Mars 2 (nonfiction)
The Mars 2 was an unmanned space probe mission to Mars launched by the Soviet Union May 19, 1971 using using Proton-K heavy launch rocket with a Blok D upper stage. The identical Mars 3 spacecraft was launched nine days later.
The Mars 2 and Mars 3 spacecraft used identical designs: a 4MV bus/orbiter based on the Venera 9 design, and a landing module.
The Mars 2 descent module separated from the orbiter on November 27, 1971, about 4.5 hours before reaching Mars. After entering the atmosphere at approximately 6 km/s, the descent system on the landing module malfunctioned, possibly because the angle of entry was too steep: the module's parachute failed to deploy, the module crashed on the surface of Mars, and all contact was lost.
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