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Launch Date:
November 28, 1964

Encounter:
July 14, 1965

Weight:
575 pounds, 60 pounds instruments

Instruments:
Television Camera, Solar Plasma probe, Ionization chamber, Trapped radiation detector, Helium vector magnetometer, Cosmia ray telescope, Cosmic dust detector

Project Manager:
Jack N. James


Project Scientist:
Richard K. Sloan

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MARINER 4
(Mars Fly-By)

Mariner 4 gave scientists their first glimpse of Mars at close range, putting to rest the myths of the late 19th century that the red planet may have harbored an advanced civilization. Mariner 4 cruised for 228 days before it reached Mars, passing at an altitude of 9,846 km from the Martian surface. The television camera recorded 21 images of the surface, bringing to earth the first close up pictures of Mars.

IMAGES





The first close-up image ever taken from Mars. The hazy areas may be clouds.


This image shows the Mariner crater, the crater after which Mariner was named. The image covers a region approximately 250 km x 254 km.

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