Exploration of Mars failed upon impact. Mars 4 flew by the planet at a range of 2200 km returning one swath of pictures and radio occultation data, which constituted the first detection of the nightside ionosphere on Mars. Mars 7 probe separated prematurely from the carrying vehicle due to a problem in the operation of one of the onboard systems (attitude control or retro-rockets) and missed the planet by . In 1964, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory made two attempts at reaching Mars. Mariner 3 and Mariner 4 were identical spacecraft designed to carry out the first flybys of Mars. Mariner 3 was launched
Space science in Estonia a large antenna reflector back structure for an ESA 35 metres radio telescope in Australia, which tracked Mars Express on its way to the red planet. For several years Estonian scientists have collaborated with the ESA program Gaia, which plans to launch a space probe in 2011 to measure the brightness and exact coordinates of millions of space objects, both in the Milky Way galaxy as well as in more distant galaxies. Estonian scientists have offered their advice on how to measure these objects by using spectrophotometry. Space science in Estonia The cornerstone of the Estonian cosmological research is the