SPACE — On November 13, 1971, Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to orbit Mars. The Mariner mission was spectacular because at that time scientists didn’t know much about the Red Planet.
NASA had carried out several flybys of Mars before Mariner 9. These flybys showed that Mars had a cratered surface, so some scientists thought Mars looked like the moon.
Mariner 9 then surprised them. When Mariner 9 reached Mars, it arrived in the middle of a dust storm. He saw several tall structures sticking up through the clouds.
When the dust settled, images from Mariner 9 revealed that the skyscraper was the peak of a massive volcano. One of Mars’ volcanoes, Olympus Mons, is the highest in the solar system.
Also Read: Today’s History: NASA Launches Apollo Astronauts into Orbit for the First Time
Mariner 9 also saw a large canyon called Valles Marineris. The area is five times longer than the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
Mariner 9 operated for one year in orbit of the Red Planet. When it ran out of fuel, NASA shut it down. But the spacecraft remains one of the most famous Mars rovers of all time. Source: Space.com
2023-11-13 13:44:00
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