First on Mars

Mars 2, a lander built by the former Soviet Union, has the double-edged distinction of being the first human-built object ever to touch down on the red planet. Launched in tandem with its sister craft Mars 3 in May 1971, the spherical 1-ton Mars 2 lander was about the size of a kitchen stove and designed to parachute to the martian surface and use rockets for final braking.

Despite surviving the long trip the Mars — a major feat in itself — the probe crashed into the martian surface somewhere west of the Hellas basin while a major dust storm churned across the planet.