906 Encyclopedia of the Solar System
TABLE 1 Planetary Exploration Missions (Continued)
Spacecraft Source Launch Target Mission Notes
Kosmos 359 USSR Aug. 22, 1970 Venus lander Failed to depart from low Earth orbit
Luna 16 USSR Sept. 12, 1970 Moon sample return Returned lunar surface samples to
Earth
Zond 8 USSR Oct. 20, 1970 Moon test Unmanned circumlunar flight and
return
Luna 17 USSR Nov. 10, 1970 Moon rover Lunar rover: Lunokhod
Apollo 14 USA Jan. 31, 1971 Moon lander Manned lunar landing and return
Mariner H USA May 8, 1971 Mars orbiter Second stage failure at launch
Kosmos 419 USSR May 10, 1971 Mars lander Failed to depart from low Earth orbit
Mars 2 USSR May 19, 1971 Mars orbiter Orbited Mars: Nov. 27, 1971
Mars 2 lander USSR May 19, 1971 Mars lander Soft landing failed: Nov. 27, 1971
Mars 3 USSR May 28, 1971 Mars orbiter Orbited Mars: Dec. 2, 1971
Mars 3 lander USSR May 28, 1971 Mars lander First Mars lander: Dec. 2, 1971. Failed
after 20 seconds.
Mariner 9 USA May 30, 1971 Mars orbiter First Mars orbiter: Nov. 13, 1971.
Apollo 15 USA July 26, 1971 Moon lander Manned lunar landing and return
P&F satellite USA Aug. 4, 1971 Moon orbiter Subsatellite deployed by Apollo 15
Luna 18 USSR Sept. 2, 1971 Moon return Crashed on Moon
Luna 19 USSR Sept. 28, 1971 Moon orbiter Photographic mapping mission
OSO 7 USA Sep. 29, 1971 Sun telescope Solar observatory in Earth orbit
Luna 20 USSR Feb. 14, 1972 Moon sample return Lunar surface sample return
Pioneer 10 USA Mar. 3, 1972 Jupiter flyby Jupiter flyby: Dec. 3, 1973
Venera 8 USSR Mar. 27, 1972 Venus lander Landed on Venus: July 22, 1972
Kosmos 482 USSR Mar. 31, 1972 Venus lander Failed to depart from low Earth orbit
Apollo 16 USA Apr. 16, 1972 Moon manned Manned lunar landing and return
P&F satellite USA Apr. 19, 1972 Moon orbiter Subsatellite deployed by Apollo 16
Apollo 17 USA Dec. 7, 1972 Moon manned Manned lunar landing and return
Luna 21 USSR Jan. 8, 1973 Moon rover Lunar rover: Lunokhod 2
Pioneer 11 USA Apr. 6, 1973 Jupiter flyby Jupiter flyby: Dec. 4, 1974
Saturn flyby Saturn flyby: Sept. 1, 1979
Explorer 49 USA June 10, 1973 Moon orbiter Solar and galactic radio science
experiment
Mars 4 USSR July 21, 1973 Mars orbiter Failed to achieve Mars orbit
Mars 5 USSR July 25, 1973 Mars orbiter Orbited Mars: Feb. 12, 1974
Mars 6 USSR Aug. 5, 1973 Mars lander Communications lost just before
landing
Mars 7 USSR Aug. 9, 1973 Mars lander Engine failure: missed Mars
Mariner 10 USA Nov. 3, 1973 Venus flyby Flew by Venus: Feb. 5, 1974 en route
to Mercury
Mercury flyby Flew by Mercury three times in 1974
Luna 22 USSR May 29, 1974 Moon orbiter Photographic mapper
Luna 23 USSR Oct. 28, 1974 Moon sample return Drill arm damaged: no return attempt
Helios 1 Germany Dec. 10, 1974 Solar wind interplanetary Monitored solar wind and dust
Venera 9 USSR June 8, 1975 Venus lander Landed Oct. 22, 1975
Venera 9 orbiter USSR June 8, 1975 Venus orbiter Orbited Venus Oct. 22, 1975
Venera 10 USSR June 14, 1975 Venus lander Landed Oct. 25, 1975
Venera 10 orbiter USSR June 14, 1975 Venus orbiter Orbited Venus Oct. 25, 1975
OSO 8 USA Jun. 21, 1975 Sun orbiter Solar observatory in Earth orbit
Viking 1 USA Aug. 20, 1975 Mars orbiter Orbited Mars: June 19, 1976
Viking 1 lander USA Aug. 20, 1975 Mars lander Landed on Mars: July 20, 1976;
surface science
