Labels: text | machine | screenshot OCR: EN ROUTE FOR MARS Mars 6 and 7 (cont.) VIKING 1 AND 2 The module successfully broadcast on two radio frequencies, then all transmission ceased just before touchdown. The program called for panoramic photos, a study of the regolith (the loose residual or transported material covering the planet's bedrock), and experiments to detect organic matter. But contact with the module could not be reestablished. Mars 7 was launched from Baikonur on August 9, 1973. However, the mission was cut short: the landing module, jettisoned on March 9, 1974, could not be placed in collision orbit around Mars because of a malfunction in a maneuvering rocket. The module passed within 1300 kilometers of the planet, then was lost. The flight module continued in its solar orbit, but obviously it received no data from Mars. Although the Soviets were the first to land a probe on Mars, none of their missions can be considered a complete success. It was not until the Viking 1 and 2 programs that we would really begin to peer into some of the Red Planet's secrets ... discoveries that raised challenging, new questions about Earth's mysterious neighbor. MARS BETAT
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