Exploring Mars The Legacy of NASA's Mariner 9 Mission Part 1
2NASA's Mariner 9 mission was the first spacecraft to successfully orbit and study Mars, making a major contribution to our understanding of the Red Planet. Launched in 1971, Mariner 9 reached Mars in November of that year and began its mission to map the planet and study its atmosphere, surface features, and geology.
One of the most significant achievements of the Mariner 9 mission was its mapping of the planet's surface. Prior to Mariner 9, the only images of Mars that existed were taken from Earth, which provided only limited and often blurry views. Mariner 9's cameras, however, captured more than 7,000 images of the planet, revealing a wealth of information about its topography, geology, and weather patterns.
The mission also provided important insights into the planet's atmosphere, which was found to be primarily composed of carbon dioxide, with small amounts of nitrogen and argon. Mariner 9 also discovered evidence of dust storms, which can cover much of the planet's surface and impact its weather patterns.
Another major finding of the Mariner 9 mission was the discovery of the largest volcano in the solar system, Olympus Mons, which is nearly three times the height of Mount Everest. The mission also confirmed the existence of canyons and valleys on the planet's surface, including the massive Valles Marineris, which is the largest canyon in the solar system.
The data collected by Mariner 9 also helped to provide a foundation for future Mars missions, including the Viking program, which sent two landers to the planet in 1976, and the Mars Global Surveyor, which mapped the planet's surface in greater detail in the late 1990s.
Overall, the legacy of the Mariner 9 mission is significant, as it provided a wealth of information about Mars that has helped to shape our understanding of the planet and its potential for supporting life. The success of the mission also paved the way for future exploration of the Red Planet, which continues to this day.