Mariner 9
AgencyNASA
Year1971
TypeMars orbit
RocketAtlas-Centaur
CountryUSA
About the Mission
The first spacecraft to orbit another planet. Arrived during a global dust storm that hid the entire surface. When the dust cleared, it discovered Olympus Mons, the largest volcano in the solar system, and Valles Marineris, a canyon system 4,000 km long. Mapped 85% of the surface.
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