Mariner 4
Mariner 4 was launched November 28, 1964 on a 228-day mission to
Mars. The spacecraft carried instruments for eight
interplanetary and planetary experiments including a TV camera.
Mariner 4 passed Mars at a distance of 9,868 kilometers (6,118
miles), recording and transmitting to Earth our first close-up
picture of the red planet. In 21 and a fraction of a 22nd
picture, Mariner's TV camera scanned about one percent of the
Martian surface, revealing ancient craters of varying size.
Planetary science data, including pictures, were trasmitted over
distances ranging from 215 million to 240 kilometers (134 million
to 150 million miles).
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