Mariner 4, launched on November 28, 1964, embarked on an eight-month journey to Mars. On July 14, 1965, it flew past the planet, capturing the first-ever close-up images of another world. The photographs revealed lunar-like impact craters, some dusted with frost in the cold Martian evening. Although its primary mission ended after the Mars flyby, Mariner 4 continued to operate for about three years in solar orbit, conducting long-term studies of the solar wind and collaborating with Mariner 5, which was launched to Venus in 1967. The mission dramatically reshaped scientific understanding of the possibility of life on Mars.
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| Mariner 4 launch cover, postmarked Cape Canaveral, November 28, 1964, signed by Jack N. James (Project Manager of the Mariner Program), Dr. Robert J. Parks (Planetary Program Director of Jet Propulsion Laboratory), Dan Schneiderman (Mariner Spacecraft System Manager), Dr. John A. Simpson (Principal Investigator), Dr. Joseph J. O'Gallagher (Other Investigator). |
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| Photo: Launch of Mariner 4 on November 28, 1964. |
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| Mariner 4 launch cover, postmarked at Cape Canaveral on November 28, 1964. Signed by William Hayward Pickering, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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| Scene at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., July 13, 1965, where the engineers and scientist were anxiously awaiting Mariner 4's encounter with Mars on July 14, 1965. |
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| Photo: From left to right, Jack N. James, W. A. Collier, Dan Schneiderman at Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., on July 14, 1965, the day Mariner 4 was expected to fly by Mars. |
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| Mariner 4 fly-by Mars cover, postmarked at Cape Canaveral on July 14, 1965. Signed by William Hayward Pickering, Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
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| Photo: The surface of Mars taken by Mariner 4 on July 14, 1965. |
(Reference from
NASA Facts - Mariner to Mercury, Venus and Mars)
