Missions to Mars

36 x 24 in. Archival quality art print 1. Mariner 4 Mariner 4 was the first spacecraft to successfully fly by Mars, producing the first photos of another planet that were taken from space. The photos revealed impact craters similar to the Moon’s, which were just starting to be photographed at close range. What was expected to be an eight-month journey lasted about three years, as Mariner 4 continued its investigations in solar orbit. 2. Mariner 6 Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 were identical spacecraft that completed the first successful dual mission to Mars. The goal was to perform a close flyby of Mars in order to gain further knowledge of the planet’s surface and atmosphere in the service of aiding future investigations, especially those focused on the prospect of extraterrestrial life. 3. Mariner 7 Combined, Mariner 6 and Mariner 7 returned hundreds of images from both far and near encounters with Mars. 20% of the surface of Mars was revealed in close-ups; as opposed to images produced