The Soviet "Mars Programme"
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00-Mars.jpgMars, from "Mars 3": the Red Planet! (1)102 visiteL'idea di offrire ai nostri Amici Lettori una carrellata di immagini che mostrassero, in maniera adeguata, gli incredibili - anche se passati, in larghissima misura, sotto silenzio - successi del Programma Spaziale Sovietico, era già nelle nostre intenzioni da parecchio tempo.
Con oggi (2 Febbraio 2006) iniziamo a vedere qualcosa che, sebbene faccia ormai parte della Storia e non più dell'attualità, non potrà non stupire, sorprendere e meravigliare: l'Agenzia Spaziale Sovietica, sin dai primi Anni '60, era già estremamente evoluta (ben più della NASA), ma una impressionante serie di rovesci (alcuni dei quali così assurdi da far pensare al sabotaggio più che alla sfortuna...), unita ad una propaganda rivolta al "silenzio" e non alla "pubblicizzazione", la portarono a recitare, negli anni a venire, un mero ruolo di comprimaria nell'Avventura Spaziale.
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01-Mars.jpgMars, from "Mars 3": the Red Planet! (2)64 visiteQuesta Galleria costituisce un tributo a tutti quei Pionieri (Ingegneri, Astronomi, Astronauti, Tecnici e Collaboratori vari) che lavorarono nel silenzio oltre la "Cortina di Ferro". Costoro, diciamo "per mera sfortuna", mancarono l'obbiettivo di far scendere due Astronauti sulla Luna, ma furono tuttavia capaci, a costo di sacrifici immensi (e, a quanto si dice, di innumerevoli vite), di portare alcune Sonde (e svariati Landers) sulla Luna, nello Spazio di Marte, sul Pianeta Rosso e su Venere, raccogliendo sia preziose informazioni scientifiche, sia immagini di grandissimo valore storico e di enorme impatto visivo.
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03-C_Mars03_Atmosphere2.jpgThe "foggy" limb of Mars88 visiteThe first Soviet Orbiters, Mars-2 and Mars-3, arrived on November 27 and December 2, 1971. They carried the 52mm "Vega" and 350mm "Zulfar" phototelevision cameras (later used on Mars-4 and 5), carrying enough film for 480 photos per camera. These cameras were designed by A.S. Selivanov and his team at the Institute of Space Device Engineering.
The original plan was to spend the first 40 days performing photographic surveys; however, Mars was experiencing a severe planet-wide dust storm when the Soviet probes (and the American Mariner-9) arrived.
This photo left shows the atmospheric limb during the dust storm, from a distance of about 150.000 Km (the orbit of Mars-3 was highly elongated). Mars-2 did not return much data because of problems with its telemetry systems.
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04-C_Mars03_Mountains.jpgMars Mountains79 visiteContrary to some reports, the phototelevision cameras on Mars-3 were functional after the dust storm subsided, in December. At least four photographic surveys have been reported (December 12 and 14, February 28 and March 12). Images were returned by pulse-code modulation over the decimeter-band telemetry channel, after the centimeter-band pulse-position modulation system failed.
The decimeter transmitter suffered from intermittant failures and was used very cautiously. Only after important science data was gathered, a small number of images at LR were transmitted (using a 256-line mode). The color image of Mars (picture n. 1) is a composite from the 52 mm camera, using its program of cycling red, green and blue glass filters.
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05-C_Mars03_lander.jpgMars' surface? No! Just "bad signal"...92 visiteA descent vehicle released by Mars-3 became the first probe to land on Mars, but it only operated for about 20 seconds, returning some data and 79 scan lines of video. The image below right is reported to be a view of that signal. It should probably be rotated 90° since the Mars-3 cameras were of the same cycloramic design as Luna-9, scanning vertically.
After extensive analysis, Soviet Scientists reported that it contains no information and it is not likely a view of the Martian horizon as some people have suggested.
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06-C_Mars04_Panorama1.jpgMars panorama from Mars-4 (1)95 visiteThe first in an armada of four spacecrafts launched in 1973, Mars-4 failed to enter orbit. During its flyby - on February 10, 1974 -, it returned 12 photographs from the 52mm "Vega" phototelevision camera, all through the red filter. It also returned 2 panoramas from the optical-mechanical cameras. Image data was returned digitally by pulse position modulation.
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07-C_Mars04_Panorama2.jpgMars panorama from Mars-4 (2)103 visiteTwo optical-mechanical linear cameras swept out panoramas of Mars as the spacecraft passed by.
These were very similar to cameras later flown on Venera-9 and 10 Orbiters, but one of the Mars versions had a photomultiplier tube sensitive to infrared.
Apparently, no infrared panoramas were received from Mars-4 or Mars-5.
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Mars5-C_Mars05_3_Color1.jpgColor shots from Mars-5 (1)84 visiteMars-5 entered an elliptic Martian orbit on February 12, 1974. Nearly synchronized with the rotation of the Planet, its two phototelevision cameras could be commanded to take 12 pictures during each close approach. The "Vega" camera used a wide area 52mm lens with color filters, the "Zulfar" camera used a telescopic 350mm lens and long-pass orange filter.
Images were transmitted in a rapid 220-line mode, and then selected pictures were retransmitted at 880 or 1760 line resolution.
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Mars5-C_Mars05_5_Color1.jpgColor shots from Mars-5 (2)109 visiteImmagini vecchie di oltre 30 anni eppure...Eppure qualitativamente uguali a quelle in arrivo dalle Sonde USA "2001 Mars Odyssey" e "Mars Global Surveyor" e, a nostro parere, nettamente superiori ai frames in arrivo dalla Sonda ESA "Mars-Express".
Come potete leggere e vedere Voi stessi, sia i Sovietici, sia gli Americani, possedevano tecnologie all'avanguardia e capacità missilistiche - ed ingegneristiche - largamente superiori alla nostra immaginazione già dalla fine degli Anni '60.
Insomma, su Marte, se avessimo voluto, ci saremmo potuti già arrivare (con uomini e mezzi) da almeno 20 anni: perchè tutto si è fermato?
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Mars5-C_Mars05_5_Color2.jpgColor shots from Mars-5 (3)93 visitenessun commento
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Mars5-C_Mars05_6_Color2.jpgColor shots from Mars-5 (4 - Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)) 93 visiteUn tentativo di colorizzazione naturale, su un frame veramente "difficile" da interpretare.MareKromium
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Mars5-C_Mars05_Panorama3.jpgMars from Mars-5: Mars's limb and (maybe) clouds (1)86 visitenessun commento
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