Mariner Program
Pioneering The Inner Solar System
| Type | Duration | Targets | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mariner 1 | - | - | Launch Failure |
| Mariner 2 | - | - | Success (Venus) |
| Mariner 3 | - | - | Launch Failure |
| Mariner 4 | - | - | Success (Mars) |
| Mariner 5 | - | - | Success (Venus) |
| Mariner 6 | - | - | Success (Mars) |
| Mariner 7 | - | - | Success (Mars) |
| Mariner 8 | - | - | Launch Failure |
| Mariner 9 | - | - | Success (Mars) |
| Mariner 10 | - | - | Success (Venus, Mercury) |
The Mariners were a series of twin spacecraft. Each launched on a different rocket in case of problems with the other. Mariner 1, Mariner 3, and Mariner 8 were lost during launch, but their backups were successful. All remaining Mariners completed their scientific missions.
What did we learn from the Mariner missions?
- Engineers learned that interplanetary exploration was workable with small, low-cost spacecraft. Missions could be developed in a few years and survive in space for a few years.
- Scientists learned a great deal about the surfaces of Mars and Mercury. They gathered new details about the atmospheres of Mars and Venus and the solar system. All three planets visited proved to be very different from Earth.
- Venus, whose surface is not visible from space, had a dense carbon dioxide atmosphere. Clouds covering a hot surface made it even hotter by the atmosphere’s “greenhouse effect.”
- Mercury, not quite so hot as Venus, had an airless, cratered surface like the Moon,
- Mariner 9 revealed great volcanoes and valleys on Mars. It found the planet had a very thin, cold atmosphere, mostly of carbon dioxide.
Mariners laid the groundwork for all the deep space exploration missions that followed.
ACCESS PROJECT MARINER
“
Godspeed. May the current be with you, and the currents of faith lead you to where you need to be.
Corey Spicer