Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
space probe orbiter that helped in the exploration of
MarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance, due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface....
and was part of the
Mariner programThe Mariner program was a program conducted by the American space agency NASA that launched a series of robotic interplanetary probes designed to investigate Mars, Venus and Mercury...
. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971 from
Cape Canaveral Air Force StationThe Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing , headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, CCAFS is the primary Launch Head of the Eastern Range...
and reached the planet on November 13 of the same year, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another
planetA planet , is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
— only narrowly beating
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
Mars 2The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s.The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbiter and an attached lander; they were the first human artifacts to impact the surface of Mars...
and
Mars 3The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s.The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbiter and an attached lander; they were the first human artifacts to touch down on Mars...
, which both arrived within a month. After months of dust-storms it managed to send back clear pictures of the surface.
Mariner 9 was designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun by
Mariner 6 and 7As part of the wider Mariner program, in 1969 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 completed the first dual mission to Mars, flying over the equator and south polar regions and analysing atmosphere and surface with remote sensors as well as recording and relaying hundreds of pictures...
, and to map over 70% of the Martian surface from the lowest altitude (1500 kilometers [about 900 miles]) and at the highest resolutions (1 kilometer per pixel to 100 meters per pixel) of any Mars mission up to that time.
Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established by the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, replacing its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for...
space probe orbiter that helped in the exploration of
MarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance, due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface....
and was part of the
Mariner programThe Mariner program was a program conducted by the American space agency NASA that launched a series of robotic interplanetary probes designed to investigate Mars, Venus and Mercury...
. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971 from
Cape Canaveral Air Force StationThe Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing , headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the State of Florida, CCAFS is the primary Launch Head of the Eastern Range...
and reached the planet on November 13 of the same year, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another
planetA planet , is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
— only narrowly beating
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
Mars 2The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s.The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbiter and an attached lander; they were the first human artifacts to impact the surface of Mars...
and
Mars 3The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s.The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbiter and an attached lander; they were the first human artifacts to touch down on Mars...
, which both arrived within a month. After months of dust-storms it managed to send back clear pictures of the surface.
Objectives
Mariner 9 was designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun by
Mariner 6 and 7As part of the wider Mariner program, in 1969 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 completed the first dual mission to Mars, flying over the equator and south polar regions and analysing atmosphere and surface with remote sensors as well as recording and relaying hundreds of pictures...
, and to map over 70% of the Martian surface from the lowest altitude (1500 kilometers [about 900 miles]) and at the highest resolutions (1 kilometer per pixel to 100 meters per pixel) of any Mars mission up to that time. An
infraredInfrared radiation is electromagnetic radiation whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light , but shorter than that of terahertz radiation and microwaves...
radiometerA radiometer is a device for measuring the radiant flux of electromagnetic radiation. Generally, the term “radiometer” denotes an infrared radiation detector, yet it also comprises detectors operating on any electromagnetic wavelength, e.g...
was included to detect heat sources as evidence of
volcanic3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
activity. It was to study temporal changes in the Martian atmosphere and surface. Mars' two moons were also to be analyzed. Mariner 9 more than met its objectives.
Experiments
- Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS)
- Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS)
- Celestial Mechanics (not a separate instrument; it relied upon tracking measurements including range, range rate, and Doppler)
- S-Band Occultation (not a separate instrument; experiment observed the attenuation of the communication signal as the orbiting satellite passed out of view)
- Infrared Radiometer (IRR)
- Visual Imaging System
Achievements
Mariner 9 was the first
spacecraftA spacecraft is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. On a sub-orbital spaceflight, a spacecraft enters space then returns to the Earth. For an orbital spaceflight, a spacecraft enters a closed orbit around the planetary body. Spacecraft used for human spaceflight carry people on board as...
to
orbitIn physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body, for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star....
another
planetA planet , is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
. It carried an instrument payload similar to
Mariner 6 and 7As part of the wider Mariner program, in 1969 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 completed the first dual mission to Mars, flying over the equator and south polar regions and analysing atmosphere and surface with remote sensors as well as recording and relaying hundreds of pictures...
, but, because of the need for a larger propulsion system to control the spacecraft in
MarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance, due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface....
orbit, it weighed more than Mariners 6 and 7 combined. When Mariner 9 arrived at Mars, the atmosphere was so
dustDust is a general name for minute solid particles with diameters less than 20 thou . Particles in the atmosphere arise from various sources such as soil dust lifted up by wind, volcanic eruptions, and pollution...
y that the surface was obscured. This unexpected situation made a strong case for the desirability of studying a planet from orbit rather than merely flying past. Mariner 9's computer was thus programmed from Earth to delay imaging of the surface for a couple of months until the dust settled. After 349 days in orbit, Mariner 9 had transmitted 7,329 images, covering 100% of Mars' surface. The images revealed
riverA river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing toward an ocean, a lake, a sea or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water...
beds,
craterIn the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with a larger body...
s, massive extinct
volcano3. Conduit
4. Base
5. Sill
6. Dike
7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano
8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano
10. Throat
11. Parasitic cone
12. Lava flow
13. Vent
14. Crater
15...
es (such as
Olympus MonsOlympus Mons is the tallest known volcano and mountain in the Solar System and was formed during the Amazonian epoch. It is located on the planet Mars at approximately 18°N 133°W / 18, -133. It is three times as tall as Mount Everest...
, the largest known volcano in the
Solar SystemThe Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by gravity, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago...
),
canyonA canyon, or gorge, is a deep valley between cliffs often carved from the landscape by a river. Most canyons were formed by a process of long-time erosion from a plateau level. The cliffs form because harder rock strata that are resistant to erosion and weathering remain exposed on the valley walls...
s (including the
Valles MarinerisValles Marineris is system that runs along the Martian east of the Tharsis region...
, a system of canyons over about long), evidence of wind and water
erosionErosion is a gravity driven process that moves solids in the natural environment or their source and deposits them elsewhere...
and deposition, weather fronts,
fogFog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground. A cloud may be considered partly fog; for example, the part of a cloud that is suspended in the air above the ground is not considered fog, whereas the part of the cloud that comes in contact with higher ground is considered fog...
s, and more. Mars' tiny
moonA natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called the primary. Technically, the term natural satellite could refer to a planet orbiting a star, or a dwarf galaxy orbiting a major galaxy, but it is normally synonymous with moon and used to identify...
s,
PhobosPhobos is the larger and closer of two small moons of Mars, the other being Deimos. It is named after the Greek god Phobos , a son of Ares...
and
DeimosDeimos , is the smaller and outer of Mars’ two moons . It is named after Deimos, a figure representing dread in Greek Mythology. Its systematic designation is '.-Discovery:...
, were also photographed. The findings from the Mariner 9 missions underpinned the later
Viking programNASA's Viking program consisted of a pair of space probes sent to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2. Each vehicle was composed of two main parts, an orbiter designed to photograph the surface of Mars from orbit, and a lander designed to study the planet from the surface...
.
The enormous
Valles MarinerisValles Marineris is system that runs along the Martian east of the Tharsis region...
canyon system is named after Mariner 9 in honor of its achievements.
After depleting its supply of attitude control gas, the spacecraft was turned off on 27 October, 1972.
Construction
The
ultravioletUltraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than x-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
spectrometerA spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. The variable measured is most often the light's intensity but could also, for instance, be the polarization...
aboard Mariner 9 was constructed by the
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space PhysicsThe Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics is a research organization at the University of Colorado at Boulder. LASP is a research institute with over 100 research scientists ranging in fields from solar influences, to Earth's and other planetary atmospherics processes, space weather, space...
at the University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. The ultraviolet spectrometer team was led by Professor Charles Barth.
The Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS) team was led by Dr. Rudolf A. Hanel from NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center (GSFC). The IRIS instrument was built by Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX.
The Infrared Radiometer (IRR) team was led by Professor Gerald Neugebauer from the California Insitute of Technology (Caltech).
Present location
Mariner 9 is still in Mars orbit, stable until at least 2022, after which the spacecraft will enter the Martian atmosphere.
See also
- Exploration of Mars
The exploration of Mars has been an important part of the space exploration programs of the Soviet Union , the United States, Europe, and Japan. Dozens of robotic spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been launched toward Mars since the 1960s...
- Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
- Unmanned space missions
External links