Mariner 2
The Mariner 2 spacecraft was designed and built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology. Mariner 2 was launched on August 27, 1962 and was the second space craft of the Mariners series. The second space craft was a supporter of the Mariner 1 mission that failed after it was launched to Venus. This space ship after Mariner 2 was the first American space crafts that successfully encountered another planet. The mission of Mariner 2 was to fly to Venus and send the information regarding the atmosphere, mass and magnetic field of the planet. Mariner 2 approached the Sun on December 14, 1962 from 30 degrees from the dark side of the planet with the closest distance of 34,773 km (216,069 miles). After the encounter Venus the space craft turned back to cruise mode and took place in the distance of 105,464,560 km (65.243, 975, 184, 920, 1 mile). The scientific results of this exploration were no measurable magnetic field, high surface pressure and hot surface temperature, a mostly carbon dioxide atmosphere, and constant cloud shield with a top altitude of about 60 km (37.2823 mile). The last transmission of Mariner 2 was in January 1963. The space craft remains around the Venus orbit.
Mariner 4
Mariner 4was the back up for Mariner 3 that launched on November 5, 1964 but its rocket did not open and the mission failed. Mariner 4 launched on November 28, 1964 and traveled around the solar orbit until 1967, after which the Mariner 5 was launched. Mariner 4 was the 4th in a series of Mariners space crafts for planetary exploration. Mariner 4 was the first space craft that took close pictures of Mars, close as 9,846 km (6118.02 mile). The mission of this space craft was to get close to Mars and take pictures and transmit those to Earth when the distance to Earth was 309.2 million km (192.127973 mile) and earn scientific observation of the atmosphere and environment. The taken images showed Mars as the cratered terrain and the surface pressure of 4.1 to 7.0 mb and daytime temperatures of -100 degrees were valued and no magnetic field was identified. On December 7th, the gas supply of Mariner 4 was exhausted and on December 10 and 11 a total of 83 micrometeoroid hits were recorded which caused the discontinuance of the signals strength. On December 21, 1967 communications with Mariner 4 ended. The total cost of the Mariner 4 mission is valued at $83.2 million.
This is in response to the Mariner 2 post:
ReplyDeleteIt is very interesting to know that even back in the 60’s technology was so modern that they sent a spacecraft to explore. I guess one always sees technology as being in the present and not in the past. However, it is very interesting that they explored Venus; I would have thought that they would explore Mars like they are doing today. I also wonder if they thought that maybe some day in the future humans could live there. I am not really up to date on my space knowledge, but I have heard that they are trying to find if people can live in Mars sometime in the near future. So who knows maybe they knew something that we were not aware of.
-Maria Marquez
This is in response to the Mariner 4 post:
ReplyDeleteI liked how they did not give up on their research and even though some of their spacecraft’s failed, they continued to research. I guess they answered my own question by sending Mariner 4 to explore Mars. However, it is ridiculous how much that whole mission cost. But it was for a good cause, and I am sure our space researchers appreciate all of the work that was done in the past. It is still fascinating to me that even back in the day people had the supplies to create such amazing inventions. I am never going to get over the idea that so many amazing inventions were created before I was even born.
-Maria Marquez
Mariner 2
ReplyDeleteI must say that I am grateful on how technology has improved during the decade. It is almost hard to believe that this was actually happening; after the first Mariner failed, they did not give up but kept finding other resources on how to build a stronger craft. How they came up with the idea of building the Mariner that will actually capture the surface of Venus, is something that is remarkable and overall, I can conclude that it was a great work with such poor technology during the decade; and people should be thankful to have such accomplishments.
Mariner 4
ReplyDeleteI would say that is quiet ironic. First mariner does not make it but second makes it; and then third does not make it but fourth makes it. Well one must say that they did not sleep after each failure; they can do better on the next mission, because it looks like first and third were actually a test and it was a hard work to actually get one done. But well gratitude goes to the engineers who came up with how to build these ships. After all they were always one that makes it and comes back and that would be victory for every American.
Both 3 and 4 posts BY Aline Niyonzima
In response to Mariner 2 and Mariner 4
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the Mariner 2 is still in Venus's orbit. Space is cluttered with man-made technologies that just sit in the orbit of earth. Some of them even fall to earth and we call them shooting stars. They appear to be stars falling because they are burning and are usually totally destroyed by the time they reach earth. And no wonder the president just canceled NASA. $83 Million is a lot of money to find out such little information. I hope NASA is reopened later in America but we can't afford that kind of exploration anymore. Still, without the 60s we wouldn't know very much at all today and the Russians would've been ahead of us in the space race.
- John Osorio