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Mariner 4 revealed Mars to
have a rust-coloured, cratered surface, with signs on some
parts of the planet that liquid water had once etched its
way into the soil.
The canals that Percival Lowell
had observed using his telescope in 1890, were proved to be
an optical illusion, although some kind of natural waterways
were seen in a few regions of the planet.
In addition to various field
and particle sensors and detectors, (see below) the spacecraft
had a television camera, which took 22 pictures covering about
1% of the planet.
Initially stored on a 4-track
tape recorder, these pictures took four days to transmit to
Earth.
The Mariner 4 mission was
designed to meet three major objectives: · Study interplanetary
fields and particles, including the Martian magnetic field,
cosmic dust, cosmic rays, and the solar wind. · Take close-up
images of Mars in hopes of discovering the geologic and atmospheric
processes at work on the planet over the years. · Provide
experience in operating long-term interplanetary missions.
This image was transmitted
to earth in the early afternoon of 15th July 1965. It proves
that Mars has impact craters, just like the Moon.
Once Mariner 4 had past Mars,
it continued its journey to the far side of the Sun, before
returning to Earth in 1967. Scientists then tested it, in
an attempt to improve their knowledge for what technology
would be needed for further investigation.
All operations of the spacecraft
ceased on December 20, 1967. As well as the Television Camera,
Marina 4 also had a Solar Plasma probe, Ionization chamber,
Trapped radiation detector, Helium vector magnetometer, Cosmic
ray telescope and a Cosmic dust detector.
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