Started: 45 years ago: March 4 to 7

The first companies were still under various aliases. In 1973, the series of breakdowns was to be finally completed with four scheduled missions

It all started with March 4, which was launched 45 years ago today. In fact, this probe was supposed to reach the orbit around the neighboring planet, but the spacecraft was no longer responding because of a failure of the electronics.

So there was an overflight at about 2200 kilometers, where the instruments could collect measurement data

The orbiter of March 5 has in the early days on the target about a hundred images of the Martian surface sent to Earth (Roscosmos)

followed later on March 5, which hovered around Mars as planned and transmitted about a hundred photos and a number of measurement data, until after about two weeks , a micrometeorite impact a

March 6 then killed a first lander, but he stopped silent when he landed on the Martian surface – either he was broken or knocked over so that his signals could no longer reach the Earth.

March 7 Should settle a lander, but communication problems with the probe forced an automatic maneuver, which was then four hours earlier. Thus, the success of this mission was refused.