Latest news with #Mariner4
Ammon
12 hours ago
- Science
- Ammon
Close-up pictures of Mars provided by Mariner 4
Ammon News - Mariner 4, an uncrewed space probe launched by NASA in 1964, flew by Mars and returned close-up pictures of its surface on this day in 1965, the pictures proving that the planet's rumoured canals were actually illusions. Britannica
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Mars Seen Up Close in Stunning World First 60 Years Ago Today
On 15 July 1965, NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft made Solar System history. As it flew by Mars, the spacecraft's onboard camera snapped 22 pictures of the planet's surface, sending them back home to Earth – the first-ever close-up photos of Mars obtained by humans, and the very first photos of another planet obtained from a position in deep space. Those images, showing a vast, dry, heavily cratered desert, completely changed our understanding of Mars, and the possibility of life thereon – but also ushered in a bold new era of Solar System planetary science and exploration. Mariner 4 launched on 28 November 1964, and spent nearly eight months making the long, arduous journey to Mars – a spacecraft designed to make a careful study of the red planet, and transmit its observations back to Earth, across millions of miles of space. Related: By the time Mariner 4 made its encounter, Mars and Earth were separated by a distance of around 220 million kilometers (136 million miles), a distance that radio signals could traverse in 12 minutes. The operations team on Earth had to precisely time their commands to the spacecraft 12 minutes ahead of when they wanted it to perform a task, carefully waiting until Mariner 4's optimal position was 12 minutes away. Then, the humans at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Space Flight Operations Center had to wait until each picture had transmitted back across the gulf, a process that took four days. "Now came the moment of truth – had we really obtained pictures? After the six hour delay for the 40,000 pixels (picture elements) to be transmitted the first picture was displayed. But what was that just above the limb? A cloud? Impossible. Everyone knew there weren't clouds on Mars - it must be a crack in the camera lens. Oh, no, another instrument failure. Of course, as it later turned out there really are clouds on Mars," recalled the late Bill Momsen, Mariner 4 engineer, in 2002. "And then the real wonder came – picture after picture showing that the surface was dotted with craters! It appeared uncannily like that of our own Moon, deeply cratered, and unchanged over time. No water, no canals, no life … Although at first great elation gripped the crew at realizing we had really done it, that was tempered by what had been revealed." Those first 22 images covered just one percent of the Martian surface, and it just so happened to be an area that was particularly heavily cratered. As we know now, after decades of orbital observations, Mars has a diverse and fascinating landscape, from volcanic basalt plains to ancient river deltas. Even though we know a lot more now than we knew 60 years ago, we've still only barely scratched the surface of Mars. Little by little, though, its past is slowly coming to light. We know that water once flowed freely across its surface, that volcanism was once rampant and may rumble still deep inside its belly. We know that it has beautiful clouds, and wild storms, and blue sunsets, and dust devils that leave traceries of their paths across the dusty ground. One day, perhaps, we may even find that life was present on Mars after all. NASA Rover Breaks Record For Longest Road Trip on Another Planet NASA Reveals The Closest Images Ever Taken of The Sun Your Next Flight Might Signal Our Existence to Alien Civilizations
UPI
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
On This Day, July 15: BP caps Deepwater Horizon oil spill after 3 months
1 of 6 | BP workers use shovels to clean oil from a beach at Port Fourchon, La., May 24, 2010. On July 15, 2010, BP announced it had capped its crippled underwater well that sent millions of barrels of crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for three months. File Photo by A.J. Sisco/UPI | License Photo July 15 (UPI) -- On this date in history: In 1799, a French soldier discovered the Rosetta Stone, an ancient stele that served as the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. Now housed in the British Museum, Egypt has sought for decades the artifact's repatriation. In 1806, Zebulon Pike began an expedition to explore the American Southwest. In 1907, three organizations -- the Publishers Press Association, the Scripps-McRae Press Association and the Scripps News Associations -- joined to form United Press, which would eventually become United Press International. The wire service started business with 460 newspaper clients, of which 400 were evening newspapers and 60 were Sunday morning newspapers. In 1912, the U.S. Olympic team, led by all-round athlete Jim Thorpe, took more medals than any other country at the Summer Games in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1945, Italy declared war on Japan, its former Axis partner. In 1965, the unmanned spacecraft Mariner 4 passed over Mars at an altitude of 6,000 feet and sent the first close-up images of the planet to Earth. A view of the surface Mars taken by Mariner 4 on July 14, 1965. File Photo courtesy NASA In 1968, a Soviet Aeroflot jetliner landed at New York's JFK Airport, marking the beginning of direct commercial flights between the United States and the Soviet Union. In 1968, daytime soap opera One Life to Live premiered on ABC. In its 45-year run, the television series racked up dozens of Daytime Emmy Awards, including six for actor Erika Slezak. In 1992, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton was nominated as the Democratic Party's candidate for president. In 1997, Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace was shot to death in front of his Miami mansion. The prime suspect was Andrew Cunanan, already wanted in four other slayings. He was found dead a week later, an apparent suicide. Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace's house on South Beach, in Miami Beach, Fla. Versace was killed in front of his mansion. File Photo by Adam Werner/UPI In 2002, John Walker Lindh, a 21-year-old American captured by the U.S. military in Afghanistan while with Taliban forces, admitted he had fought as a soldier with them. After cooperating in the investigation of the terrorist network, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released from prison in May 2019. In 2009, Caspian Airlines Flight 7908 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran bound for Armenia. Officials said 168 people were killed. In 2010, BP, the London energy company, announced it had capped its crippled underwater well that sent millions of barrels of crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico over the previous three months after an offshore drilling rig explosion and fire killed 11 workers and unleashed an unchecked torrent from the depths. In 2024, police in Kenya arrested a man who confessed to killing at least 42 women, including his own wife, over the span of two years. The suspect, Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, later pleaded not guilty to the slayings and in August 2024 escaped a Nairobi prison along with 12 others. File Photo courtesy of DCI Kenya
Digital Trends
03-07-2025
- Science
- Digital Trends
NASA's skywatching tips for July include an ‘eagle'
NASA is back with its monthly roundup on what to look out for in the skies over the coming weeks. And there's plenty to enjoy. The planets take center stage this month, with July offering a great chance to view Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Venus, and Jupiter. You'll be able to see Mercury for a brief period following sunset during the first week of July. Cast your gaze very low in the west 30 to 45 minutes after sundown. Mercury sets within the hour after that, so be sure to carefully pinpoint it before it vanishes from view. Next up, Mars. The red planet will be visible for the first hour or two after it gets dark. 'You'll find it sinking lower in the sky each day and looking a bit dimmer over the course of the month, as our two planets' orbits carry them farther apart,' NASA says in its latest roundup video (top), adding that the crescent moon will appear right next to Mars on July 28. The space agency also notes that July marks the 60th anniversary of the first successful flyby of Mars, by NASA's Mariner 4 spacecraft. During the mission, Mariner 4 also became the first spacecraft to beam back photos of another planet. Saturn — the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest planet in our solar system — rises late in the evening this month, and by dawn appears high overhead to the south. Meanwhile, Venus — our brightest planet — will be shining brightly throughout the month, making it easy to spot. However, you'll have to wake up early as it's only viewable a couple of hours before sunrise, toward the east. Last but not least, Jupiter — the largest planet in our solar system — will be rising in the hour before sunrise and appearing a little higher with each passing day. NASA also points out that July and August is an excellent chance to view the constellation Aquila, also known as the eagle as its star pattern resembles an eagle in flight. 'This time of year, it soars high into the sky in the first half of the night,' NASA says. adding that to find it, first locate its brightest star, Altair. 'It's one of the three bright stars in the Summer Triangle, which is super easy to pick out during summer months in the Northern Hemisphere. Altair is the second brightest of the three, and sits at the southernmost corner of the triangle.' Check out the video for more details — including helpful images — on how to view Aquila and also the planets.
