On Nov. 1, 1962, the Soviet Union launched the Mars 1 spacecraft on a mission to fly by the Red Planet.
While it did end up flying by Mars, the mission was not exactly a success. After it separated from the rocket, it deployed its solar panels and started cruising toward Mars.
When mission controllers were checking out the telemetry it transmitted back to Earth, they found out that Mars 1 had sprung a leak in one of the gas valves that controls the spacecraft's orientation. And without a working orientation system, Mars 1 would have a hard time pointing its antennas in the right direction. It lost contact with Earth when it was about halfway to Mars.
A model of Mars 1, a Mars flyby spacecraft launched to the Red Planet by the Soviet Union on Nov. 1, 1962. (Image credit: NASA)Why it mattered
Ever since Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope to the red-tinted star and identified as a planet, Mars has captivated scientists' interests as to its nature. So it was of no surprise that as soon as we gained the ability to send missions into space, that the focus turned to the "fourth rock from the Sun."
As it turned out, though, reaching Mars, let alone entering its orbit or landing on its surface,, was and continues to be difficult.
Mars 1, despite its name, was actually the Soviet Union's fourth attempt at sending a probe to the planet. The first three ended in launch failures. Similar problems faced the United States, as well, but it was NASA's Mariner IV mission that became the first to successfully fly by Mars two years later.
Still, as humanity continues to push forward to the day people land on, explore and live on Mars, the 1962 Soviet mission stands as the first to get close to revealing the first details about the planet.
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