Mariner 9
Organization	NASA
Mission type	Orbiter
Satellite of	Mars
Orbital insertion date	November 13, 1971
Launch date	May 30, 1971 at 22:23:00 UTC
Launch vehicle	Atlas-Centaur SLV-3C launch vehicle
Mission duration	May 30, 1971 to October 27, 1972
NSSDC ID	1971-051A
Mass	558. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Atlas is a family of US space Launch vehicles The original Atlas missile was designed in the late 1950s Centaur is a Rocket stage designed for use as the upper stage of space Launch vehicles Centaur boosts its Satellite payload to its final Orbit Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The International Designator (or NSSDC ID) is an international naming convention for Satellites It consists of the launch year a 3-digit incrementing launch number 8 kg
Power	500 W
Orbital elements
Eccentricity	. The elements of an orbit are the parameters needed to specify that Orbit uniquely given a model of two point-masses obeying the Newtonian laws of motion and the In Astrodynamics, under standard assumptions, any Orbit must be of Conic section shape 6014
Inclination	64. Inclination in general is the Angle between a Reference plane and another plane or axis of direction 4°
Orbital period	719. The orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete Orbit about another object 47 m
Apoapsis	16860 km
Periapsis	1650 km

Mariner 9 (Mariner Mars '71 / Mariner-I) was a NASA space probe orbiter that helped in the exploration of Mars and was part of the Mariner program. In Celestial mechanics, an apsis, plural apsides (ˈæpsɨdɪːz is the point of greatest or least distance of the Elliptical orbit of an object from In Celestial mechanics, an apsis, plural apsides (ˈæpsɨdɪːz is the point of greatest or least distance of the Elliptical orbit of an object from The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The Mariner program was a program conducted by the American space agency NASA that launched a series of robotic interplanetary probes Mariner 9 was launched toward Mars on May 30, 1971 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and reached the planet on November 13 of the same year, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet — only narrowly beating Soviet Mars 2 and Mars 3, which both arrived within a month. Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Year 1971 ( MCMLXXI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS is a detachment of the 45th Space Wing (45 SW Patrick AFB provides headquarters functions from the 45 SW a major airfield Events 1002 - English king Ethelred orders the killing of all Danes in England, known today as the St A planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU is a celestial body Orbiting a Star or stellar remnant that is The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned Landers and Orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. The Mars program was a series of Mars unmanned Landers and Orbiters launched by the Soviet Union in the early 1970s. After months of dust-storms it managed to send back surprisingly clear pictures of the surface.

Objectives

Mariner 9 launch

Mariner 9 was designed to continue the atmospheric studies begun by Mariner 6 and 7, and to map over 70% of the Martian surface from the lowest altitude (1500 kilometers [about 900 miles]) and at the highest resolutions (1 kilometer per pixel to 100 meters per pixel) of any Mars mission up to that time. As part of the wider Mariner program, in 1969 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 ( Mariner Mars 69A / 69B completed the first dual mission to Mars, flying over the An infrared radiometer was included to detect heat sources as evidence of volcanic activity. Infrared ( IR) radiation is Electromagnetic radiation whose Wavelength is longer than that of Visible light, but shorter than that of A radiometer is a device for measuring the radiant flux (power of Electromagnetic radiation. Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the It was to study temporal changes in the Martian atmosphere and surface. Mars' two moons were also to be analyzed. Mariner 9 more than met its objectives.

Instruments

1. Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS)
2. Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer (IRIS)
3. Celestial Mechanics
4. S-Band Occultation
5. Infrared Radiometer (IRR)
6. Television Photography

Achievements

Mariner 9 view of the Noctis Labyrinthus "labyrinth" at the western end of Valles Marineris. Noctis Labyrinthus, "the labyrinth of the night" is a region of Mars between the Valles Marineris and the Tharsis upland Valles Marineris ( Latin for Mariner Valleys, named after the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter

Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. A spacecraft is a Vehicle or machine designed for Spaceflight. In Physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of one object around a point or another body for example the gravitational orbit of a planet around a star A planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU is a celestial body Orbiting a Star or stellar remnant that is It carried an instrument payload similar to Mariner 6 and 7, but, because of the need for a larger propulsion system to control the spacecraft in Mars orbit, it weighed more than Mariners 6 and 7 combined. As part of the wider Mariner program, in 1969 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 ( Mariner Mars 69A / 69B completed the first dual mission to Mars, flying over the When Mariner 9 arrived at Mars, the atmosphere was so dusty that the surface was obscured. An atmosphere (from Greek ατμός - atmos, " Vapor " + σφαίρα - sphaira, " Sphere " Dust is a general name for minute Solid particles with Diameters less than 500 micrometers. This unexpected situation made a strong case for the desirability of studying a planet from orbit rather than merely flying past. Mariner 9's computer was thus programmed from Earth to delay imaging of the surface for a couple of months until the dust settled. After 349 days in orbit, Mariner 9 had transmitted 7,329 images, covering over 80% of Mars' surface. The images revealed river beds, craters, massive extinct volcanoes (such as Olympus Mons, the largest known volcano in the Solar System), canyons (including the Valles Marineris, a system of canyons over about 2,500 miles (4,020 km) long), evidence of wind and water erosion and deposition, weather fronts, fogs, and more. "Riverine" redirects here For the use of that term in Maritime geography, see there In the broadest sense the term impact crater can be applied to any depression natural or manmade resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Olympus Mons ( Latin for "Mount Olympus" is the highest known Volcano and Mountain in the Solar System. The Solar System consists of the Sun and those celestial objects bound to it by Gravity. For the song see CANYONMID. For the band see Canyon (band. A canyon (rarely cañon) or gorge Valles Marineris ( Latin for Mariner Valleys, named after the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter Erosion is the carrying away or displacement of solids ( Sediment, Soil, rock and other particles usually by the agents of currents such as wind Fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground Mars' tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos, were also photographed. A natural satellite or moon is a Celestial body that Orbits a Planet or smaller body which is called the primary. TemplateInfobox Planet.--> Deimos (ˈdaɪməs; also /ˈdiːməs/ The findings from the Mariner 9 missions underpinned the later Viking program. NASA 's Viking program consisted of a pair of space probes sent to Mars, Viking 1 and Viking 2.

The enormous Valles Marineris canyon system is named after Mariner 9 in honour of its achievements. Valles Marineris ( Latin for Mariner Valleys, named after the Mariner 9 Mars orbiter

After depleting its supply of attitude control gas, the spacecraft was turned off on 27 October 1972. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1972 ( MCMLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Construction

The ultraviolet spectrometer aboard Mariner 9 was constructed by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays A spectrometer is an Optical instrument used to measure properties of Light over a specific portion of the Electromagnetic spectrum, typically used The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics ( LASP) is a research organization at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Present location

Mariner 9 is still in Mars orbit, stable until at least 2022, after which the spacecraft will enter the Martian atmosphere.

See also

• Exploration of Mars
• Space exploration
• Unmanned space missions

External links

• Mariner 9 Mission Profile by NASA's Solar System Exploration
• NSSDC Master Catalog: Spacecraft - Mariner 9
• NASA-JPL Guide to Mariner 9