Mars 96 and Mars Pathfinder

Mars 96 was a Russian orbiter and lander which was launched from Baikonur on November 16, 1996, with a rejuvenated IKI under the new Russian government that planned a new Russian Space Program. But actually, plans for this launch had started as early as 1989 after the Phobos mission concluded. While there was a plan to send an earlier flight in 1994, it was not to be due to national economic difficulties. The Mars 96 flight thus had high expectations. Unfortunately, technical problems did not permit it to meet its goals. The craft crashed into the Pacific after its third revolution round Earth. While Russia failed its unmanned mission, NASA was once more sending another craft to Mars. The Mars Pathfinder was the second of NASA's low cost missions to Mars, the first being the Mars Global Surveyor. Consisting of a lander and a rover, the mission was primarily to show the feasibility of low cost landings and ability to explore Mars' surface. Launched on December 4, 1996, the Mars Pathfinder reached and landed on Mars on July 4, 1997. However, to some bad luck, communication with it was lost on September 27, 1997 due to unknown reasons, and NASA has failed its second out of three missions since the Vikings.