The primary goal of the Mariner 10 was to study the atmosphere (if any), surface and physical characteristics of Mercury . Soon after leaving Earth orbit, the spacecraft returned striking photos of both Earth and the Moon as it sped to its first destination, Venus.
What was the purpose of the Mariner missions?
Between 1962 and late 1973, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) designed and built 10 robotic interplanetary probes named Mariner to explore the inner Solar System – visiting the planets Venus, Mars and Mercury for the first time, and returning to Venus and Mars for additional close observations .
What did Mariner 10 learn about Mercury?
Scientists believed that Mercury’s magnetic field came from within the planet rather than being generated through the planet’s interaction with the solar wind. Mariner 10 detected a faint helium atmosphere around the solar system’s innermost planet.
When was Mariner 10 launched and what did this spacecraft do?
Mariner 10 was an American robotic space probe launched by NASA on 3 November 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus . It was the first spacecraft to perform flybys of multiple planets. Mariner 10 was launched approximately two years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program.
What was the purpose of Mariner 2?
Mariner 2 was a backup for the Mariner 1 mission which failed shortly after launch to Venus. The objective of the Mariner 2 mission was to fly by Venus and return data on the planet’s atmosphere, magnetic field, charged particle environment, and mass .
Why did the Mariner 3 fail?
Although the launch was initially successful, there was a separation issue and Mariner 3 stopped responding when its batteries ran out of power . It was the third of ten spacecraft within the Mariner program.
What does Mariner mean in English?
: a person who navigates or assists in navigating a ship : seaman, sailor.
What planet is the hottest?
Venus ‘ crust is mostly basalt, and is estimated to be 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 km) thick, on average. Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. Although Venus is not the planet closest to the sun, its dense atmosphere traps heat in a runaway version of the greenhouse effect that warms Earth.
What is the major difference between Mariner 10 and Messenger?
What is the major difference between Mariner 10 and Messenger? Mariner 10 flew past Mercury several times. Messenger went into orbit around the planet . dense iron core taking up almost half of the volume of the planet and a rocky mantle surrounding the core.
Which planet is fastest revolution?
Answer: Mercury is the winner at an orbital speed of about 47.87 km/s (107,082 miles per hour), which is a period of about 87.97 Earth days.
What’s the best description of Mercury’s core?
With a radius of 1,100 to 1,200 mile (1,800 to 1,900 km), the core makes up about 85 percent of the planet’s radius. Radar images taken from Earth revealed that the core is molten liquid, rather than solid. Mercury’s core has more iron than any other planet in the solar system.
What planet is covered in toxic clouds?
Venus has a thick, toxic atmosphere filled with carbon dioxide and it’s perpetually shrouded in thick, yellowish clouds of sulfuric acid that trap heat, causing a runaway greenhouse effect. It’s the hottest planet in our solar system, even though Mercury is closer to the Sun.
What happens every 176 years?
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Alignment
Calculations reveal it is possible for a spacecraft launched in the late 1970s to visit all four giant outer planets , using the gravity of each planet to swing the spacecraft on to the next. This alignment occurs once every 176 years.
Did Mariner 2 have a camera?
But nobody would know for sure until a spacecraft arrived there. Scientists were hoping Mariner 2 could answer questions about this. One notable absence from Mariner 2’s suite of instruments: a camera . Astronomer and science popularizer Carl Sagan was among the designers of the spacecraft.
Why was Mariner 9’s launch mass nearly doubled?
Mariner 9.
Its launch mass was nearly doubled by the onboard rocket pro- pellant needed to thrust it into orbit around Mars , but otherwise it closely resembled its predecessors. Achieving orbit in November 1971, Mariner 9 observed that a great dust storm had obscured the whole globe of the planet.
