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
- 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.
- Destination
- No Mars orbit achieved; Centaur flight-control failure caused reentry north of Puerto Rico
- 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.
- Programs
- 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
- August 21, 2026 at 13:02:54 UTC
- Image
- Download
Other
- Affiliations
- Search Name
- Mariner 8 Mariner-H Mariner-71H 1971-041A
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles