The Mariner Mission to Mars (1965)

Duration: 5:40

Year Published: 1965

Sound: sound

Description: Produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, this partial government film provides a technical overview of the Mariner 4 mission. Conducted with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Mariner program oversaw a series of robotic interplanetary probes to Mars, Venus, and Mercury from 1962 to 1973. Mariner 4 was a flyby mission to Mars, launching from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on November 28, 1964. After a months-long journey, the spacecraft flew over Mars on July 14 and 15, 1965. This film was produced before Mariner 4 encountered Mars, sometime between March and July. It reviews the spacecraft’s launch, acquisition of solar power, and use of the Canopus star to direct its journey to Mars. The film also explains how technicians process the images that Mariner 4 sends.