Mariner 4

Mariner 4 was a NASA spacecraft. It was the fourth spacecraft in the Mariner program. It was sent on a Mars flyby mission. It was the first successful mission to Mars. The spacecraft was launched on November 28, 1964 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Mariner 4 reached Mars after an eight-month journey. The spacecraft became the first spacecraft to take close-up photographs of another planet. The spacecraft also had other instruments to study the atmosphere of Mars.

Mariner 4
Mariner 3 and 4.jpg
The Mariner 4 spacecraft
Mission typeMars flyby
OperatorNASA / JPL
COSPAR ID1964-077A
SATCAT no.942
Mission duration3 years, 23 days
Spacecraft properties
ManufacturerJet Propulsion Laboratory
Launch mass260.8 kilograms (575 lb)
Power310 watts (at Mars encounter)
Start of mission
Launch dateNovember 28, 1964, 14:22:01 (1964-11-28UTC14:22:01Z) UTC
RocketAtlas LV-3 Agena-D
Launch siteCape Canaveral LC-12
End of mission
Last contactDecember 21, 1967
Orbital parameters
Reference systemHeliocentric
Semi-major axis199,591,220 kilometers (124,020,230 mi)
Eccentricity0.17024754
Perihelion165,611,300 kilometers (102,906,100 mi)
Aphelion233,571,130 kilometers (145,134,370 mi)
Inclination2.51 degrees
Period562.888 days
Flyby of Mars
Closest approachJuly 15, 1965, 01:00:57 UTC
Distance9,846 kilometers (6,118 miles)
Instruments
Cosmic dust detector
Cosmic ray telescope
Geiger counter/ionization chamber
Helium magnetometer
Solar plasma probe
Trapped radiation detector
TV camera
 

The total cost of the Mariner 4 mission is estimated at $83.2 million. Total research, development, launch, and support costs for the Mariner series of spacecraft (Mariners 1 through 10) was approximately $554 million.

Mariner 4 Media

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