Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Mars 2M No.522
open-in-new
<h2 id="launch">Launch</h2> <p>Mars 2M No.522 was launched at 10:33:00 UTC on 2 April 1969 atop a Proton-K 8K78K <a href="/facts/Carrier_rocket/g1GCGFJB">carrier rocket</a> with a <a href="/facts/Block_D/k5C7arlB">Block D</a> upper stage, flying from Baikonur Cosmodrome Site 81/24.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> One of the first stage engines caught fire almost immediately at liftoff. The remaining engines managed to compensate for about 30 seconds of flight, but the thrust section fire eventually resulted in loss of control.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> The engines shut down, and the rocket fell back to Earth and exploded 41 seconds after ignition.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="scientific-instruments">Scientific instruments</h2> <p>Scientific instruments on the spacecraft were:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Radiometer</li> <li>Ultraviolet spectrometer</li> <li>Instrument to measure water vapor levels</li> <li>Radiation detector</li> <li>Gamma spectrometer</li> <li>Hydrogen mass spectrometer</li> <li>Helium mass spectrometer</li> <li>Spectrometer</li> <li>Low-energy ion spectrometer</li> <li>Imaging system (three on board cameras)</li></ul> <h2 id="post-accident-effect">Post-accident effect</h2> <p>Following the crash of the <i>Mars 2M No.522</i> launch vehicle, the wind spread toxic <a href="/facts/Propellant/K88ymXRy">propellant</a> back across the launch complex, which made the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch complex unusable until rain washed the toxic residuals away. Launch personnel were trapped and unable to leave the cosmodrome as a pool of spilled nitrogen tetroxide was blocking one of the entryways out, while other entryway was blocked by the still-intact second stage of the rocket. By the time this had happened, the alignment of Earth and Mars necessary to launch spacecraft had ended, and the Soviets were unable to launch any further Mars probes until 1971. It also resulted in delays to a number of <a href="/facts/Luna_programme/9zjH1plI">Luna</a> spacecraft scheduled for launch in 1969.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> The accident left a deep impression on Soviet military personnel attending the launch and helped spur the development of next-generation ballistic missiles with safer solid propellants. </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Spaceflight portal</li><li>Solar System portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/List_of_missions_to_Mars/7xjP0Wf5">List of missions to Mars</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://athena.cornell.edu/mars_facts/past_missions_60s.html">Cornell University's Mars Missions page</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131013211415/http://burro.astr.cwru.edu/stu/advanced/20th_soviet_mars.html">The Soviet Mars program</a>, Professor Chris Mihos, Case Western Reserve University</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt" target="_blank">http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"Mars 1969B". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=MARS69B" target="_blank">https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=MARS69B</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Wade, Mark. "Mars M-69". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100908095255/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/marsm69.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20100908095255/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/marsm69.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt" target="_blank">http://planet4589.org/space/log/launchlog.txt</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Krebs, Gunter. "Mars M69 #1, #2". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/mars-69.htm" target="_blank">http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/mars-69.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Huntress, JR.; Wesley T. Soviet Robots in the Solar System Mission Technologies and Discoveries. ISBN 1283257661. OCLC 1058482743. <a href="1283257661" target="_blank">1283257661</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Wade, Mark. "Proton". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080913224630/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/proton.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080913224630/http://www.astronautix.com/lvs/proton.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Mars 1969B". NASA NSSDC. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=MARS69B" target="_blank">https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=MARS69B</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Siddiqi, Asif A. Deep space chronicle: a chronology of deep space and planetary probes, 1958–2000. OCLC 862770494. <a href="/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)" target="_blank">/wiki/OCLC_(identifier)</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Wade, Mark. "Mars M-69". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 27 July 2010. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20100908095255/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/marsm69.htm" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20100908095255/http://www.astronautix.com/craft/marsm69.htm</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>