 | |
| Mission type | Mars flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / JPL |
| COSPAR ID | 1964-077A |
| SATCAT no. | 942 |
| Mission duration | 3 years, 23 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 260.8 kilograms (575 lb)[1] |
| Power | 310 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 28, 1964, 14:22:01 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas LV-3 Agena-D |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-12 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | December 21, 1967 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Heliocentric |
| Semi-major axis | 199,591,220 kilometers (124,020,230 mi) |
| Eccentricity | 0.17322[2] |
| Perihelion altitude | 166,052,670 kilometers (103,180,350 mi)[2] |
| Aphelion altitude | 234,867,290 kilometers (145,939,770 mi)[2] |
| Inclination | 2.544 degrees[2] |
| Period | 567.11 days[2] |
| Epoch | July 14, 1965, 21:00:57 UTC[2] |
| Flyby of Mars | |
| Closest approach | July 15, 1965, 01:00:57 UTC |
| Distance | 9,846 kilometers (6,118 miles) |
| Flyby of D/1895 Q1 (Swift) (Incidental) | |
| Closest approach | September 15, 1967 |
| Distance | 20,000,000 km (12,000,000 mi) |
| Instruments | |
| Cosmic dust detector Cosmic ray telescope Geiger counter/ionization chamber Helium magnetometer Solar plasma probe Trapped radiation detector TV camera | |
Mariner 4 (together with Mariner 3 known as Mariner-Mars 1964) was the fourth in a series of spacecraft intended for planetary exploration in a flyby mode. It was designed to conduct closeup scientific observations of Mars and to transmit these observations to Earth. Launched on November 28, 1964,[2] Mariner 4 performed the first successful flyby of the planet Mars, returning the first close-up pictures of the Martian surface. It captured the first images of another planet ever returned from deep space; their depiction of a cratered, dead planet largely changed the scientific community's view of life on Mars.[3][4] Other mission objectives were to perform field and particle measurements in interplanetary space in the vicinity of Mars and to provide experience in and knowledge of the engineering capabilities for interplanetary flights of long duration. Initially expected to remain in space for eight months, Mariner 4's mission lasted about three years in solar orbit.[5] On December 21, 1967, communications with Mariner 4 were terminated.
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