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The Mariner Missions Facts & Worksheets

The Mariner Missions is a space program conducted by NASA to explore other planets.

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The Mariner program was conducted by the American space agency NASA to explore other planets. 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.

See the fact file below for more information on The Mariner Missions or alternatively, you can download our 23-page The Mariner Missions worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Origin of the Mission

  • In response to the hectic space race in the 1950s, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) activated its field center Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to construct and operate planetary robotic spacecraft and conduct Earth-orbit and astronomy missions.
  • JPL is NASA’s primary planetary spacecraft center; the engineers designed and operated Ranger and Surveyor missions to the Moon that prepared the way for Apollo. 
  • But before that, JPL led the way in uncrewed interplanetary exploration with the Mariner missions to Venus, Mars, and Mercury.
  • The term “Mariner program” was decided in May 1960 – patterned after nautical terms, conveying the impression of travel to great distances and remote lands, which inspired the next probes: Ranger, Surveyor, and Viking.
  • The Mariner program consisted of ten exploration probes (seven were successful) launched between 1962 and 1973 – launched by Atlas-Agenta rockets and later missions using Atlas-Centaur.
  • Under its belt are scores of achievements, including the first planetary flyby, the first planetary orbiter, and the first gravity assist maneuver.
  • All Mariner spacecrafts were based on a hexagonal base, housing electronics and components such as antennae, cameras, propulsion, and power sources.

Chronology of the Mariner Missions

  • Mariner 1 – The first one to be sent to fly by Venus with the primary mission to carry out experiments to determine the temperature of Venus, and measure the magnetic fields and charged particles near and surrounding the planet.
  • However, hours before its launching, a fuse in the range safety circuits blew up so it was canceled. The second attempt also failed when the rocket went off course, threatening inhabited areas should it crash. To avoid more damage, JPL ordered the rocket to self-destruct, which it did.
  • Mariner 2 – With better modifications, Mariner II was launched a month later despite experiencing minor problems. It became the first spacecraft to successfully encounter another planet.
  • After 110 days of flight from the earth, Mariner 2 made a flyby as close as 34,773 kilometers (21,607 miles) to Venus. Later, the transmission was lost on January 2, 1963, but Mariner 2 is still orbiting around the sun.
  • Mariner 3 – After the Venus flyby, NASA set its eyes on the Martian surface.
  • Now using four solar panels, a TV camera, and additional instruments, it needed a rocket with greater capacity – the Atlas-Agena. But while it launched successfully, the solar panels failed to work and the power died after eight hours.
  • Mariner 4 – The first spacecraft to obtain and transmit close-range images of Mars as close as 11,900 kilometers (7,394 miles). 22 images were sent back to Earth, covering about 1% of the surface.
  • Due to about 38 micrometeoroid hits, Mariner 4’s system began to malfunction. It ran out of power so, on December 4, 1967, all communications were lost.
  • Mariner 5 – Built as Mariner 4’s backup, this probe’s mission was reconfigured into a Venus flyby.
  • Flying its closest at an altitude of 3,990 kilometers (2,480 mi) from the Venusian atmosphere, Mariner 5 was able to provide more data on the hot, cloud-covered planet and the conditions in interplanetary space.
  • Mariner 6 and 7 – These twin probes were both sent for a Mars flyby mission just a month apart. Their goals were to study the surface and atmosphere of Mars in order to establish the basis for future missions, particularly in the search for extraterrestrial life, and to develop technologies for future Mars missions.
  • Perhaps Mariner 6 and 7’s most important discovery was the evidence of Martian atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide (CO2), and small trace amounts of water on the surface of Mars.
  • Mariner 8 – As part of the Mars 71 Project, aiming to enter the Martian orbit and take more detailed data about the planet’s composition, density, pressure, and temperature of the atmosphere, and the composition, temperature, and topography of the surface, Mariner 8 was NASA’s third failure as its launch vehicle failed and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Mariner 9 – Despite its twin’s failure, Mariner 9 successfully launched and orbited Mars for 349 days. It transmitted back 7,329 images (including images of Mars’s two moons, Phobos and Deimos) and 54 billion bits of data.
  • The results of the Mariner 9 mission paved the way for the next Mars mission: the Viking Program.
  • Mariner 10 – It was the last Mariner probe sent to Mercury and Venus, becoming the first spacecraft to visit two planets.
  • It was also the first spacecraft to make use of an interplanetary gravitational slingshot maneuver using another planet’s gravity in order to travel faster with conservative use of internal power.
  • In its Venus flyby, Mariner 10 captured 4,165 photographs of thick and distinctly patterned hot and chemical-rich atmosphere making a full revolution every four days.
  • After its Venus mission, Mariner 10 made three flybys of the planet Mercury. It mapped 40–45% of Mercury’s surface, capturing over 2,800 photos of its moon-like appearance.

The Mariner Missions Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about The Mariner Missions across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about The Mariner Missions which is a space program conducted by NASA to explore other planets.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • The Mariner Missions Facts
  • New Images
  • Mariner Trajectory
  • Space Travel
  • Next Level
  • The Big Project
  • The Space Race
  • Reflection
  • Videos from the Past
  • This Day in History
  • Mariner Acrostics

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Link will appear as The Mariner Missions Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 14, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.