AST 111 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Mariner 9, Mariner 4, Solar System
6 Jun 2020
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Mariner 4 flyby mission that returned the first close up pictures and revealed the presence of impact craters on the surface. It only covered a small part of the martian surface and so the initial impression was that mars may be somewhat like the moon. Mariner 9 the first spacecraft to go into orbit around mars, showed that the terrain was much more varied than the moon-like appearance suggested by mariner 4. As well as the cratered regions mariner 9 discovered giant volcanoes and canyon systems. Viking - dual orbiter/landers and so each spacecraft consisted of both an orbiter and a lander. Both landers were successful and the viking lander remained operational for 6 years, operating as a weather station returning information on martian weather systems. Both vikings carried out experiments to search for the presence of life. Mars global surveyor spent 10 years observing mars from orbit with a range of instruments.
