Mariner 6 and 7 comprised a dual-spacecraft mission to Mars, the sixth and
seventh missions in the Mariner series of spacecraft used for planetary exploration in the
flyby mode. The primary objectives of the missions
were to study and conduct experiments on
the surface and atmosphere of Mars during close flybys to establish the basis for future
investigations, particularly those relevant to the search for extraterrestrial life, and
to demonstrate and develop technologies required for future Mars missions and other
long-duration missions far from the Sun. Mariner 6 also had the objective of providing
experience and data which would be useful in programming the Mariner 7 encounter 5 days
later. Each spacecraft carried a wide- and narrow-angle television camera, an infrared
spectroscope, an infrared radiometer, and an ultraviolet spectroscope. The spacecraft were
oriented entirely to planetary data
acquisition, and no data were obtained during the trip to Mars or beyond Mars.