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Mariners 6
and 7 were designed to fly over the equator and southern hemisphere of
Mars. Mariner 6 encountered Mars on July 31,1969 and was quickly followed
by Mariner 7 on August 4, 1969. The two spacecraft returned a
combined total of 143 approach pictures of the planet and 55 close-up
pictures. These images, from the vehicles' television cameras, included
pictures of the northern and southern polar caps as well as Phobos, one
of Mars' two  moons. The spacecraft also studied the Martian atmosphere
and profiled its chemical composition. Closest approach to Mars for both
spacecraft was approximately 3,550 kilometers. The cost of the two
missions was $148 million. Spacecraft The eight sided magnesium
structure contained seven electronics compartments. One small hydrazine
rocket engine used for trajectory corrections. Solar panels generated
830 W maximum (450 watts at Mars). AgZn batteries. Dual S-Band
transmitters provided telemetry at 8.33 and 16200 bps. 3-axis stabilized
to 0.05 deg using 12 cold gas jets. 157 Mbits data storage. Payload The
planetary experiments (59 kg) included two television cameras, an
infrared radiometer, an infrared spectrometer, and an ultraviolet
spectrometer. These sensors took TV pictures of Mars and measured the
ratio of refractivity and UV and IR emissions of the atmosphere. |
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Quick
Facts
|
| Country
of Origin |
United
States |
| Customer/User |
NASA |
| Size |
3.35
m from scan platform to top of LGA |
| Orbit |
Solar
orbit - Direct flyby trajectories. |
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