Nov 22 1967
From The Space Library
NASA reported its space engineers at JPL's Space Flight Operations Facility, using Goldstone DSN station, had sent commands to check MARINER IV's camera and data storage system; spacecraft, launched Nov. 28, 1964, had now traveled about 1.5 billion miles and was circling sun between earth and Mars. MARINER IV had been commanded to take TV pictures of black space and record on magnetic tape after long space environment exposure. The spacecraft had responded perfectly. Commands also were sent to switch MARINER V's transmitter from high gain directional to low gain omnidirectional antenna, mission of spacecraft being terminated; MARINER V , launched June 14, had completed its Venus mission and was in solar orbit between orbits of Venus and Mercury, about 74 million miles from earth and about 60 million miles from sun. NASA reported that it might be possible to recontact MARINER V in Sept. 1968, when spacecraft's antennas would be pointed once again toward earth. Both Mariners would remain in solar orbit indefinitely; however, because MARINER IV`s stabilizing nitrogen gas supply was expected to run out in. the next few weeks, spacecraft would drift and solar panels would no longer face the sun. Data reception would end because storage batteries would no longer receive charge. (NASA Release 67-291)
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