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Mariner 9
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Mariner 9
Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a robotic spacecraft that contributed greatly to the exploration of Mars and was part of the NASA Mariner program. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971, from LC-36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and reached the planet on November 14 of the same year, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet – only narrowly beating the Soviet probes Mars 2 (launched May 19) and Mars 3 (launched May 28), both of which arrived at Mars only weeks later.
After the occurrence of dust storms on the planet for several months following its arrival, the orbiter managed to send back clear pictures of the surface. Mariner 9 successfully returned 7,329 images, covering 85% of Mars's surface, over the course of its mission, which concluded in October 1972.
Mariner 9 carried an instrument payload similar to Mariners 6 and 7, but because of the need for a larger propulsion system to control the spacecraft in Martian orbit, it weighed more than Mariners 6 and 7 combined (Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 weighed 413 kilograms while Mariner 9 weighed 997.9 kilograms).
The power for the spacecraft was provided by a total of 14,742 solar cells, being distributed between 4 solar panels, which in total resulted in 7.7 meters of solar panels being present in the spacecraft. The solar panels produced 500 watts in the orbit of Mars. The energy was stored in a 20 amp-hour (Ah) nickel-cadmium battery.
Propulsion was provided by the RS-2101a engine, which could produce 1340 N thrust, and in total could have 5 restarts. The engine was fueled by monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. For attitude control, the spacecraft contained 2 sets of 6 nitrogen jets on the tip of the solar panels. Attitude knowledge was provided by a Sun sensor, a Canopus star tracker, gyroscopes, an inertial reference unit, and an accelerometer. The thermal control was achieved by the use of louvers on the eight sides of the frame and thermal blankets.
The Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) studied the composition and density of Mars's upper atmosphere, detecting hydrogen, oxygen, and ozone. It worked on a wavelength range of 110–340 nm with a spectral resolution of 2.5 nm.
The instrument identified atomic hydrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere; provided data on the escape rates of these elements, influencing Mars's atmospheric evolution and mapped ozone distribution, showing seasonal variations.
The UVS was constructed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. The ultraviolet spectrometer team was led by Professor Charles Barth.
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Mariner 9
Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a robotic spacecraft that contributed greatly to the exploration of Mars and was part of the NASA Mariner program. Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971, from LC-36B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and reached the planet on November 14 of the same year, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet – only narrowly beating the Soviet probes Mars 2 (launched May 19) and Mars 3 (launched May 28), both of which arrived at Mars only weeks later.
After the occurrence of dust storms on the planet for several months following its arrival, the orbiter managed to send back clear pictures of the surface. Mariner 9 successfully returned 7,329 images, covering 85% of Mars's surface, over the course of its mission, which concluded in October 1972.
Mariner 9 carried an instrument payload similar to Mariners 6 and 7, but because of the need for a larger propulsion system to control the spacecraft in Martian orbit, it weighed more than Mariners 6 and 7 combined (Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 weighed 413 kilograms while Mariner 9 weighed 997.9 kilograms).
The power for the spacecraft was provided by a total of 14,742 solar cells, being distributed between 4 solar panels, which in total resulted in 7.7 meters of solar panels being present in the spacecraft. The solar panels produced 500 watts in the orbit of Mars. The energy was stored in a 20 amp-hour (Ah) nickel-cadmium battery.
Propulsion was provided by the RS-2101a engine, which could produce 1340 N thrust, and in total could have 5 restarts. The engine was fueled by monomethyl hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide. For attitude control, the spacecraft contained 2 sets of 6 nitrogen jets on the tip of the solar panels. Attitude knowledge was provided by a Sun sensor, a Canopus star tracker, gyroscopes, an inertial reference unit, and an accelerometer. The thermal control was achieved by the use of louvers on the eight sides of the frame and thermal blankets.
The Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) studied the composition and density of Mars's upper atmosphere, detecting hydrogen, oxygen, and ozone. It worked on a wavelength range of 110–340 nm with a spectral resolution of 2.5 nm.
The instrument identified atomic hydrogen and oxygen in the upper atmosphere; provided data on the escape rates of these elements, influencing Mars's atmospheric evolution and mapped ozone distribution, showing seasonal variations.
The UVS was constructed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado. The ultraviolet spectrometer team was led by Professor Charles Barth.
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