Planetary Exploration

Mariner

Planetary Exploration The Mariner spacecraft were the first American interplanetary explorers consisting of a series of dissimilar spacecraft designed to survey the terrestrial planets Venus and Mars Important mission were paired to provide redundancy for costly deep-space flights

Planetary Exploration The paired missions, 1/2, 3/4, 6/7 and 8/9 were launched approximately one month between pair members The solo Mariner missions were 5 and 10 All were flyby missions except for 8 and 9 Venus explorers 1, 2, 5, 10 (flyby to Mercury) Mars explorers 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 Single missions 5, 10 Dual missions 1/2, 3/4, 6/7, 8/9

Planetary Exploration Mariner spacecraft

Planetary Exploration Mariner 1 Mariner 1 was the first U.S. interplanetary mission that was to survey Venus survey spacecraft Launched unsuccessfully on an Atlas - Agena B launcher July 22, 1962

Planetary Exploration Mariner 2 Mariner 2, the second Venus surveyor, was the first successful interplanetary probe Launch was on an Atlas Agena B August 27, 1962 Passed 34,762 Km from Venus on 14 December, 1962 during a 109 day flight Same systems as Mariner 1

Planetary Exploration Mariner 3 - Mars surveyor The Mariner-Mars mission objectives were to study surface and atmosphere of Mars, measure the interplanetary space environment and obtain scientific and engineering experience in long-duration flights in space Mariner 3 was launched on an Atlas Agena D two stage launch system 5 November, 1964 Communications lost since shroud failed to deploy

Planetary Exploration Mariner 4 The second Mars surveyor, launched on an Atlas Agena D 28 November, 1964 Mars encounter was on 14 July 1965, passing 9844 km from surface Similar systems as Mariner 3, returning 22 pictures as planned on a 228 day flight

Planetary Exploration Mariner 5 A modified Mariner 4 spacecraft used in a Venus surveyor mission Launched 14 June, 1967 on an Atlas Agena D SLV-3 Venus encounter on 19 October, 1967, passing 4,000 Km from Venus on a 127 day flight

Planetary Exploration Mariner 6 Mariner 6 and 7 were also Mars surveyor mission spacecraft Mariner 6 was launched on an Atlas Centaur launch on 24 February, 1969 Mars encounter was on 31 July, 1969 passing within 3,100 km of surface

Planetary Exploration Mariner 7 The same spacecraft and mission as Mariner 6 with launch on 27 March, 1969, and Mars encounter on 5 August 1969 Mariner 8 Mars surveyor launched 8 May, 1971 on an Atlas Centaur, was destroyed on launch due to an instability in flight

Planetary Exploration Mariner 9 Mars surveyor - orbiter was launched on an Atlas Centaur on 30 May, 1971 with the Mars encounter on 13 November, 1971 The mission included 349 days in Mars orbit and was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet

Planetary Exploration Mariner 10 Mariner 10 was a unique and important Venus and Mercury surveyor project that was to be the only U.S. spacecraft to encounter Mercury until MESSENGER launched in 2005 Mariner 10 was launched on an Atlas Centaur SLV-3D/D1-A on 3 November, 1973

Planetary Exploration Mariner 10 Venus encounter was on 5 February, 1974, Mercury encounter was on 29 March, 1974 Mariner 10 was placed in permanent heliocentric orbit 24 March, 1975 First and only spacecraft to explore Mercury  (until MESSENGER) First spacecraft to use gravity assist propulsion (Venus) First spacecraft to use solar pressure to alter orbit, adding two additional Mercury encounters

Pioneer

Planetary Exploration The Pioneer spacecraft series, which began with lunar exploration missions, also included the Pioneer Venus spacecraft which flew missions to Venus as an orbiter and multiple descent probes Atmospheric and surface measurements were make and relayed to Earth through the Orbiter spacecraft Pioneer missions also included the Jovian mission Pioneers 10 and 11

Planetary Exploration The early Pioneer series were launched to explore the Earth environment and the Moon, but were all unsuccessful These early lunar Pioneers included: Pioneer 0 Pioneer 1 Pioneer 2 Pioneer 3 Pioneer 4 P-2 P-3 P-30 P-31

Planetary Exploration Pioneer Venus 1 Pioneer Venus spacecraft included an atmospheric probe and an orbiter Pioneer Venus 1 was an orbiter launched from Atlas Centaur on 20 May, 1978 and arrived 4 December, 1978 Radar images of surface provided the first high resolution data on the Venusian surface, although Earth-based radar mapped very large features including large mountains and the largest valleys

Planetary Exploration Pioneer Venus 2 The second Pioneer Venus spacecraft, the Multiprobe, was launched on 8 August, 1978, arriving on 9 December, 1978 The multiprobe made measurements of the atmosphere and clouds as it descended through the dense gas atmosphere on 9 December, 1978, then relayed surface values after impact

Planetary Exploration Pioneer Venus 2 This was the only surface landing on Venus by the U.S. Of the four probes and transporter bus, one probe survived impact and returned data for 67 minutes

Viking

Planetary Exploration Viking Viking 1 and 2 were modified Mariner spacecraft used for Mars landers and orbiters; the landers to soft-land on Mars and search for the presence of life The orbiter was to assist the lander to Mars and relay signal transmissions, to survey selected landing sites, to relay data to Earth and conduct orbital experiments The lander was to search for possibility of life on surface and determine surface and atmosphere conditions

Planetary Exploration Viking 1 Orbiter + Lander launched on Titan IIIE-Centaur system on August 20, 1975, arriving on 19 June, 1976 Experiments included: Orbiter Imaging Infrared Thermal Mapper (IRTM) Orbiter Radio Science Mars Atmospheric Water Detector (MAWD)

Planetary Exploration Viking 2 Orbiter + Lander launched September 9, 1975 on same launch system as Viking 1, with arrival on 7 August, 1976 Orbiter spacecraft main structure had to be enlarged and propulsion system thrust increased to allow Mars orbit insertion

Planetary Exploration Viking Lander biology experiments and results: 1. Pyrolytic (heat) release - Radioactive carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and water were added to soil sample to see if metabolism occurred - negative results. 2. Labeled release - Radioactive carbon solutions added to soil samples – negative results 3. Gas exchange - The "chicken soup" experiment that added radioactive nutrients to soil samples – negative results

Magellan

Planetary Exploration Magellan The Magellan spacecraft project was originally called the Venus Radar Mapper since the objective was to image and measure the Venusian surface with a synthetic aperture radar system Magellan was launched from STS 30 (Atlantis) on May 4, 1989, arriving at Venus on August 10, 1990 Radar mapping began 15 September, 1990 and was terminated October 12, 1994

Planetary Exploration Magellan’s radar images covered approximately 98% of the Venusian surface that excluded the polar caps The Magellan spacecraft was sent into the atmosphere of Venus on October 12, 1994 to avoid being a future collisional hazard

Planetary Exploration - Mars Past/current missions Launch schedule Objective Notes U.S. Mars Global Surveyor 7 November 1996 Orbiter Success U.S. Mars Pathfinder 4 December 1996 Lander / rover Success U.S. 2001 Mars Odyssey 7 April 2001 Orbiter Success ESA Mars Express 2 June 2003 Orbiter Success U.S. MER-A Spirit 10 June 2003 Rover Success U.S. MER-B Opportunity 7 July 2003 Rover Success U.S. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 12 August 2005 Orbiter Success U.S. Phoenix 4 August 2007 Lander Success U.S. Dawn 27 September 2007 Gravity assist to Vesta Future missions Launch schedule Objective Russia Phobos-Grunt 2012 Orbiter, lander, sample return China Yinghuo-1 2012 Orbiter U.S. MSL Curiosity 15 September 2011 Rover Finland MetNet 2011–2019 Multi-lander network Canada Northern Light 2012 Lander / rover U.S. MAVEN 2013 Orbiter Part of the Mars Scout Program India Mars mission Between 2013-2015[19] Orbiter U.S. ARES (martian rocketplane) Possibly by 2016 Aircraft Search for life on Mars ESA and U.S. ExoMars 2016 Orbiter, static lander 2018 ESA and U.S. Mars sample return mission Possible

Planetary Exploration - Venus Venera 4 - 12 June 1967 - Venus probe Mariner 5 - 14 June 1967 - Venus flyby Venera 5 - 5 January 1969 - Venus probe Venera 6 - 10 January 1969 - Venus probe Venera 7 - 17 August 1970 - Venus lander Venera 8 - 27 March 1972 - Venus probe Mariner 10 - 4 November 1973 - Venus/Mercury flybys Venera 9 - 8 June 1975 - Venus orbiter and lander Venera 10 - 14 June 1975 - Venus orbiter and lander Pioneer Venus 1 - 20 May 1978 - Venus orbiter Pioneer Venus 2 - 8 August 1978 - Venus probes Venera 11 - 9 September 1978 - Venus orbiter and lander Venera 12 - 14 September 1978 - Venus orbiter and lander Venera 13 - 30 October 1981 - Venus orbiter and lander Venera 14 - 4 November 1981 - Venus orbiter and lander Venera 15 - 2 June 1983 - Venus orbiter Venera 16 - 7 June 1983 - Venus orbiter Vega 1 - 15 December 1984 - Venus flyby and comet Halley flyby Vega 2 - 21 December 1984 - Venus flyby and comet Halley flyby Magellan - 4 May 1989 - Venus orbiter Venus Express - 09 November 2005 - ESA Venus orbiter Planet-C - 2010 - ISAS Venus orbiter

Planetary Exploration - Moon Following the U.S. Apollo and Soviet lunar exploration programs that ended in the 1970s came follow-on international lunar exploration missions Japan Hiten - Jan 24, 1990 - Flyby and orbiter U.S. Clementine - Jan 25, 1994 – Lunar orbiter U.S. AsiaSat 3/HGS-1 - Dec 24, 1997 - Lunar flyby U.S. Lunar Prospector - Jan 7, 1998 – Lunar orbiter ESA SMART 1 - Sep 27, 2003 - Lunar orbiter Japan Kaguya (SELENE) - Sep 14, 2007 - Lunar orbiter China Chang'e 1 - Oct 24, 2007 - Lunar orbiter India Chandrayaan-1 - Oct 22, 2008 - Lunar orbiter U.S. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and LCROSS - June 17, 2009 - Lunar orbiter and impactor China Chang'e 2 - October 2010 - Lunar orbiter U.S. Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) - September 2011 - Lunar orbiter U.S. Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) - March 2013 - Lunar orbiter

Jovian Planets

Planetary Exploration The Pioneer 10 and 11 duo was developed and flown to: Explore the interplanetary medium beyond the orbit of Mars Investigate the nature of the asteroid belt from the scientific standpoint and assess the belt's possible hazard to missions to the outer planets Explore the environment of Jupiter

Planetary Exploration Jovian planet exploration has been accomplished by American spacecraft almost exclusively, with several international contributions for several spacecraft Jovian planet exploration began with the Pioneer 10/11 vehicles which were based on the earlier Mariner design Both pioneer 10 and 11 targeted Jupiter, with Pioneer 11 given a gravity assist on a flyby of Jupiter Pioneer 10 (Pioneer F) Launched March 2, 1972 on an Atlas/Centaur along with its sister ship Pioneer 11

Planetary Exploration Pioneer 11 (Pioneer G) Launched April 6, 1972 on an Atlas/Centaur along with its sister ship Pioneer 11 Also targeted for a flyby of Jupiter, and then on to Saturn for measurements of Saturn, its environment, and its moons Radio contact lost with Pioneer 11 in 1995 after 22 years of flight operations, and with Pioneer 10 in 2002 after 30 years of operation

Planetary Exploration The Voyager 1 and 2 duo followed the Pioneer dual spacecraft mission with expanded objectives Following the flyby of Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager was sent on an interstellar mission to measure the interplanetary environment surrounding our Sun and the region beyond – the interstellar environment of our galaxy Voyager 1 launched September 5, 1977 on a Titan III/Centaur booster

Planetary Exploration Voyager 2 Launched August 20, 1977 on a Titan III/Centaur before its sister ship Voyager 1 Voyager was directed on a 22-year mission to fly by all of the Jovian planets, then on an interstellar mission that began 22 years ago Flyby of Neptune was in October 1989 Voyager is the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune

Planetary Exploration Voyager 2 is still returning data from the distant regions of the Sun’s magnetic and particle influence known as the heliosphere Distance to Voyager 2 is approximately 95 AU as of 2011 Power for communications is expected to last until approximately 2025 Lifetime is limited by the power output of the radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG) power supply that decreases with time as the heat source reduces in heat output with time

Planetary Exploration Galileo Galileo was the first dedicated orbiter mission to the Jovian planets Galileo was launched on a Jupiter exploration mission from Space Shuttle Atlantis on October 18, 1989 A Venus-Earth-Earth gravity assist (VEEGA) took Galileo to its target in December, 1989 A descent probe was released to measure Jupiter’s upper atmosphere and relay data through the Galileo spacecraft

Planetary Exploration Galileo was commanded to burn up in Jupiter’s atmosphere in September 2003 to avoid an accidental collision with one of the Jovian moons and the possibility of contamination

Planetary Exploration Cassini Cassini was the second dedicated Jovian explorer send to observe Saturn, its environment, and its moons Cassini was launched on October 15, 1997 on a Titan IVB/Centaur booster with a gravity assist from a Venus-Venus-Earth series, then Jupiter enroute to Saturn Orbit entry at Saturn in July 2004 Release of the Titan probe name Huygens was in December 2004 for atmospheric measurements and a soft landing

Planetary Exploration Cassini continues to orbit Saturn and return data on Saturn and its moons, including the mysterious Titan - the only moon with a dense atmosphere

Mercury

Planetary Exploration Mariner 10 Mariner 10 was the only spacecraft sent to explore Mercury until the launch of Messenger in 2004 Mariner 10 launch December 3, 1973 on aa Atlas/Centaur booster After a Venus gravity assist, Mariner arrived at Mercury for its first encounter on March 1974, followed by two other flybys and a permanent heliocentric orbit

Planetary Exploration MESSENGER MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) is an orbiter spacecraft designed to explore the solar and Mercury environment in permanent orbit around the planet MESSENGER was launched August 3, 2004 on a Delta II booster After Venus and Earth gravity assists and three close flyby’s of Mercury, MESSENGER entered orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011

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