Mariner 8 — launch
Date in UTC
Mariner-H (Mariner Mars '71), also commonly known as Mariner 8, was (along with Mariner 9) part of the Mariner Mars '71 project. It was intended to go into Mars orbit and return images and data, but a launch vehicle failure prevented Mariner 8 from achieving Earth orbit and the spacecraft reentered into the Atlantic Ocean shortly after launch. Mariner 8 was launched on an Atlas-Centaur SLV-3C booster (AC-24). The main Centaur engine was ignited 265 seconds after launch, but the upper stage began to oscillate in pitch and tumbled out of control. The Centaur stage shut down 365 seconds after launch due to starvation caused by the tumbling.
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_8. Related NASA reference: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/mariner-8/. Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).
- Category
- Launches and Flight Tests
- Mission
- Mariner 8
- Organization
- NASA Lewis Research Center
- Vehicle
- Atlas SLV-3C Centaur
- Location
- Cape Canaveral Air Station, Florida
- Country
- US
- Launch outcome
- failure
Context and qualifications
Launch code: OF. Source references: JPL-TR-32-1550; -. Pitch rate gyro failed
Sources and attribution
- Jonathan McDowell — General Catalog of Artificial Space Objects (opens in a new tab) — Data from GCAT (J. McDowell, planet4589.org/space/gcat), CC BY 4.0. Adapted into anniversary records. (CC BY 4.0)
- Wikipedia — Mariner 8 (opens in a new tab) — Adapted from Wikipedia contributors; selected sentences retained and edited for length, reference markers and pronunciation glosses. CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ Article and edit history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariner_8 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Timeline of Space Exploration Missions 1957 to 2031 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA — Mariner 8 (opens in a new tab)
- NASA NSSDCA — Mariner 8 (opens in a new tab)
