Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Mariner-Mars '71, Part I
9 May 1971: The
Mariner-H probe (also known as "
Mariner 8") lifted off from Florida's Cape Kennedy Air Force Station atop an Atlas-Centaur rocket; shortly after staging, the Centaur upper stage began to tumble out of control, both the rocket & the probe crashing into the Atlantic Ocean north of Puerto Rico; the cause of the failure was eventually traced to a malfunction in the guidance system.
Commentary: Just as the summer of 2020 saw the launch of three robotic missions to Mars—by the United States of America (Mars 2020, Perseverance
rover & Ingenuity
helicopter), the People's Republic of China (Tianwen-1, Zhurong
rover), & the United Arab Emirates (Emirates Mars Mission, Hope
orbiter)—so too the May 1971 Mars launch window saw a flurry of activity from the United States & the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as we shall explore in the weeks ahead.
Bonus! Song o' the Day: Mariner-H
Aqua, "Back from Mars" from
Aquarius (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)
Semper exploro.
No comments:
Post a Comment