Mariner 6 and 7 Images Plotted on Global View of Mars

Mariner 6-7 images plotted on global view of Mars
November 11, 2014
CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech
Language
  • english

These wide-angle images of Mars were laid in place on a globe already containing an indistinct, Earth-based view of Mars.

The Mariner 6 pictures make two horizontal rows above; the Mariner 7 pictures extend from center to bottom right and across the south polar cap.

The Visual Imaging Investigation (TV experiment) for Mariner 6 and 7 used two cameras on each spacecraft, in order to obtain both broad coverage and high resolution.

Camera A, with a wide-angle lens, showed large areas of the planet, 1000 x 1000 km and details as small as 3,000 m during near encounter. Camera B, with a telephoto lens, showed 100 x 100 km areas and details as small as 300 m.

The cameras operated alternately, with each one taking a picture every 84 seconds.