritt Reservoir *
* http://www.NebraskaStarParty.org *
**********************************************