[FPSPACE] Re: A *rover* on the Zond 2 Mars lander?

[Chris Jones]

Responding to multiple messages on the subject:

> From: "LARRY KLAES" <ljk4 at msn.com>
>
> At 00:29 28-6-2005, Chris Jones wrote:
> >Also, the Soviet Zond 2 Mars probe was meant to land and deploy a tethered
> >micro-rover.  It too turned out not be designed for the reality awaiting it
> >at Mars.
> 
> Do you mean the mini-rovers on Mars 2 and 3 (and 6 and 7, I believe)?  Or do
> you have some> new information on Zond 2?  Please note I am not making a 
> facetious comment here but a genuine inquiry.

> > From: Geert Sassen <geert at navtools.nl>
>
> Aren't you mistaking Zond 2 with the Mars 2/3 landers? These did indeed
> cary a tethered marsrover, Zond 2 did probably carry a simple lander but I
> have not seen any mentioning of a tethered rover for it.

You (and everyone else who pointed out my error) are correct:  I was combining
and confusing the missions of Zond 2 and Mars 2&3.

> From: paolo.ulivi at tiscali.it
>
> As far as I know, Zond 2 has turned out to be a flyby probe, not a lander.
> 
> The reason why the Soviets choose a very close flyby distance (less than
> 2000 km IIRC) and a second type transfer orbit is unclear.

Various sources, e.g. http://www.worldspaceflight.com/probes/mars.htm, 
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1964-078C, and
http://www.planetary.org/learn/missions/marsmissions.html state that
Zond 2 was a flyby photographic mission with a small descent craft.  The
presence of a descent craft is the probable explanation for the close and
relatively slow flyby trajectory.

> From: DSFPortree at aol.com
> 
> Besides that, there's no evidence that the Mars 2/3 probes were designed to
> pre-Mariner IV atmosphere data.

Note I said Zond 2, not Mars 2 (or 3).  Since Zond 2 was launched 2 days after
Mariner 4 in 1964, there was no Mariner 4 atmospheric data for it to know. 
Mars 2 and 3, launched in the 1971 launch window, did have access to the
Mariner 4 data (as well as any data from Mariners 6 & 7).