| Zond 2 | |||||||
| Names List: | Zond 3MV-4 No. 2 | ||||||
| Mission Type: | Mars flyby | ||||||
| Operator: | OKB-1 | ||||||
| Cospar Id: | 1964-078C | ||||||
| Satcat: | 00945 | ||||||
| Spacecraft Bus: | 3MV-4 | ||||||
| Launch Mass: | 890kg (1,960lb) | ||||||
| Launch Date: | November 30, 1964, 13:12 UTC | ||||||
| Launch Rocket: | Molniya T103-16 | ||||||
| Launch Site: | Baikonur LC-1/5 | ||||||
| Orbit Reference: | Heliocentric | ||||||
| Orbit Eccentricity: | 0.216 | ||||||
| Orbit Periapsis: | 0.98 AU | ||||||
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 1.52 AU | ||||||
| Orbit Inclination: | 6.4° | ||||||
| Orbit Period: | 508 days | ||||||
| Orbit Velocity: | 5.62 km/s | ||||||
| Apsis: | helion | ||||||
| Interplanetary: |
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| Programme: | Zond | ||||||
| Previous Mission: | Zond 1 | ||||||
| Next Mission: | Zond 3 | ||||||
Zond 2 was a Soviet space probe, a member of the Zond program, and was the sixth Soviet spacecraft to attempt a flyby of Mars.[1] [2] (See Exploration of Mars)[3] It was launched on November 30, 1964 at 13:12 UTC onboard Molniya 8K78 launch vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, USSR. The spacecraft was intended to survey Mars but lost communication before arrival.
Zond-2 carried a phototelevision camera of the same type later used to photograph the Moon on Zond 3. The camera system also included two ultraviolet spectrometers. As on Mars 1, an infrared spectrometer was installed to search for signs of methane on Mars.
Zond 2 also carried six Pulsed Plasma Thrusters (PPT) that served as actuators of the attitude control system. They were the first PPTs successfully used on a spacecraft. The PPT propulsion system was tested for 70 minutes on the 14 December 1964 when the spacecraft was 4.2 million kilometers from Earth.[4]
Zond 2, a Mars 3MV-4A craft, was launched on November 30, 1964. During some maneuvering in early May 1965, communications were lost. Running on half power due to the loss of one of its solar panels, the spacecraft flew by Mars on August 6, 1965 at, away from the planet.