---

source: NASA

— notes for table —

• NASA = the National Aeronautics + Space Admin. of the United States
• JPL = the Jet Propulsion Lab
• ESA = the European Space Agency
• US = country the United States
• USSR = country the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics > now Russia

---

no.	launch year	mission name	country	result	reason
1	1960	program: Mars 1M type: fly-by probe name: Marsnick no. 1 • abbr: Mars + Sputnick	USSR	failure	• fail to reach Earth orbit
2	1960	program: Mars 1M type: fly-by probe name: Marsnick no. 2 • abbr: Mars + Sputnick	USSR	failure	• fail to reach Earth orbit
3	1962	program: Korabl 11 type: fly-by probe name:	USSR	failure	• Earth orbit only • craft broke apart
4	1962	program: Mars 1 type: fly-by probe name:	USSR	failure	• radio fail
5	1962	program: Korabl 13 type: fly-by probe name:	USSR	failure	• Earth orbit only • craft broke apart
6	1964	program: Mariner 3 type: fly-by probe name: “Mariner”	US	failure	• shroud fail to jettison
7	1964	program: Mariner 4 type: fly-by probe name: “Mariner”	US	success	• sent back 21 pics
8	1964	program: Zond 2 type: fly-by-probe name:	USSR	failure	• radio fail
9	1969	program: Mars 1969 a type: name:	USSR	failure	• launch vehicle fail
10	1969	program: Mars 1969 b type: name:	USSR	failure	• launch vehicle fail
11	1969	program: Mariner 6 type: fly-by probe name:	US	success	• sent back 75 pics
12	1969	program: Mariner 7 type: fly-by probe name: “Mariner	US	success	• sent back 126 pics
13	1971	program: Mariner” 8 type: name: “Mariner”	US	failure	• launch fail
14	1971	program: Kosmos 419 type: name:	USSR	failure	• Earth orbit only
15	1971	program: Mars 2 type: orbiter + lander name:	USSR	failure	• orbiter arrived • no useful data • lander destroyed
16	1971	program: Mars 3 type: orbiter + lander name:	USSR	success	• orbiter got 8 mos. of data • lander touched-down • lander got 20 sec. of data
17	1971	program: Mariner 9 type: orbiter name: “Mariner”	US	success	• sent back 7,329 pics
18	1973	program: Mars 4 type: name:	USSR	failure	• flew past Mars
19	1973	program: Mars 5 type: name:	USSR	success	• sent back 60 pics • lasted 9 days
20	1973	program: Mars 6 type: orbiter + lander name:	USSR	success + failure	• experiment: — occultation lab — produced data • lander descent fail
21	1973	program: Mars 7 type: lander name:	USSR	failure	• missed Mars • now in solar orbit
22	1975	program: Viking 1 type: orbiter + lander name: “Viking”	US	success	• located landing site: — for lander • lander touched-down
23	1975	program: Viking 2 type: orbiter + lander name: “Viking”	US	success	• sent back 16,000 pics • sent back: — atmospheric data — soil experiments
24	1988	program: Phobos 1 type: orbiter name: “Phobos”	USSR	failure	• lost en route to Mars
25	1988	program: Phobos 2 type: orbiter + lander name: “Phobos”	USSR	failure	• lost near moon Phobos
26	1992	umbrella: Mars Exploration program: Mars Observer type: orbiter name: Mars Geo-Science name: Mars Climatology name: “Observer” • abbr: MGSCO	US	failure	• lost en route to Mars
27	1996	umbrella: Mars Exploration program: Mars Global Surveyor type: orbiter • abbr: MGS	US	success	• many pics
28	1996	program: Mars 96 type: name:	Russia	failure	• launch vehicle fail
29	1996	program: Mars Pathfinder type: name: “Pathfinder”	US	success	• tech experiment • lasted 5x longer ( than expected )
30	1998	program: Nozomi type: name:	Japan	failure	• no orbit insertion • fuel problems
31	1998	program: Mars Surveyor type: orbiter name: Mars Climate Orbiter name: “Surveyor” • abbr: MCO	US	failure	• orbiter lost on arrival
32	1999	program: Mars Surveyor type: lander name: Mars Polar Lander name: “Surveyor” • abbr: MPL	US	failure	• lander lost on arrival
33	1999	program: Mars Surveyor type: pair impact probes name: “Deep Space”	US	failure	• both lost on arrival
34	2001	program: Mars Odyssey type: orbiter name: “Odyssey”	US	success	• high def. Mars pics
35	2003	program: Mars Express type: lander name:	ESA	success	• high def. Mars pics
36	2003	program: Mars Express type:orbiter name:“Beagle” 2	ESA	failure	• lander lost on arrival
37	2003	program: Mars Exploration type: rover name: “Spirit” • abbr: MER A	US	success	• lasted 20x longer ( than expected )
38	2003	program: Mars Exploration type: rover name: “Opportunity” • abbr: MER B	US	success	• lasted 55x longer ( than expected )
39	2005	program: type: orbiter name: Mars Reconnaissance • abbr: MRO	US	success	• sent back 26 terabits of data
40	2007	project: Mars Scout Program type: lander name: “Phoenix”	US	success	• sent back 25 gigabits of data
41	2011	program: Mars Science Lab type: rover name: “Curiosity”	US	success	• explore Mars habitability
42	2011	program: Phobos-Grunt | Yinghuo 1 type: name:	Russia + China	failure	• stranded in Earth orbit
43	2013	project: Mars Scout Program type: orbiter name: Mars Atmosphere name: Mars Volatile Evolution • abbr: MAVEN	US	success	• study Mars atmosphere
44	2013	project: Mars Orbiter Mission type: orbiter • abbr: MOM	India	success	• demo space tech • explore Mars: — surface features — mineralogy — atmosphere
45	2016	project: ExoMars type: orbiter name: Trace Gas Orbiter • abbr: Exo-Biology on Mars abbr: TGO	ESA + Russia	success	• study Mars atmosphere
46	2016	project: ExoMars type: lander name: Entry, Descent, Landing name: “Schiaparelli” • abbr: Exo-Biology on Mars abbr: EDL	ESA + Russia	failure	• lander lost on arrival
47	2018	project: InSight type: lander name: Interior Exploration using: — Seismic Investigations — Geodesy — Heat Transport • abbr: InSight	US	success	• lander touched-down

---

by definition | what is occultation

An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and a watcher. The term is used in astronomy, but it can also be any situation where an object in the foreground occults — blocks from view — an object in the background.

---