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Mariner 8 (Mariner H)

Mariner 8 (Mariner H)

Designed to be the first American spacecraft to study the Red Planet from a Martian orbit, Mariner 8 (also called Mariner H) fell victim to a malfunction in the stage's flight-control system shortly after launch.

Mission Statistics

Launch Date

May 8, 1971

Type

Orbiter

Target

Mars

Status

Past

About the mission

Designed to be the first American spacecraft to study the Red Planet from a Martian orbit, Mariner 8 (also called Mariner H) fell victim to a malfunction in the stage's flight-control system shortly after launch.

However, Mariner 9, the second of the pair of spacecraft created under NASA's Mariner Mars 71 project, successfully took on Mariner 8's objective to map 70 percent of the Martian surface.

Instruments

  • Infrared radiometer
  • Ultraviolet spectrometer
  • Infrared interferometer spectrometer

More about Mars

Image .

Leading Up to Flight 50

Image .

'Castell Henllys' From Above

News .

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures View of Mars’ Belva Crater

Image .

Perseverance Takes in View at Belva Crater

Image .

Icy Cliffs at the Martian North Pole

Image .

Glacier-like Features on Mars

Image .

Ridges in Lycus Sulci

Image .

Complicated Lava Cooling

News .

Images From NASA’s Perseverance May Show Record of Wild Martian River

Image .

Curved Bands of Rocks at 'Skrinkle Haven'

Mariner 8 Information on Solar System Exploration
Mariner 8 Information on National Space Science Data Center

Explore Other Missions

Mariner 7

MarCO

Mariner 9 (Mariner I)

InSight

Mars Climate Orbiter

Mariner 6

Opportunity Rover

Mariner 3

Mariner 4

Perseverance Rover

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