|
|
|
|
The Mariner missions to Mars provided humanity with its first detailed surface images of the Red Planet. While the cratered landscapes initially discovered were already familiar enough from having seen similar features on the moon, Mariner went on to discern many other features, the like of which might never have been anticipated without an actual presence at Mars. These features included the Mariner’s Valley, greater than 10 times the length of our own Grand Canyon and more than 3 times its depth, and the Tarsus volcanoes which dwarf the largest mountains on Earth. Mount Olympus, the largest of the Tarsus volcanoes, in fact the largest volcano in the solar system, is more than 3 time the height of Mount Everest with a base that would more than cover than entire state of Arizona. The mariner missions to Mars flew in 1964 (Mariner 4, flyby) and 1971 (Mariner 9, orbiter).
Slide 8 of 20