Mariner 8
Mariner 8 was the first of NASA's paired 1971 Mars-orbiter spacecraft. It was intended to study the Martian surface and atmosphere, but the Atlas-Centaur lost pitch control during ascent and the spacecraft never reached Earth orbit.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Mariner-HMariner-71H1971-041A
- Name
- Mariner 8
- Slug
- mariner-8
- Status
- failed
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- Mariner 8 was the first of NASA's paired 1971 Mars-orbiter spacecraft. It was intended to study the Martian surface and atmosphere, but the Atlas-Centaur lost pitch control during ascent and the spacecraft never reached Earth orbit.
- End Date
- 1971-05-09
- Launch Site
- Outcome
- Failed during launch. A Centaur flight-control fault caused the stack to tumble and shut down, after which the stage and spacecraft reentered north of Puerto Rico.
- Program
- Mariner
- Start Date
- 1971-05-09
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-8/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 18, 2026 at 11:44:06 UTC
- Updated Time
- July 18, 2026 at 11:44:06 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles
- -