Description
View of the entire planet of Mars from Mariner 7, showing NIX Olympia (later identified as the giant shield volcano Olympus Mons), and polar caps. Photographed from 200,000 miles away.
The Mariner 7 spacecraft and its twin (Mariner 6) were designed specifically to concentrate on Mars. Better quality imaging was planned to give a more complete picture of the Martian surface to help in planning future missions to Mars to search for signs of life.
Mariner 7 was launched on March 27, 1969 and arrived on August 4, 1969.
