Mariner 10
The Mariner 10 spacecraft
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| Mission type | Planetary exploration |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / JPL |
| COSPAR ID | 1973-085A |
| SATCAT № | 6919 |
| Mission duration | 1 year, 4 months, 12 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Launch mass | 502.9 kilograms (1,109 lb) |
| Power | 820 watts (at Venus encounter) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 3, 1973, 05:45:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Atlas SLV-3D Centaur-D1A |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral LC-36B |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | March 24, 1975 |
| Flyby of Venus | |
| Closest approach | February 5, 1974 |
| Distance | 5,768 kilometers (3,584 mi) |
| Flyby of Mercury | |
| Closest approach | March 29, 1974 |
| Distance | 704 kilometers (437 mi) |
| Flyby of Mercury | |
| Closest approach | September 21, 1974 |
| Distance | 48,069 kilometers (29,869 mi) |
| Flyby of Mercury | |
| Closest approach | March 16, 1975 |
| Distance | 327 kilometers (203 mi) |
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Mariner 10 was an American robotic space probe launched by NASA on November 3, 1973, to fly by the planets Mercury and Venus.
Mariner 10 was launched approximately two years after Mariner 9 and was the last spacecraft in the Mariner program. (Mariner 11 and 12 were allocated to the Voyager program and redesignated Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.)
The mission objectives were to measure Mercury's environment, atmosphere, surface, and body characteristics and to make similar investigations of Venus. Secondary objectives were to perform experiments in the interplanetary medium and to obtain experience with a dual-planet gravity assist mission. Mariner 10's science team was led by Bruce C. Murray at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Mariner 10 was the first spacecraft to make use of an interplanetary gravitational slingshot maneuver, using Venus to bend its flight path and bring its perihelion down to the level of Mercury's orbit. This maneuver, inspired by the orbital mechanics calculations of the Italian scientist Giuseppe Colombo, put the spacecraft into an orbit that repeatedly brought it back to Mercury. Mariner 10 used the solar radiation pressure on its solar panels and its high-gain antenna as a means of attitude control during flight, the first spacecraft to use active solar pressure control.
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