Sputnik 22
Encyclopedia
Mars 2MV-4 No.1 also known as Sputnik 22 in the West, was a Soviet
spacecraft, which was launched in 1962 as part of the Mars programme, and was intended to make a flyby of Mars
, and transmit images of the planet back to Earth. Due to a problem with the rocket which launched it, it was destroyed in low Earth orbit
. It was the first of two Mars 2MV-4 spacecraft to be launched, the other being the Mars 1
spacecraft which was launched eight days later.
The 893.5 kilograms (1,969.8 lb) Mars 2MV-4 No.1 spacecraft was launched at 17:55:04 UTC on 24 October 1962, atop a Molniya
8K78 carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
. The lower stages of the rocket performed nominally, placing the payload and the Blok L upper stage into low Earth orbit
. When the Blok L ignited following a coast phase, lubricant leaked out of the turbopump
, which consequently seized up and disintegrated. This caused the main engine to explode, destroying the upper stage and spacecraft. Twenty two pieces of debris from the spacecraft and upper stage were catalogued, which decayed between 29 October 1962 and 26 February 1963.
The designations Sputnik 29, and later Sputnik 22, were used by the United States Naval Space Command to identify the spacecraft in its Satellite Situation Summary documents, since the Soviet Union did not release the internal designations of its spacecraft at that time, and had not assigned it an official name due to its failure to depart geocentric orbit
. A United States
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
station in Alaska
detected the debris from the launch, and initially identified it as incoming nuclear warheads
, since the launch had occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis
.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
spacecraft, which was launched in 1962 as part of the Mars programme, and was intended to make a flyby of Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
, and transmit images of the planet back to Earth. Due to a problem with the rocket which launched it, it was destroyed in low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. It was the first of two Mars 2MV-4 spacecraft to be launched, the other being the Mars 1
Mars 1
Mars 1, also known as 1962 Beta Nu 1, Mars 2MV-4 and Sputnik 23, was an automatic interplanetary station launched in the direction of Mars on November 1, 1962, the first of the Soviet Mars probe program, with the intent of flying by the planet at a distance of about 11,000 km...
spacecraft which was launched eight days later.
The 893.5 kilograms (1,969.8 lb) Mars 2MV-4 No.1 spacecraft was launched at 17:55:04 UTC on 24 October 1962, atop a Molniya
Molniya (rocket)
Molniya 8K78 was a modification of the well-known R-7 Semyorka rocket and had four stages.This derivative of the original three stage Vostok rocket was especially designed to bring high flying satellites into orbit or to launch probes to other planets. The first launch of this rocket was on...
8K78 carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5
Gagarin's Start
Gagarin's Start is a launch site at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, used for the Soviet space program and now managed by the Russian Federal Space Agency....
at the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
. The lower stages of the rocket performed nominally, placing the payload and the Blok L upper stage into low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
. When the Blok L ignited following a coast phase, lubricant leaked out of the turbopump
Turbopump
A turbopump is a gas turbine that comprises basically two main components: a rotodynamic pump and a driving turbine, usually both mounted on the same shaft, or sometimes geared together...
, which consequently seized up and disintegrated. This caused the main engine to explode, destroying the upper stage and spacecraft. Twenty two pieces of debris from the spacecraft and upper stage were catalogued, which decayed between 29 October 1962 and 26 February 1963.
The designations Sputnik 29, and later Sputnik 22, were used by the United States Naval Space Command to identify the spacecraft in its Satellite Situation Summary documents, since the Soviet Union did not release the internal designations of its spacecraft at that time, and had not assigned it an official name due to its failure to depart geocentric orbit
Geocentric orbit
A geocentric orbit involves any object orbiting the Earth, such as the Moon or artificial satellites. Currently there are approximately 2,465 artificial satellites orbiting the Earth and 6,216 pieces of space debris as tracked by the Goddard Space Flight Center...
. A United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System
The United States Air Force Ballistic Missile Early Warning System was the first operational ballistic missile detection radar. The original system was built in 1959 and could provide long-range warning of a ballistic missile attack over the polar region of the Northern Hemisphere. They also...
station in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
detected the debris from the launch, and initially identified it as incoming nuclear warheads
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
, since the launch had occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
.