#mariner 6

[humanoidhistory]

TODAY IN HISTORY: On July 31, 1969, the Mariner 6 space probe makes its closest approach to planet Mars, snapping 26 images of the Martian surface.

(Arizona State University)

[marsmissiontournament]

Mars Mission Tournament Round 1 Match 5

Mariner 6 vs Mariner 7

(twin spacecraft get one picture)

Read about the spacecraft here.

Which of these early Mars orbiters is your favourite?

Mariner 6

Mariner 7

Voting ended onApr 20, 2023

[marsmissiontournament]

Meet the Contestants: Mariner 6 & 7

Mariner 6 and 7 spacecraft [NASA]

Mariner 6 and 7 were two nearly identical spacecraft which preformed flybys of Mars following the success of Mariner 4.

Mariner 6 launched on February 25, 1969, and reached its closest approach on July 31, 1969 (just 11 days after the Apollo 11 landing!). Mariner 7 launched a month later, on March 27 1969, and made its closest approach on August 5 of the same year.

On July 31, as Mariner 6 was making its closest approach, NASA lost telemetry from Mariner 7, and it switched to its low-gain antenna until the high gain became operational again.

Altogether the spacecraft took 201 pictures between them (75 by Mariner 6, 126 by Mariner 7) and got up-close images of 20% of the surface including the south pole. They also determined that Mars’ thin atmosphere was mostly composed of CO2, and to confirm that there were traces of water on Mars’ surface.

Read more on the NASA Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 sites.

Tune in for round 1 of the Mars Mission Tournament, when these spacecraft go head to head.

[humanoidhistory]

July 31, 1969 -- The Mariner 6 space probe makes its closest approach to planet Mars, snapping 26 images of the Martian surface.

(Arizona State University)