Mariner 1
Mariner 1 was a NASA spacecraft. It was the first spacecraft in the Mariner program. Mariner 1 was planned to do a Venus fly-by. However, it was destroyed by the Range Safety Officer 293 seconds after launch. It was destroyed because the rocket moved off course and was a safety risk. Mariner 1 was followed by Mariner 2.
 Launch of Mariner 1 | |
| Mission type | Venus flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / JPL |
| COSPAR ID | |
| Mission duration | 4 minutes, 53 seconds Failed to orbit |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Mariner[source?] based on Ranger Block I |
| Manufacturer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 202.8 kilograms (447 lb) |
| Power | 220 watts (at Venus encounter) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | July 22, 1962, 09:21:23 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas LV-3 Agena-B |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-12 |
Why it was destroyed
The Atlas-Agena rocket was controlled by a hand-written formula:
- [math]\displaystyle{ \bar{\dot{R}_n} }[/math]
Which means "the nth smoothed value of the time derivative of a radius R". However, for this mission, an overline (‾) was missing in the formula, which looks something like this:
- [math]\displaystyle{ \dot{R}_n }[/math]
Because the smoothing function was missing, the rocket became sensitive at minor changes. Then, the rocket became out of control and destroyed by the Range Safety Officer.[1][2][3] Few years later, Arthur C. Clarke wrote that Mariner 1 was "wrecked by the most expensive hyphen in history".[4]
Mariner 1 Media
Mariner II trajectory projected on the ecliptic plane.
A diagram of Mariner 1 & 2.
Mariner 1 in JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility
The communications station at Woomera
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References
- ↑ Neumann, Peter. Mariner I – no holds BARred. Risks Digest 8 (75) (May 27, 1989). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ↑ Ceruzzi, Paul E. Ceruzzi. Beyond the Limits: Flight Enters the Computer Age (1989). ISBN 978-0262530828.
- ↑ Planetary Probe History. Space FAQ (August 2013). Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ↑ 'Clarke, Arthur C.. The Promise of Space (1968). p. 225.
Other websites
- Mariner 1NASA. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- Mariner 1NASA. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
- Mariner 1-2Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- "Venus Shot Fails as Rocket Strays". The New York Times. 23 July 1962. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0A16F63C59137B93C1AB178CD85F468685F9. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- Mariner 1Universe Today. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- Mariners 1 & 2ThinkQuest. Retrieved 2011-08-22.
- Neumann, Peter G.. Mariner I -- no holds BARred. The Risks Digest, Volume 8 Issue 75 8 (75) (30 May 1989)The Risks Digest. Retrieved 2011-08-23.
