Mars Observer
Artist rendering of Mars Observer in orbit around Mars.
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| Mission type | Mars orbiter |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / JPL |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-063A |
| Website | archived |
| Mission duration | 331 days Mission failure |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | General Electric Astro Space |
| Launch mass | 1,018 kilograms (2,244 lb) |
| Power | 1,147 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 25 September 1992, 17:05:01 UTC |
| Rocket | Commercial Titan III/TOS |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-40 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 21 August 1993, 01:00 UTC |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Areocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 3,766.159 kilometers (2,340.183 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.004049 |
| Inclination | 92.869 degrees |
| Epoch | Planned 6 December 1993 |
| Flyby of Mars (failed insertion) | |
| Closest approach | 24 August 1993 |
The Mars Observer spacecraft, also known as the Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter, was a robotic space probe launched by NASA on September 25, 1992 to study the Martian surface, atmosphere, climate and magnetic field. During the interplanetary cruise phase, communication with the spacecraft was lost on August 21, 1993, 3 days prior to orbital insertion. Attempts to re-establish communication with the spacecraft were unsuccessful.
In 1984, a high priority mission to Mars was set forth by the Solar System Exploration Committee. Then titled the Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter, the Martian orbiter was planned to expand on the vast information already gathered by the Viking program. Preliminary mission goals expected the probe to provide planetary magnetic field data, detection of certain spectral line signatures of minerals on the surface, images of the surface at 1 meter/pixel and global elevation data.
Mars Observer was originally planned to be launched in 1990 by a Space Shuttle Orbiter. The possibility for an expendable rocket to be used was also suggested, if the spacecraft would be designed to meet certain constraints. On March 12, 1987, the mission was rescheduled for launch in 1992, in lieu of other backlogged missions (Galileo, Magellan, Ulysses) after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Along with a launch delay, budget overruns necessitated the elimination of two instruments to meet the 1992 planned launch. As the development matured, the primary science objectives were finalized as:
The program's total cost is estimated at $813 million.
The Mars Observer spacecraft had a mass of 1,018 kilograms (2,244 lb), its bus measured 1.1 meters tall, 2.2 meters wide, and 1.6 meters deep. The spacecraft was based on previous satellite designs, originally intended and developed to orbit Earth. The RCA Satcom Ku-band satellite design was used extensively for the spacecraft bus, propulsion, thermal protection, and solar array. RCA TIROS and DMSP Block 50-2 satellite designs were also utilized in the implementing the Attitude and Articulation Control System (AACS), command and data handling subsystem, and power subsystem, into Mars Observer. Other elements such as the bipropellant components and high-gain antenna were designed specifically for the mission.
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