Engineering Means Engineering Means having to deal with having to deal with

failurefailure

Missions to Mars as an Missions to Mars as an example of try, try, try example of try, try, try

again…again…

Launch (Mariner 4): November 28, 1964Flyby (Mariner 4): July 14, 1965Mass: 261 kilograms (575 pounds)NASA built 10 of the Mariners between 1962 and 1973

Science instruments: Camera with digital tape recorder (about 20 pictures), instruments studying cosmic dust, solar plasma, trapped radiation, cosmic rays, magnetic fields, radio occultation and celestial mechanics

Flyby missionsFlyby missions

Orbiters (and landers)Orbiters (and landers)

Launch (Mariner 9): May 30, 1971Arrival (Mariner 9): November 13, 1971Mass: 998 kilograms (2,200 pounds)Science instruments: Wide- and narrow-angle cameras with digital tape recorder, infrared spectrometer and radiometer, ultraviolet spectrometer, radio occultation and celestial mechanics instruments

Mariner 9 was the first successful satelliteTo orbit mars

Launch: August 20, 1975 (Viking 1); September 9, 1975 (Viking 2)Arrival: June 19, 1976 (Viking 1); August 7, 1976 (Viking 2)Mass: 2,325 kilograms (5,125 pounds) with fuelScience instruments: High-resolution Camera, Atmospheric Water-vapor Mapper, Surface Heat Mapper, Occultation Experiment

LandersLandersViking 1 and 2 (1975-76)Viking 1 and 2 (1975-76)

2001 Mars Odyssey2001 Mars Odyssey

Launch: April 7, 2001Arrival: October 24, 2001Mass: 758 kilograms (1,671 pounds), fueledScience instruments: Thermal Emission maging System (THEMIS), Gamma Ray pectrometer (GRS), Mars Radiation Environment Experiment (MARIE)

2003 Mars Exploration 2003 Mars Exploration RoversRovers

Launch: June-July 2003Arrival: January 2004Science instruments: Panoramic Camera, Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, Mössbauer Spectrometer, Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, Microscopic Imager

Launch: June-July 2003Arrival: January 2004Science instruments: Panoramic Camera, Miniature Thermal Emission Spectrometer, Mössbauer Spectrometer, Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer, Microscopic Imager

List of missions to MarsList of missions to MarsMissionMission CountryCountry Launch Launch

DatDatee

PurposePurpose ResultsResults

[Unnamed][Unnamed] USSRUSSR 10/10/6010/10/60 Mars flybyMars flyby did not reach Earth orbitdid not reach Earth orbit

[Unnamed][Unnamed] USSRUSSR 10/14/6010/14/60 Mars flybyMars flyby did not reach Earth orbitdid not reach Earth orbit

[Unnamed][Unnamed] USSRUSSR 10/24/6210/24/62 Mars flybyMars flyby achieved Earth orbit onlyachieved Earth orbit only

Mars 1Mars 1 USSRUSSR 11/1/6211/1/62 Mars flybyMars flyby radio failed at 65.9 million miles (106 radio failed at 65.9 million miles (106 million km)million km)

[Unnamed][Unnamed] USSRUSSR 11/4/6211/4/62 Mars flybyMars flyby achieved Earth orbit onlyachieved Earth orbit only

Mariner 3Mariner 3 U.S.U.S. 11/5/6411/5/64 Mars flybyMars flyby shroud failed to jettisonshroud failed to jettison

Mariner 4Mariner 4 U.S.U.S. 11/28/6411/28/64 first successful Mars flyby first successful Mars flyby 7/14/657/14/65

returned 21 photosreturned 21 photos

Zond 2Zond 2 USSRUSSR 11/30/6411/30/64 Mars flybyMars flyby passed Mars but radio failed, returned no passed Mars but radio failed, returned no planetary dataplanetary data

Mariner 6Mariner 6 U.S.U.S. 2/24/692/24/69 Mars flyby 7/31/69Mars flyby 7/31/69 returned 75 photosreturned 75 photos

Mariner 7Mariner 7 U.S.U.S. 3/27/693/27/69 Mars flyby 8/5/69Mars flyby 8/5/69 returned 126 photosreturned 126 photos

Mariner 8Mariner 8 U.S.U.S. 5/8/715/8/71 Mars orbiterMars orbiter failed during launchfailed during launch

Kosmos 419Kosmos 419 USSRUSSR 5/10/715/10/71 Mars landerMars lander achieved Earth orbit onlyachieved Earth orbit only

Mars 2Mars 2 USSRUSSR 5/19/715/19/71 Mars orbiter/lander arrived Mars orbiter/lander arrived 11/27/7111/27/71

no useful data, lander destroyedno useful data, lander destroyed

Mars 3Mars 3 USSRUSSR 5/28/715/28/71 Mars orbiter/lander, arrived Mars orbiter/lander, arrived 12/3/7112/3/71

some data and few photossome data and few photos

Mariner 9Mariner 9 U.S.U.S. 5/30/715/30/71 Mars orbiter, in orbit 11/13/71 Mars orbiter, in orbit 11/13/71 to 10/27/72to 10/27/72

returned 7,329 photosreturned 7,329 photos

Mars 4Mars 4 USSRUSSR 7/21/737/21/73 failed Mars orbiterfailed Mars orbiter flew past Mars 2/10/74flew past Mars 2/10/74

Mars 5Mars 5 USSRUSSR 7/25/737/25/73 Mars orbiter, arrived 2/12/74Mars orbiter, arrived 2/12/74 lasted a few dayslasted a few days

Mars 6Mars 6 USSRUSSR 8/5/738/5/73 Mars orbiter/lander, arrived 3/12/74Mars orbiter/lander, arrived 3/12/74 little data returnlittle data return

Mars 7Mars 7 USSRUSSR 8/9/738/9/73 Mars orbiter/lander, arrived 3/9/74Mars orbiter/lander, arrived 3/9/74 little data returnlittle data return

Viking 1Viking 1 U.S.U.S. 8/20/758/20/75 Mars orbiter/lander, orbit Mars orbiter/lander, orbit 6/19/76-1980, lander 7/20/76-6/19/76-1980, lander 7/20/76-19821982

Combined, the Viking orbiters and Combined, the Viking orbiters and landers returned 50,000+ photoslanders returned 50,000+ photos

Viking 2Viking 2 U.S.U.S. 9/9/759/9/75 Mars orbiter/lander, orbit Mars orbiter/lander, orbit 8/7/76-1987, lander 9/3/76-8/7/76-1987, lander 9/3/76-19801980

combined, the Viking orbiters and combined, the Viking orbiters and landers returned 50,000+ photoslanders returned 50,000+ photos

Phobos 1Phobos 1 USSRUSSR 7/7/887/7/88 Mars/Phobos orbiter/landerMars/Phobos orbiter/lander lost 8/88 en route to Marslost 8/88 en route to Mars

Phobos 2Phobos 2 USSRUSSR 7/12/887/12/88 Mars/Phobos orbiter/landerMars/Phobos orbiter/lander lost 3/89 near Phoboslost 3/89 near Phobos

Mars ObserverMars Observer U.S.U.S. 9/25/929/25/92 orbiterorbiter lost just before Mars arrival 8/21/93lost just before Mars arrival 8/21/93

Mars Global Mars Global SurveyorSurveyor

U.S.U.S. 11/7/9611/7/96 orbiter, arrived 9/12/97orbiter, arrived 9/12/97 currently conducting prime mission currently conducting prime mission of science mappingof science mapping

Mars 96Mars 96 RussiaRussia 11/16/9611/16/96 orbiter and landersorbiter and landers launch vehicle failedlaunch vehicle failed

Mars Mars PathfinderPathfinder

U.S.U.S. 12/4/9612/4/96 Mars lander and rover, landed Mars lander and rover, landed 7/4/977/4/97

last transmission 9/27/97last transmission 9/27/97

Nozomi Nozomi (Planet-B)(Planet-B)

JapanJapan 7/4/987/4/98 Mars orbiter, currently in orbit Mars orbiter, currently in orbit around the Sunaround the Sun

Mars arrival delayed to 12/03 due to Mars arrival delayed to 12/03 due to propulsion problempropulsion problem

Mars Climate Mars Climate OrbiterOrbiter

U.S.U.S. 12/11/9812/11/98 OrbiterOrbiter lost on arrival at Mars 9/23/99lost on arrival at Mars 9/23/99

Mars Polar Mars Polar Lander/Deep Lander/Deep Space 2Space 2

U.S.U.S. 1/3/991/3/99 lander/descent probes to explore lander/descent probes to explore Martian south poleMartian south pole

lost on arrival 12/3/99lost on arrival 12/3/99

Mars Mars OdysseyOdyssey

U.S.U.S. 4/7/014/7/01 OrbiterOrbiter currently conducting prime mission currently conducting prime mission of science mappingof science mapping

Missions to Mars, continued.Missions to Mars, continued.

Success rate of all missions (to Success rate of all missions (to 2004)2004)

30 missions30 missions 3 countries (US, USSR/Russia, Japan)3 countries (US, USSR/Russia, Japan) 12 successful missions12 successful missions 38% success38% success 68% failure (and more that were 68% failure (and more that were

successful, but failed to complete all successful, but failed to complete all of their mission)of their mission)

What did they have?What did they have?

Ph.D. (doctors of science)Ph.D. (doctors of science) The best engineers in the worldThe best engineers in the world A lot of $$$A lot of $$$ Governmental supportGovernmental support Decades of work going into some of Decades of work going into some of

the missionsthe missions

So if you don’t feel like you are being So if you don’t feel like you are being successful, just remember that we successful, just remember that we aren’t NASA or the European Space aren’t NASA or the European Space AgencyAgency

We are building with toys (LEGO)We are building with toys (LEGO) We are brand new at this (whereas a We are brand new at this (whereas a

doctor of science will have gone to doctor of science will have gone to college for at least 8 years.college for at least 8 years.