Mars
3
The
Mars 3 mission is most famous for its 20-second transmission from the surface
of Mars. Why the orbiter failed, and controversy over the slim possibility
that the image data returned might contain the horizon of Mars has become
a topic of much discussion. However, the Mars 3 orbiter did return some
images from Mars. Due to transmitter problems, they were not at full resolution.
The camera utilized film, and could scan the image at 64, 255, and 1000 lines
per image. They were all returned at 255 lines per image. While
Mars 3 sufficient film for 480 pictures, it only took 60. It is not
clear whether all of these images were returned. Mars 2, Mars 3's sister
craft, was in a proper orbit, but had more serious transmitter problems, and
therfore returned little to no imagery. Mars 3 had a fuel leak which
forced it to shorting its orbit insertion burn, leaving it in a long, eliptical
orbit that took almost 13 days.
During
the first 40 days in orbit, Mars-3 acted on a pre-programmed sequence, and,
with a global dust storm in progress, many appeared nearly blank. In
addition, due to the fact that Mars 3 was limited to transmitting in 255 line
mode (the transmitter only worked for shot periods, so trying to transmit
an image at 1000 lines risked causing it to fail permanently), the images
were seriously inferior to those from Mariner 9, which made them useless as
propaganda tools. The following images were obtained in December of
1971.
IMATGES OBTINGUDES
PER LA MARS 3
A dalt: This is from the Mars-3 lander transmission during the 20 seconds it transmitted from Mars. There has been speculation that it depicts the Martian horizon. More likely, any "features" are just noise. The scene was reported to be about 70 lux, similar to a cloudy day. It is a shame that the lander couldn't have made it a little longer, to send back a real picture, and its first scientific data from its other instruments, due after about a minute
A l’esquerra: This image, showing the "chaotic terrain"
beyond the eastern end of Valles Marineres, is perhaps the best relatively
close-range shot from Mars-3. A la dreta: This contrast-enhanced view
is said to show the region of Mars known as "Iapygia." Given
this location, the ringed structure is likely the crater Huygens.
A l’esquerra: This image, also taken during December, shows an intense
haze beyond the limb of the planet, another effect of the dust storm. A
la dreta: This image is often referred to as showing Martian "mountains."
There is certainly evidence of albedo features and topography. However,
it does not provide enough information to allow one to interpret the features.
A l’esquerra: This image shows Mars after the dust storm, with a much
clearer atmosphere than it had in December. The RGB color sequences
taken by Mars-3 of a crescent Mars are the first ever taken at such a high
phase angle, allowing some of the first high-phase photometric studies of
the planet. A la dreta: This shows Mars with some features visible,
but with extensive dust obscuration. It was taken during the middle
of December, 1971.
